Joseph F. Kelly - Profile

Joseph F. Kelly - Profile

Joseph F. Kelly, a graduate of Temple University (focus in religion), has been a cult intervention specialist (thought reform consultant/exit counselor,mediator) since 1989.  He spent 14 years in two different eastern meditation groups (TM, International Society of Divine Love). He is a co-author of “Ethical Standards for Thought Reform Consultants,” published in ICSA’s Cultic Studies Journal, contributed a chapter to Captive Hearts, Captive Minds. He was (2010-2014) the News Desk Editor of ICSA Today. 

Mr. Kelly has also facilitated ICSA workshops for ex-members and families (1996-2018) and has lectured extensively on cult-related topics:

Some of the topics:

• Inner Experience and Conversion
• After the Cult "Coping with Trance States; Hypnosis and Trance" 
• Coping with Triggers
• Mental-Health Issues in Cult-Related Interventions
• Leaving and Recovering from Cultic Groups and Relationships
• Communicating with Cult Members
• Restoring Family Connections
• Helping Families Address a Loved One’s Group Involvement
• Among the issues discussed are:
• The ethics of an intervention
• Assessing a family situation
• Determining whether an intervention is appropriate
• Family preparation
• The phases and dynamics of an intervention
• Alternatives to interventions
• Issues confronted after an intervention
• Workshop for Loved Ones: "How to Help a Loved One Affected by a Cult" 
• What Can Families Do? Family members concerned about a loved one‘s cult involvement or its aftereffects need to learn how to assess their situations more effectively and how to evaluate strategic options. 
• A Mediation Approach to Exit Counseling 
• From Deprogramming to Thought Reform Consultation 
• Can Cultic Groups Change? The Case of ISKCON 
• Evolution and Variation Within a Movement: The Case of ISKCON 
• Jehovah’s Witnesses, Former Members and Families 
• "Cultic Group Intervention: Exploring internal experiences in Yoga, Qigong and Transcendental Meditation" 
• Inside Out — One Group, One Fugitive Swami: Three Different Experiences 

Lectures/workshops - Universities, Countries 

• 1999, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
• 2004, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta (Canada)
• 2005, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid, (Spain)
• 2007, University Club, Brussels, (Belgium) 
• 2008, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 
• 2009, Geneva, Switzerland 
• 2010, Istituto Madonna del Carmine “Il Carmelo”, Via Doganale 1 Ciampino, Roma, (Italy) 
• 2011, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, (Spain)
• 2012, Montreal, Canada
• 2013, London School of Economics 
• 2014 University of Southern California 
• 2015, Stockholm, Sweden
• 2015, Beijing Union University, Beijing, China 
• 2017, Bordeaux France