Resources
Support Groups, Networks & Resources
For former members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and their families — a guide to organisations, peer communities and therapeutic support available for those leaving or who have left a high-control religious group.
Compiled by Open & Candid
Category Resources
Updated 2026
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Support Groups & Networks
The Olive Leaf Network provides aid, advocacy and signposting support for former members of high-demand religious groups. Practical help includes assistance with legal advice, counselling referrals and finding accommodation. It is one of the most established organisations working specifically with PBCC leavers and is referenced by the Get a Life podcast as a primary support resource.
Visit oliveleaf.network →
A community group for leavers and survivors of the Exclusive Brethren and Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, providing a place for connection, shared experience and mutual support. One of the larger peer communities for those who have left the fellowship.
Find the group on Facebook →
An online forum for discussing experiences of the PBCC and finding peer support, with a particular focus on countering the effects of religious-mandated shunning and rebuilding life outside the fellowship.
Visit r/explymouthbrethren →
A platform providing a safe space for those who have experienced oppression, marginalisation or discrimination within the PBCC to find support, healing and empowerment. Available across YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, with an associated Facebook community group. Over 160 episodes published, updated weekly.
Watch on YouTube →
View our podcast page →
Therapeutic & Specialist Care
A research project investigating religious trauma with a specific focus on high-control behaviours — isolation, fear, guilt and suppression of individuality — of the kind commonly experienced by former PBCC members. The project contributes to the growing academic literature on cult recovery and coercive religious environments.
Former members frequently seek support from therapists and counsellors with specific expertise in cult recovery, coercive control and identity reconstruction. The Olive Leaf Network can provide referrals to appropriately qualified practitioners. When seeking a counsellor independently, look for experience with religious trauma, high-control group recovery and family separation.
Find specialist referrals via Olive Leaf →
Key Challenges Addressed by These Resources
Shunning & Excommunication
Support groups provide resources for managing the sudden and total loss of contact with family members and friends who remain inside the fellowship — one of the most psychologically damaging aspects of leaving a high-control group.
Mental Health & Religious Trauma
Resources address the psychological impact of leaving — including religious trauma syndrome, grief, identity disruption and the long-term effects of living under strict control, fear and guilt.
Practical Reintegration
Financial, legal and social acclimation to life outside an insular, self-contained community. Many leavers have had limited exposure to mainstream employment, independent housing or the wider social environment.
Fear of Retaliation
Many former members — particularly those who leave more recently — do not speak publicly and do not participate in ex-member communities. The fear of some form of retaliation, including impact on access to family members or post-Brethren careers, remains a significant and under-reported barrier.
Note — PBCC Position
The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church states that while they are saddened when members choose to leave, they consider departure a personal choice and say they offer resources for members to engage with the wider community. Former members frequently describe the reality of leaving as involving total separation from family and community, with significant financial and psychological consequences. Both accounts are noted here. The testimony of former members on this platform is available in the
Community and
Podcasts sections.