A letter from Executive Director, Dr. Natalie Bolin

Happy New Year AFTT Community!

I am very honored to join the Advocates For The Truth team and I wanted to introduce myself.  My name is Dr. Natalie Bolin, DSW, LCSW.  I have been in the field of social work for the past 27 years in the areas of domestic violence, Child Protective Services and Behavioral Health.  As a social worker, my experience has ranged from emergency response investigator, court liaison, trauma therapist and executive management.  I have been a licensed clinical social worker for 12 years specializing in trauma therapy, addiction medicine and I am well versed in the laws that govern confidentiality and ethical practice.  I recently graduated from the University of Southern California with a doctorate in Social Work with research in the areas of homelessness, severe mental illness, and addiction. 

I have so much appreciation for Sheri, Cynthia and Lauren (as I’m sure you do too) in forming the Advocates For The Truth (AFTT) and in the exposure of Child Sexual Abuse perpetrators, the criminal mishandling of serious allegations within the church and the lack of compassion and care towards survivors. The mission of AFTT remains the same, “Giving voice and protection to survivors, exposure and accountability of perpetrators, and justice to survivors.” The need for AFTT’s support has grown and it has become necessary to add additional professionals in order to keep doing the incredible work the original Advocates started.  This expansion includes a Board of Directors on which Cynthia and Lauren both serve, an Advisory Board and an expanded leadership team.  We will also continue to focus on funding initiatives for survivor care and operation expenses to support the mission statement.

As we move forward into the new year, AFTT will continue to operate the hotline, investigate all allegations, communicate findings with law enforcement, church leadership and the AFTT community.  There will be ongoing transparent communication and continued efforts to influence how CSA is addressed within the church and how survivors are supported. It is imperative that we work together.

Of utmost importance is to continue and expand our work with our incredible survivors. We will continue to provide communal and compassionate survivor care and we are also developing a warmline with trained volunteers to support survivors and those in need. It is important to note that we are advocates for all survivors, without showing discrimination/partiality towards those that remain within the church or those who are no longer affiliated.  AFTT will continue to work with 3rd party treatment providers and we hope to expand our partnerships across the world. 

There is much work to be done in this next year and we appreciate everyone’s support and patience as we continue our mission and vision.  With these changes, we hope to continue to shine a light on the CSA crisis and support survivors as they come forward. 

With appreciation,  

Natalie Bolin, DSW, LCSW