Formerly AFF, ICSA is an interdisciplinary network of academicians, professionals, former group members, and families who study and educate the public about social-psychological influence and control, authoritarianism, and zealotry in cultic groups, alternative movements, and other environments.
Michael D. Langone, PhD and ICSA’s Executive Director, is founder of Cultic Studies Review, now known as International Cultic Studies Review, ICSA Today, a magazine, and the book, "Recovery From Cults". Founded in 1979 as AFF (American Family Foundation), ICSA took on its current name in 2004 to better reflect the organization's focus and increasingly international and scholarly dimensions. It hosts recovery workshops and an annual conference every June. I am a member of ICSA and its Mental Health Committee.
The mission of this site is to promote a deeper, more accurate understanding of cults and the effects of cults. This is accomplished through the research of Dr. Janja Lalich, founder and developer of CultResearch.org.
reFOCUS is a network of referral and support for former members of closed, high demand groups, relationships or cults. Carol Giambalvo is President.
Rick A. Ross Institute offers a database of information about cults, destructive cults, controversial groups and movements. The Rick A. Ross Institute of New Jersey is a nonprofit public resource with a vast archive that contains thousands of individual documents. RRI on-line files include news stories, research papers, reports, court documents, book excerpts, personal testimonies and hundreds of links to additional relevant resources.
Dr. Phil Zimbardo's Comprehensive Psychology Resource Dr. Philip Zimbardo offers an overview of historic and current theories of human behavior. Demonstrations, classic experiments and simulations, current research, documentary footage, and computer animation are included.
Joe Szimhart is a cult information consultant who provides consultation, education, research and non-coercive intervention that addresses controversial, high-demand groups, cults, psychotherapies, or relationships that use undue influence and thought reform techniques.
