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Interview Request: Survival & Recovery in Victim-Survivors of Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse

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Dr Kathleen McPhillips, Dr Chris Krogh & Mrs Jaime Simpson
University of NewcastleUniversity DriveCallaghan, NSW, 2308,  Australia
School of Humanities, Creative Industries & Social Sciences
email: [email protected]

Interview Request:

Information Statement for the Research Project: Survival & Recovery in Victim-Survivors of Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse


You are invited:

You are invited to take part in a research study on survival, recovery, and growth after clergy sexual abuse experienced from late adolescence (16+) or adulthood, which is being conducted by student Jaime Simpson from the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Science (Discipline of Sociology & Anthropology) at the University of Newcastle. This project forms part of Jaime Simpson’s doctoral studies, supervised by Dr Kathleen McPhillips and Dr Chris Krogh. 

Why is this research being done?

The purpose of this research is to explore how survivors define, experience, and articulate their understanding of survival, recovery, and growth. By listening to survivors’ voices, this study aims to better understand survivors’ needs and contribute to more effective, trauma-informed responses in faith communities and support services.

This project's definition of consent:  Consent is only valid when it's freely given, informed, and uncoerced. There is no consent when someone participates in the act because of the abuse of a relationship of authority, trust, or dependence overbears the person or participates in the act because of coercion, blackmail or intimidation, regardless of when it occurs or whether it is a single incident or part of an ongoing pattern.

This project acknowledges that due to the power imbalance created by spiritual authority, pastoral care roles, and church leadership, a congregation member can not freely give valid consent to a faith leader. We also acknowledge that survivors may use different words to describe what happened.

This project's definition of abuse: 

For this project, the term clergy sexual abuse includes sexual harassment, sexual grooming, sexual coercion, and sexual abuse perpetrated by a member of the clergy (such as a pastor, minister, elder, priest, or other recognised faith leader). These behaviours can happen in person, online, or through other forms of communication.

  • Sexual abuse may involve unwanted sexual contact, sexualised comments, requests for sexual activity, sexual intercourse, oral sex, sexual touching, or any other behaviour of a sexual nature that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe, or violated.
  • Sexual harassment refers to unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that could reasonably be expected to make a person feel offended, humiliated, or intimidated. This can include sexual comments or jokes, suggestive gestures, intrusive questions about your private life, unwanted touching, or sexual advances.
  • Sexual grooming refers to behaviours used to gain a person’s trust, lower their defences, and create dependency in order to enable sexual abuse. This might include flattery, excessive attention, secrecy, spiritual manipulation, or exploiting emotional or practical needs.
  • Sexual coercion refers to being pressured, manipulated, or forced into sexual activity without genuine, free, and informed consent. This can include using spiritual authority, emotional control, threats, promises, or guilt to obtain compliance.
Inclusion Criteria for the interview:

The interview is open to English-speaking participants whose abuse occurred in Australia.

 You can take part if:
  • You are currently aged 18 years or older, and
  • You were aged 16 years or older at the time of the abuse, and
  • You experienced sexual harassment, sexual grooming, sexual coercion, or sexual abuse by a Christian faith leader (such as a pastor, minister, priest, pastoral therapist, or elder) of any Christian denomination in Australia.
You cannot take part in an interview if:
  • Your abuse did not happen in Australia (You can fill in the survey, which is open worldwide to English-speaking participants instead - link: https://uninewcastle.questionpro.com.au/survivalandrecovery)
  • You are under 18 years old now, or
  • The abuse occurred and ended when you were under the age of 16.
  • If you are currently involved in active court proceedings related to the abuse
If any of these apply to you, you are not eligible to participate.

Interview and Duration

The interview will be conducted online via Zoom and will take approximately 60–90 minutes with researcher Jaime Simpson.

The interview is semi-structured, meaning you will be asked open-ended questions with the flexibility to follow your responses. Interview questions will be provided to you during the pre-screening stage, so you can review the topics in advance.

The interview is guided by a trauma-informed framework and will focus on different aspects of recovery, including:
  • What supports your current sense of safety and wellbeing
  • Opportunities to share your experiences in your own way (if you choose)
  • Your strategies for survival, coping, and recovery
  • Your experiences of reconnection with self, others, or community
  • Your perspectives on justice, acknowledgement, and accountability
You are not required to share details of the abuse itself, and you may choose what to share and what to leave out. You are also free to skip any question or stop the interview at any time.

What choice do you have?

Participation in this project is entirely voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time until your transcript is de-identified, without consequence. You will be offered the opportunity to speak with the researcher during the pre-screening stage to discuss the study, participation details, the consent process, and your right to withdraw. If you choose to proceed, the interview questions will be provided in advance, so you can review the topics before deciding whether to take part.

If you choose to withdraw, your decision will not affect your relationship with the University, the researcher, or any support services. Before deciding whether to participate, you are encouraged to read this information carefully, ask any questions you may have, or discuss your decision with someone you trust. You will also have the option to have a support person of your choice join the Zoom interview. The support person will need to fill in a confidentiality agreement.   
 
What choice do you have?

Participation in this project is entirely voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time until your transcript is de-identified, without consequence. You will be offered the opportunity to speak with the researcher during the pre-screening stage to discuss the study, participation details, the consent process, and your right to withdraw.

If you choose to proceed, the interview questions will be provided in advance, so you can review the topics before deciding whether to take part.If you choose to withdraw, your decision will not affect your relationship with the University, the researcher, or any support services.The pre-screening stages involve completing the expression of interest form via QuestionPro, followed by a brief telephone discussion with the researcher, Jaime Simpson. The process is used to confirm eligibility, explain the study, and ensure that participation is appropriate and safe for you at this time.

Before deciding whether to participate, you are encouraged to read this information carefully, ask any questions you may have, or discuss your decision with someone you trust. You will also have the option to have a support person of your choice join the Zoom interview. The support person will be provided with the PIS form, and they will need to fill in a confidentiality agreement and send it back to Jaime Simpson prior to the interview. The support person’s role is to provide emotional support only. They will not answer questions or participate in the interview unless explicitly invited by you and agreed to by the researcher.

If you would like to use a pseudonym or your first name in any reporting, your preference will be respected.

Recording of the Interview

With your consent, the interview will be audio recorded for the purpose of accurate transcription. The interview will take place via Zoom, and the video will not be recorded or stored. You may choose not to be recorded, or withdraw your consent to recording at any time before or during the interview.

What are the risks and benefits of participating?

Some people may feel upset when remembering or thinking about past experiences of abuse and their survival and recovery from.

This may include:
  • Distressing memories or intrusive thoughts.
  • Feelings of grief, anger, betrayal, or injustice.
  • Physical or emotional reactions connected to trauma.
If this happens:
  • Seek support before deciding if you should take part.
If you become distressed during the interview:
  • The interview will be paused or stopped
  • The researcher will check in with you and offer support and connect you with referral services
  • You are in control of the pace and depth of the interviews at all time
  • You can skip any question or stop the interview at anytime.
  • You are encouraged to take breaks and decide whether this is the right time for you to continue.
  • You can choose how much you want to share.
  • There are no mandatory questions apart from the consent questions.
  • A list of trauma-informed support services will be provided ncluding:
    • Lifeline 13 11 14
    • Suicide Call back service 1300 659 467
    • 1800 Respect (Sexual violence and domestic violence support)  1800 737 732
    • QLife (LGBTQI Support) 1800 184 527
    • 13 Yarn Crisis support for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People 13 92 76
    • MensLine 1300 789 978

Benefits
You may not benefit directly from participating. However, your contribution may help:
  • Improve awareness, support, and systems change for survivors of clergy abuse.
  • Some participants may also find it validating or meaningful to share their experience in a safe, anonymous way.
  • Improve Church safeguarding policies.
  • Give mid-to-late adolescents and adults victim-survivors a stronger voice in Church safety.
  • Raise awareness about safeguarding issues.
  • These benefits aim to create a positive impact on the counselling community, support groups and faith community as a whole, even if there are no immediate personal benefits to you.
At the end of the interview, the researcher will provide a debrief to check in on your well-being and offer space to reflect on your experience. Participants who are interviewed will be asked if they would appreciate a follow-up phone call with the researcher to check in within 3 days after the interview.

Confidentiality  
ConfidentialityYou may have concerns about being identified through your participation. To protect your privacy, interviews will be conducted via Zoom, and only the audio will be recorded. There will be no video recording.

Participants are encouraged not to share identifying details during the interview, such as names of individuals, churches, organisations, or specific locations.If identifying information is disclosed, it will be removed or de-identified during transcription and analysis. This includes removing names, place names, and any other details that could reasonably lead to identification.

How will your privacy be protected?
All data will be securely stored in accordance with the University of Newcastle’s Research Data and Materials Management Guideline (view policy). Data will be retained for at least 5 years after the project’s completion. Only the research team will have access to identifiable information, unless required by law. Audio recordings of interviews will be transcribed and de-identified. Participants of interviews may request to review or edit their transcripts.

Transcript Review
All interview participants will be offered the opportunity to receive a copy of their transcript. Transcripts will be emailed to participants using the email address they provide at the time of consent.

Participants will have 14 days from receipt of the transcript to request edits, clarifications, or removal of content. Requests to review or amend transcripts can be made by emailing the researcher directly at the contact details provided in the Participant Information Sheet

If no response is received within this timeframe, the transcript will be considered final and will proceed to analysis.

Handling of Audio Recordings:
Audio recordings will be used only for the purpose of accurate transcription. Once transcripts have been completed, reviewed, and verified, audio recordings will be securely deleted in accordance with University data management and ethics requirements.

Transcription Process:
Interviews will be transcribed by Jaime Simpson, to ensure confidentiality and minimise privacy risks. No external transcription service will be used.

Reporting obligations

If any information is shared in the interview that reveals identifying details indicating a child or young person is currently at risk of harm, we may need to report it to relevant authorities in accordance with legislation. Any decision to make a report will be assessed carefully, following legal and ethical obligations. 

How will the information collected be used?
The findings will be used to:
  • Complete Jaime Simpson’s doctoral thesis.
  • Publish academic journal articles or texts.
  • Publish survivor-accessible books and resources.
  • Present at conferences and share on public platforms such as podcasts.
  • De-identified data may also be shared for further academic analysis and knowledge-sharing
  • Feedback to participants.
A summary of findings will be made available once the study is complete. If you would like a copy, tick yes on the consent form and provide your email details. Please note that providing your email address may identify you to the researcher.

Please note that sending an email via your own email address may identify you to the researcher. 

What do you need to do to participate?
  • Please read this Information Statement carefully.
  • If you have questions, contact the researcher before proceeding.
  • To participate, you will need to review and provide consent by either:
  • Signing and submitting the online consent form, or
  • If you receive a copy by email, sign and return the consent form to [email protected]


This project has been funded by the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP).

Further Information

The interview request will remain open for 6 months until 6 October, 2026 - or until sufficient responsesns have been obtained. 

For further information about this study, please contact:

Jaime Simpson
[email protected]
School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Science, University of Newcastle

Project Supervisors:Dr Kathleen McPhillips and Dr Chris Krogh

Complaints about this research

This project has been approved by the University’s Human Research Ethics Committee, Approval No. H-2025-0335

If you have concerns or complaints about your rights as a participant, or the conduct of the research, you may contact:
Human Research Ethics Officer, Research & Innovation Services,
University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan NSW 2308,
Australia Phone: (02) 4921 6333
Email: [email protected]

Thank you for considering this invitation.

Please take your time to decide whether you wish to participate. You are un

You have requested to be considered for an interview with the researcher. For the researcher to contact you, please read the consent form and tick all required: 

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