199: So You’re Thinking of Leaving the Church? Navigating a Faith Transition

Jennifer White hosts this episode of Mormon Mental Health. She is joined by Wendy Christian, a psychoanalyst and licensed clinical social worker in New York City trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy and trauma-focused therapy.

Prior to becoming a mental health professional, Wendy studied American Literature at BYU where she wrote her master’s thesis on women in the Book of Mormon. Subsequently, Wendy obtained a master’s degree in clinical social work at Fordham University and post-graduate training in marriage and family therapy and in psychoanalysis and religion at the Blanton-Peale Institute. Wendy has a private practice in Manhattan and can be contacted through her web site wendychristiantherapy.com.

Jennifer and Wendy discuss how an individual can make a faith transition out of Mormonism. Some of the questions Jennifer and Wendy discuss are

• What does it look like if someone is having a faith crisis?
• What advice would you give to those leaving the church in setting healthy boundaries?
• What unique challenges do Mormons face when they leave the church?

The following resources are mentioned in the episode:

A Thoughtful Faith Podcast with Gina Colvin episodes 170 & 171: Enmeshed Family Systems, Differentiation and Faith Crisis: A Discussion with Wendy Christian and Friends

THRIVE

Exponent II organization

@parenting.aftermormonism on Instagram

Thoughtful Transitions Facebook group

Mormon Spectrum in-person meet-ups

Mormon Stories Podcast Community on Facebook

Sunstone magazine, podcasts, annual conference.