Dr. Grisel Lopez-Escobar, PhD (Counseling)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor offering virtual therapy to adult clients in 19 U.S. states
Working with people who are questioning, deconstructing, or leaving high-control religions, groups, or cults
Welcome!
If you’re here, you may be carrying questions that don’t have easy answers. You might be questioning beliefs you once held with certainty. You might be noticing fear, guilt, or shame that hasn’t gone away—even after your beliefs have changed. You might feel unsettled, angry, relieved, confused, or all of the above.
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Many of the people who find their way here are navigating religious trauma, a faith crisis, or deconstruction. Others are working through the psychological impact of having been part of a high-control religion, group, or cult—not all of which are explicitly religious. Some people are years out of these environments and still notice how deeply they shaped their sense of self, safety, or worth.
There is nothing wrong with you for feeling this way.
A place to slow things down
Therapy doesn’t have to rush you toward answers, decisions, or a new identity. My work is grounded in creating a space where you can slow the process down—where your thoughts, emotions, and reactions are taken seriously without being judged, spiritualized, or corrected. You don’t need to know what you believe now. You don’t need to “land” anywhere. You don’t need to explain or defend your questions. We work at your pace, with attention to psychological safety, autonomy, and lived reality.
Private
Psychotherapy Practice
Specializing in
Religious Residue
My role as your therapist
I work with individuals, not with couples. My role is not to guide your beliefs, encourage or discourage faith, or move you toward a particular conclusion.
Instead, I support you in:
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clarifying your own values and needs
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reducing fear-based conditioning and shame responses
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rebuilding trust in your perceptions and internal signals
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navigating relationships affected by belief or identity change
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integrating change in a way that feels coherent and grounded
This is secular, trauma-informed therapy. That means therapy is not used to evaluate, reinforce, or challenge beliefs—and you do not need to identify as religious, spiritual, or non-religious for this work to be helpful.
Who this work is often helpful for
People who reach out to me often include those who are:
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actively questioning or deconstructing a belief system
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recovering from religious trauma or purity culture
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processing the aftereffects of a high-control religion, group, or cult
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years out of these environments but still feeling their psychological residue
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navigating mixed-faith or interfaith relationships shaped by belief change
You don’t need to see yourself perfectly reflected in any one description. If parts of this resonate, that’s enough.
Cultural context and how I relate
Thanks to my life experiences, I come to the therapeutic relationship shaped by multiple cultural contexts—American, Latin-American, and European. I know what it’s like to adapt to new environments, navigate difference, and learn how to summon the inner strength required to survive and thrive. English is the language I speak most fluently, and I also provide therapy in French and Spanish.
Reaching out
If you’re considering therapy, you don’t need to know exactly what to say or where you want things to go. You’re welcome to email me at grisel@drgrisel.com or use the contact form on the last menu tab to ask questions, share a bit about what you’re navigating, or simply see whether this might be a good fit. Reaching out does not commit you to therapy, and you’re welcome to share as much or as little as you’d like.
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I read every message personally and respond by email.
