LDS faith transition therapy
Online therapy for women navigating a faith transition from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—whether you've left, you're quietly questioning or you're somewhere in between.
Maybe the Church was woven into everything: your family, your calendar, your friendships, your sense of who you were supposed to become. And somewhere along the way, the questions got too loud to ignore. Leaving (or even just loosening your grip) can feel like losing your whole map at once, and it often comes with a mix of grief AND relief that's hard to explain to anyone who hasn't lived it.
Maybe you still flinch at a skipped Sunday, feel your stomach drop when family asks about your temple recommend or replay the conversation where you finally told your parents. Maybe you're still attending & quietly trying to figure out what you actually believe. Or maybe you're years out & surprised by how much of it still lives in you.
Whatever you decide is best for you (staying, leaving, finding something new or something else entirely) is what's best for you. This isn't about getting you to land anywhere in particular. It's about helping you find your own voice again & learn that you're allowed to trust it.
Tap the ones that sound like you
get startedWhat can shift
Deciding what matters to you, without an interview to pass.
Letting your future be something you build, not something you were handed.
Learning to trust what feels true to you, whatever that ends up being.
Family roles & expectations
Growing up LDS often comes with a very clear script: serve a mission, marry in the temple, have a family, hold a calling, stay active. When you step off that path, it can feel like you're letting down generations of people who came before you (and the ones who are still sitting at the dinner table). In therapy, we can look at which roles you chose & which ones were chosen for you, so you can decide how you want to show up in your family now. You get to love your family & still live a life that looks different than the one they pictured.
Temple, garments & covenants
The temple can hold some of the most sacred memories of your life and some of the most confusing ones. Deciding what to do with garments, covenants you made young or a recommend you're no longer renewing can bring up fear, shame & a surprising amount of grief. There's no right timeline for any of it! We can slow down & make sense of what those experiences meant to you then, what they mean to you now & what you want to do with them, without anyone else's voice in the room telling you what's right.
Mission identity
For a lot of people, the mission was the most intense season of their life: the place where they felt the most purpose, the most pressure or both. It's common to carry pieces of that identity for years, like the guilt of not doing enough, the habit of performing certainty or the grief of looking back on what you taught other people. We can honor what was meaningful about that time, process what was hard & let you be someone other than the missionary you were trained to be.
Mixed-faith marriages & families
Maybe you married someone who believed the same things you did, and now one of you doesn't. Maybe you're the only one in your family who's out, or you're parenting kids while your extended family is still very active. Navigating a mixed-faith marriage or family is one of the many things we can work on together. We'll focus on holding your truth & your relationships at the same time: having the hard conversations, setting boundaries that feel kind & grieving what's changing, without abandoning yourself to keep the peace.
Sundays, holidays & milestones
So much of life in the Church is built around shared rhythms: Sundays, general conference weekends, baptisms, farewells, homecomings, temple sealings. When you step away, those moments can suddenly feel lonely or loaded. Maybe you weren't able to attend a sibling's wedding, or you're dreading the questions at the next family gathering. Together we can prepare for the moments that feel heavy & start building new traditions & rhythms that actually feel like yours.
Grief & relief, both at once
A faith transition can feel like a loss of community, certainty, an eternal plan & sometimes the version of yourself you thought you'd always be. It can also feel like finally being able to breathe! Both are real, and you don't have to pick one. We can make room for the grief without letting it convince you that you made the wrong choice, and make room for the relief without needing to rush past what still hurts. Your story gets to be complicated & still be yours.
swipe or use the arrows ♡
I'm not here to tell you what to believe.
I grew up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I served a mission in New York City, graduated from Brigham Young University & worked for LDS Charities, and I've been through my own deconstruction & religious trauma. I'm open about that with clients when it's helpful, because I know the comfort of having a therapist you don't have to explain the culture to or stop to define words like "wards," "callings" or "general conference."
And I also work with clients with a wide range of worldviews & religious beliefs! I'm very big on autonomy, so if something works for you, I support you in that thing. Whether you're deconstructing, reconstructing or somewhere in the messy middle, I could not be more thrilled when clients are figuring out HOW religion (or spirituality, or neither) works for them. I will never encourage you to make a decision about your membership, and I will never tell you what to do. I'll support you in whatever exploration you want to take.
Because I'm relational, engaged & collaborative in sessions, we can work with your faith transition as it actually shows up in your life. We might unpack the guilt that shows up on a Sunday morning, plan for a conversation with your parents, notice where an old belief is still quietly making decisions for you or grieve the future you thought you'd have. When it fits, we can also incorporate EMDR to help process experiences that still feel stuck.
The goal isn't to take away anything that still feels meaningful to you, or turn you into someone who rejects everything you were raised with. It's to help you make sense of what happened so that you get to decide what stays, what goes & who you want to become.
Questions about LDS faith transition therapy
quick answers before you reach out
Do I have to have left the Church to work with you?
Not at all! Whether you're fully out, still attending, a "PIMO" (physically in, mentally out) or just quietly questioning, you're welcome here. I don't have an agenda about where you land.
Will you be anti-religion with me?
No! I'm open about my own deconstruction & religious trauma when it's helpful, and I also work with clients with a wide range of worldviews & religious beliefs. I'm very big on autonomy, so if something works for you, I support you in that thing. Whether you're deconstructing or reconstructing your faith, I love helping clients figure out HOW religion works for them, and I'll support you in whatever exploration you want to take.
Do you only work with people leaving the LDS church?
No. I work with people from all kinds of high-demand religions, including evangelical & fundamentalist Christianity, Jehovah's Witnesses, purity culture & other high-control communities. The details are different, but high-demand religion tends to leave similar fingerprints: shame, fear of being "unworthy," a hard time trusting yourself & relationships that feel conditional. You can learn more on my religious trauma therapy page.
Do you understand LDS culture & language?
Yes! I grew up in the Church, served a mission & went to BYU, so you won't have to stop & explain what a ward, a calling, a recommend or a sealing is. You can just talk.
Do you work with mixed-faith marriages?
I see individuals, and navigating a mixed-faith marriage or family is one of the many things we can work on together, from hard conversations with your spouse to deciding how you want to talk about faith with your kids.
I'm in Utah & worried about running into people I know. Is this private?
Sessions are online, so you can meet with me from your car, your bedroom or anywhere that feels private, with no waiting room & no chance of running into someone from your ward. Everything you share is confidential, within the legal limits I'll go over with you at the start.
Can EMDR help with religious trauma?
It can! EMDR can help your brain process memories & beliefs that still carry a lot of fear or shame, like "I'm bad" or "I'll be punished." I'm trained in EMDR & use it when it fits what we're working on.
How do I get started?
Fill out my Therapy Interest Form & I'll reach out within two business days about a free 15-minute consultation, so we can see if we're a good fit. Sessions are $175 for 50 minutes, online for women in Alaska, Arizona, Texas, Utah & Washington. I don't take insurance, but I can provide superbills you may be able to submit for out-of-network reimbursement.
You're allowed to find out who you are now.
You don't have to have your beliefs sorted out, your family relationships repaired or your whole story ready to tell before you start therapy.
We can start smaller: understanding how the Church shaped you & practicing what it feels like to listen to your own voice again.
If you're looking for online therapy for a faith transition in Alaska, Arizona, Texas, Utah or Washington, fill out my Therapy Interest Form. I'll reach out about scheduling a free 15-minute consultation so we can meet, talk about what you're looking for & see if we might be a good fit.
Resources worth exploring
A few books, conversations & reads that people often find helpful when they're working through this. Not every one will fit you, so take what's useful & leave the rest.