RECOVERING FROM RELIGION
Because no one should make the journey alone.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Many people experience stress and anxiety when they consider leaving their faith. Often there are fractured communities and relationships. Recovering from Religion seeks to provide resources, compassionate listening, and group organization to help those individuals. This is accomplished through the Helpline, the Local Support Groups Program, and the Secular Therapy Project.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Secular Therapy Project
The Secular Therapy Project is a free service that anonymously matches clientele with local, regional, or distance-service mental health practitioners who only utilize nonreligious and ethically sound, evidence based mental health care in their therapeutic practice.
Recovering from Religion is chaired and founded by Dr. Darrel Ray, a Vanderbilt-educated psychologist and the author of several books addressing the intersection of psychology and religious harm. The Secular Therapist Project, headed by Dr. Caleb Lack, exists to match the nonreligious as well as religious doubters requiring professional mental health support with local therapists committed to only using evidence based therapeutic methodology with their clientele.
Many private therapists encourage religious belief as a predetermined source of fulfillment for clients, which is in direct conflict with psychological standards of practice and ethical conduct. Because of this, individuals moving away from religion or dealing with the emotional fallout of family and friends after rejecting religion’s influence in their lives often find themselves with limited options. Therapists enrolled in the Project commit to providing non-dogmatic support regardless of where a client identifies on their journey towards secularism.
Since its inception, the Secular Therapist Project has enrolled over 260 therapists and more than 7,600 clients. This service is provided anonymously and at no cost to providers or clients seeking therapy.
The Helpline Project
The Hotline Project was launched in March 01 2015. The Live Chat feature was added in 2016, and in 2017 the program added the Online Community and was renamed the Helpline Project. Call and chat agents and Community channel leaders are volunteers with training and a commitment to RR’s organizational mission.
RR has call agents based around the world. Calls and chats are from a diverse spectrum of demographics, demonstrating the Helpline’s tremendous value to people experiencing crises of faith. The youngest caller to date identified as a 12 year old girl and the oldest an 88 year old woman.
Local Support Group Program
Monthly small group meetings providing in-person support, resources, and encouragement for people who identify as being negatively impacted by faith or religion.
The core of Recovering from Religion’s programming is our local support groups. Facilitated by trained volunteers, local groups meet at least monthly, are free to attend, and feature directed discussions on topics chosen by participants. Facilitators can also direct attendees to other resources in their area, including other local groups and community networks. Currently groups are located worldwide, throughout the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Australia, South Africa, Nigeria, and India.
Recovering from Religion’s local groups are established by volunteers in cities across the United States. Interested parties contact RfR directly in order to establish a group. Groups are required to meet at least once per month, though more frequent meetings are absolutely encouraged.
Facilitators receive training before establishing a group in facilitation techniques, group administration, social media, privacy and confidentiality, active listening techniques, and conflict resolution.
RfR provides training (online and in person), a facilitation curriculum, a paid Meetup account, a new group startup packet, and ongoing support for group leaders.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of donations made by board members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
All Board members participate in a monthly giving program. We have 100% board participation, in addition to the ED.
Number of unique website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Raw page views (which would include repeat page visits) was 207,000 for the 2022 year, a 3% increase over the prior year.
Number of participants counseled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Helpline includes phone and internet chat. Number of participants includes attendees of Local Support Groups, Zoom Support Groups, our weekly presentation RfRx, and members of the Online Community.
Number of phone calls/inquiries
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
The Helpline Project
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Numbers relate to the Helpline, which includes calls and internet chats.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Of our newly-trained volunteers in 2023, 94 are Helpline agents and OC Moderators, 150 are Support Group leaders, and 41 are Directors, assistants, board members, podcasters, and writers.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This is the number of people who reached out to the Helpline, members of our local Support Groups, attendees of our religion-recovery retreat, and attendees of RfRx.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
As RfR moves forward, we are committed to expanding our existing programs and launching new, innovative programs. The Helpline Project continues to reach more people, and our goal is to continue to add to our volunteer team, and to be the resource for the thousands of folks needing our services. Our goal for RfR local groups is to process applications for those individuals wishing to serve as Local Support Group Leaders, provide our comprehensive online training, and increase the number of locations of our Support Groups, once again reaching more folks who need the support of a compassionate community as they doubt and leave religion.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Expanding the Helpline Project entails a targeted media strategy. Recruiting leadership and providing quality, online training videos and peer support is at the heart of our local group development. Our current Helpline and Local Group training materials are being adapted for greater use among the freethought community.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
RfR's volunteer staff is composed of highly trained and gifted people. It is one of the few non-profits in the secular community composed entirely of volunteers. The Helpline is never "closed" and the thousands of volunteer hours necessary to staff it is a reflection of the volunteers' dedication and commitment to this worthy endeavor.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
One of our primary goals is to expand the educational arm of RfR. Developing additional educational programs, training programs, and materials is a dream that we long to see fulfilled in the very near future.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
RECOVERING FROM RELIGION
Board of directorsas of 02/09/2024
Dr. Darrel Ray
Recovering From Religion
Term: 2012 - 2025
Rachel Hunt
Recovering from Religion
Shanon Nebo
Recovering from Religion
Phil Session
Recovering from Religion
Darrel Ray
Recovering from Religion
David Klinge
Recovering from Religion
Sherrie D'Souza
Recovering from Religion
Shana Rubio
Recovering from Religion
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as: