Finding a Therapist Who Respects Your Faith: A Guide for Latter-day Saints
You're a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and your faith is central to your life. It shapes how you see the world, how you make decisions, and what gives your life meaning. You're not looking to change that but you are looking for some support.
Maybe you're dealing with anxiety or depression. Maybe a life transition has knocked you off balance. Maybe you're navigating something hard in a relationship, a calling, or just the pressures of daily life. Whatever brought you here, you deserve a therapist who meets you where you are, including honoring the role your faith plays in your life.
Finding that therapist can feel harder than it should be.
The Problem With "Faith-Neutral" Therapy
Most therapy training doesn't include much about religion. And while many therapists are well-meaning, walking into a session and having to justify or defend why your faith matters to you (or feeling like your therapist quietly sees it as part of the problem) is exhausting and counterproductive.
You shouldn't have to choose between getting good mental health support and being seen as a whole person, faith included.
A therapist who understands LDS culture won't ask you to set your beliefs aside to do the work. They'll understand that your relationship with God, your covenants, your ward community, and your eternal perspective are real and meaningful parts of your life, not obstacles to your healing, but potentially resources within it.
What LDS Members Often Bring to Therapy
In my work with Latter-day Saint clients, some of the most common themes I see include:
The pressure to have it all together. LDS culture places a high value on righteousness, service, and showing up fully — for your family, your ward, your calling. That can create enormous internal pressure, especially when you're quietly struggling. There can be a deep reluctance to admit you're not okay, or a fear that needing help is somehow a sign of weak faith.
Anxiety around worthiness. The concept of worthiness is woven throughout LDS culture and practice — temple recommends, callings, the sacrament. For some members, this creates a background hum of anxiety: Am I doing enough? Am I good enough? What if I'm not measuring up? These feelings are worth exploring in a space where they'll be taken seriously, not dismissed.
The weight of eternal expectations. The LDS framework includes a profound sense of purpose and eternal significance, which is also a lot to carry. Decisions about marriage, family, education, and career can feel weighted with eternal consequence in a way that people outside the faith don't always understand.
Navigating doubt while staying. Not every member who has questions is planning to leave. Many faithful members experience periods of doubt, wrestle with difficult church history, or hold nuanced views and they want to talk through those experiences without someone assuming they're on their way out the door.
Marriage and family pressures. Eternal marriage and family are central to LDS beliefs. That can create unique dynamics pressure to marry young, grief around infertility or divorce, challenges in mixed-faith relationships, or the complex feelings that come when family members leave the Church.
Mission-related experiences. Returning missionaries often face a harder transition than expected. The shift from the structure, purpose, and identity of mission life back to regular life and the pressure to immediately have a plan can bring up real anxiety and grief. Or those preparing to leave for their missions can experience a heightened sense of anxiety and stress in anticipation of change.
What It Looks Like to Work With a Culturally Competent Therapist
A therapist who understands LDS culture can:
Speak your language — you won't have to spend half your session explaining what a calling is, why the temple matters, or what it means to feel spiritually disconnected
Honor your values — your commitment to your faith, your family, and your covenants will be treated as strengths, not as things to be examined or challenged
Hold space for complexity — faithful members have rich, nuanced inner lives; a good therapist can hold that complexity without flattening it
Work alongside your faith, not against it — therapy doesn't have to be in tension with your beliefs; it can complement the spiritual work you're already doing
I want to be clear: I'm not a church counselor, and therapy isn't a substitute for your relationship with your bishop or your Heavenly Father. What I offer is a professional mental health space where your whole self — including your faith — is welcome.
You Don't Have to Be in Crisis to Deserve Support
One thing I hear often from LDS clients is that they waited a long time to reach out because they felt like their struggles weren't "bad enough" to warrant therapy, or because they hoped prayer and scripture study would be enough. Those practices are genuinely meaningful — and sometimes, you also need a trained professional to walk alongside you.
Seeking therapy isn't a sign that your faith isn't working. It's a sign that you're taking your wellbeing seriously and that's something worth honoring.
If you're a Latter-day Saint in California looking for a therapist who truly understands your world, I'd love to connect. Reach out to schedule a free 10-minute consultation, and let's talk about what support could look like for you.
Alexis Hollingsworth, LCSW, is a licensed therapist in California specializing in anxiety, life transitions, and identity for young adults. She offers virtual teletherapy throughout California and welcomes clients of all faith backgrounds, including active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Learn more at alexishollingsworththerapy.com.
