Baylor’s nationally recognized research center on clergy abuse blends research and advocacy

Through their research, Baylor social work professor David Pooler and doctoral student Lucy Huh examine unpleasant realities for the benefit of survivors of abuse, and to prevent future victims.

Dr. Pooler leads the Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse Advocacy and Research Collaborative in Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, where Baylor researchers collaborate with other researchers and organizations to advocate for survivors, deepen understanding of abuse, determine best practices, and help survivors find paths to healing.

Pooler directed the first national survey of adult survivors of adult clergy abuse in 2015. Huh serves as a research associate within the Collaborative, and has helped broaden the reach of their research. Their work in many ways follows in the footsteps of the School of Social Work’s namesake, Dr. Diana Garland, who pioneered the research of clergy abuse and whose work broadened understanding of the topic.

Among the Collaborative’s many findings are key numbers for understanding the scope and impact of abuse. Pooler’s research found that 39% of adult survivors of such abuse deal with PTSD — a number higher than those found in U.S. war veterans. Research also indicates that as little as 10% of victims report their abuse.

Such insights have been featured in both scholarly journals and the mainstream press (such as Christianity Today), and are even having an impact in the legislative realm.

Huh, herself a survivor, found that only 13 states have criminalized adult clergy sexual abuse as a felony or misdemeanor. Her home state, California, was not among them. After connecting with her state senator, Huh shared research findings along with her own insights and those of other survivors, moving him to action. Today, California Senate Bill 894 is under consideration to add the state to the list of those that deter abuse through criminalization of the offense.

“I think we can make churches safer, better, and healthier,” Pooler said in an interview last year. “But, it will require the concerted effort of congregants, grassroots, ground up, demanding reform and change of their leaders and institutions.”

Sic ’em, Dr. Pooler and Lucy Huh!