Presenters

Rachael Kohn BA(Hons), MA, PhD
Multi award winning broadcaster, author, speaker on religion and spirituality, Rachael Kohn is a well known voice to many as the presenter of 'The Spirit of Things' on ABC Radio National.

In a Sydney Morning Herald survey of Australia's top hundred intellectuals, Rachael Kohn was voted in the top 50. (SMH, March 12-13, 2005) In the year 2000, Kohn was chosen by the national newspaper, The Australian, as one of the country's leading 100 Australians.

Rachael has a profound interest in how people relate to the deeper questions that are posed by life and living. Rachael's involvement in the study of religious traditions and metaphysical systems, gives her a unique perspective on the potential misuse of people's searching nature.

Further info at Rachel Kohn's website.

Senator Nick Xenophon
Independant South Australian Senator, Nick Xenophon worked for fifteen years as a legal practitioner before running for office campaigning on issues where people and groups weren’t getting a fair go – asbestos, victims of crime, and land tax, gambling addiction to name but a few.

His recent speech to Parliament calling for an inquiry into the practices and allegations of abuse by certain religious groups has drawn overdue attention to this issue. To quote his speech to Parliament:
"Ultimately, this is not about religious freedom. In Australia there are no limits on what you can believe. But there are limits on how you can behave. It is called the law, and no one is above it." More here.

More info is available at Senator Xenophon's website.

Michael Bachelard, BA
Author and award winning investigative journalist Michael Bachelard has worked with The Canberra Times, The Age, The Republican, The Australian covering politics, business and industrial relations. His political journalism led to an interest in the activities of the Exclusive Brethren sect who came to notoriety as a political lobby group around 2004.

The results of his inquiries are the most comprehensive book ever written about the Exclusive Brethren. It's a fascinating story of politics and power. But it's a very human story, too - of damaged lives, broken families, and of hurt and anger that stretches back decades.

DONI WHITSETT, PhD; LCSW
is a Clinical Professor at the University of Southern California School of Social Work, where she has been on faculty since 1994, having previously taught at UCLA for 6 years. She has been in the field of Social Work since 1967, receiving her doctorate in 1987. Dr. Whitsett teaches both first-year foundation courses in practice and behavior and second year courses in the Mental Health concentration. In addition, she has a private practice where she has worked with cultinvolved families and former members for over 15 years.

Dr. Whitsett is on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Cultic Studies Journal, published by the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA), where she has been a member since 1990. She has presented on various aspects of trauma and cults both nationally and internationally and trains mental health professionals in Los Angeles on how to treat this population. Her publications include three articles on cults: The Psychobiology of trauma and child maltreatment (2006); Cults and Families (with Dr. Stephen Kent, 2003); and A self psychological approach to the cult phenomenon (1992).

ROSANNE HENRY, M.A., L.P.C.
is a psychotherapist practicing in Littleton, Colorado. For the past twenty years she has been active in the counter cult movement working closely with the former Cult Awareness Network and ICSA. She presently sits on the board of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) and heads the Mental Health Committee. She has developed and facilitated ICSA's Recovery workshops for first and second-generation cult survivors for fifteen years.

Roseanne Henry's trainings for mental health professionals have been presented at ICSA conferences for almost ten years. Rosanne also sits on the board of the Rocky Mountain Resource Center, a local cult monitoring organization. Her private practice specializes in the treatment of cult survivors and their families. Rosanne is a former member of Kashi Ranch; her story is published in TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE.
E-mail:Rosanne@cultrecover.com
Web: www.CultRecover.com

NANCY MIQUELON, M.A., L.P.C.
is a licensed professional counselor in Colorado and a clinical mental health counselor in New Mexico. She has been practicing psychotherapy for seventeen years, specializing in the treatment of trauma.

Nancy is a cofounder and current board member of 'refocus', a former cult member referral and support network. She is also a regular workshop facilitator at the International Cultic Studies Association Recovery Workshop in Colorado. Nancy was a member of a cult called the Emissaries of Divine Light for thirteen years. She now resides and works with her husband in Dulce, New Mexico, with the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

PETER JANETZKI, Dip.T., Grad.Dip.Soc.Sc., M.Soc.Sc. (Counselling), QCA (Clin), CCAQ (Clin)
Peter Janetzki & Associates commenced in 1994 after Peter completed working for Scripture Union Queensland as a Youth Worker. More than a decade and a half later it has become a well-known counselling practice throughout the greater Brisbane area, as a team of counsellors who provide quality professional counselling and psychotherapy from a holistic perspective. Referrals come from medical practitioners, allied health professionals, clergy, pastors, previous clients, and word of mouth.

Peter Janetzki & Associates also provide seminars, workshops and training, in personal and professional development for couples, families, churches, community agencies, educational institutions, government departments, and corporations.