Dr. Lisa Oakley is an Associate Professor at the University of Chester. She is also the Chair of the National working group for abuse linked to accusations of witchcraft and spirit possession and the Church of England Task and Finish Group on Spiritual Abuse and acted as a core participant to the independent inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. Lisa has conducted research into issues of faith, safeguarding and abuse for the past 16 years. Her doctorate was on the topic of spiritual abuse and in 2013 she co-authored a book entitled Breaking the s+Silence on Spiritual Abuse. In 2019 a further book was published entitled Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse. Creating Healthy Christian Cultures. Lisa has presented on these topics nationally and internationally. Prior to joining the University of Chester, Lisa was programme leader at Manchester Metropolitan University for the only undergraduate course in Abuse Studies in the UK. In September 2021, Lisa, Dawn Llewellyn, and Wendy Dossett co-organised a conference entitled Spiritual Abuse: Coercive Control in Religions at the University of Chester.