Christchurch GP Dr Caroline Ansley is drawing on her childhood experience in a cult to improve support for people leaving cults and high control groups.

Ansley described how her experience helped shape her work educating health professionals about coercive control and the difficulties survivors face.

She said teachers, doctors, social workers and other professionals had encountered children in the cult without recognising the harm or knowing how to respond. Some children remained there for years longer than they should have.

Having been one of those children, Ansley is now working to help professionals respond more effectively.

She runs a New Zealand network of professionals working to improve understanding and support for people affected by high control groups. Her goal is for those leaving to find practical assistance, compassion and professionals who understand their experiences.

Her path into medicine required persistence. After unsuccessful attempts to gain entry, she completed a degree before securing a place at medical school, four years after first trying.

The ambition began in her teens, after a young woman she knew was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, lost a leg and died aged 16. The experience left Ansley wanting to help others.

She worked in emergency medicine before moving into general practice. Her work has since included mental health, sexual assault care and supporting people with severe psychological injuries.

Ansley said high control groups can undermine people’s trust in their own judgement while creating dependency and fear of the outside world. For those raised within them, leaving can mean losing their family, community and everything familiar.

Finding appropriate support afterwards can also be difficult. She described survivors spending repeated therapy sessions explaining their experiences, or moving between therapists in search of someone who understood.

Alongside her professional education work, Ansley helps raise public awareness through the Cult Chat podcast.