Carolina Family Therapy
a teletherapy practice offering online appointments to LDS clients in North Carolina, Utah, and Arizona
Individual Therapy for LDS Adults
Are you struggling?
You have probably figured out by now that going to church doesn’t prevent problems from arising in your life. If you are struggling with common mental health issues such as perfectionism, depression, anxiety, body image issues, parenting, relationship conflict, or a faith transition, you are not alone.
Working with an LDS therapist can help you feel like your religious beliefs or background will be respected and understood, and you won’t have to waste time trying to explain cultural nuances. I will not make assumptions about your personal beliefs, but I have a thorough understanding of the doctrine and culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In therapy, not only will we apply strategies to improve mental health symptoms, we will also address ways that your Mormon culture influences your understanding of yourself.
Click here to learn more about my approach to LDS couples counseling. Click here to learn more about my approach to working with LDS teens and tweens.
Does having an LDS therapist matter?
I use the same research-based approaches that you might expect to receive when seeing any other therapist. However, you should have a lot less explaining to do when it comes to cultural factors that may be affecting you and your situation.
Common culturally specific issues include perfectionistic ideas about motherhood, body image, and/or gender roles, faith transitions, grappling with a conflict between the church’s stance on LGBTQ+ issues and your lived experience, managing relationship conflict or abuse in an eternal marriage, deciding how to incorporate For the Strength of Youth standards into your parenting, grief and loss after a loved one dies by suicide, how to handle estrangement from family members you are sealed to, and more.
It is important to note that I am not a spiritual advisor or a replacement for ecclesiastical leadership. My role is to help you improve your mental health and relationships.
Are you going through a faith transition?
I love working with people on every inch of the Mormon spectrum, whether you are fully active, have removed your name from the records of the church, or are somewhere in between.
A faith crisis can strain relationships and exacerbate existing mental health issues. As your therapist, I am aware of how Mormon culture can affect your mental health, and I have no agenda for your level of religious involvement. I can help you find peace and fulfillment again.
I also understand how painful and scary it can be for believing spouses to feel that they are being rejected alongside the religious lifestyle that you originally agreed upon and promised to follow together. In individual therapy or couples counseling, I can both validate your experience and help you understand and have empathy for what your spouse might be going through.
My Approach
Hi, I’m Kelly. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I am trained in systemic thinking which means I envision you and your problem not in isolation, but in the context of your relationships, your family, you school or workplace, and your culture. Your culture includes your Mormon background, which may play an important part in understanding your problems.
I use this systemic, relational approach in combination with research-based techniques including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and the Gottman method for couples to help you learn new coping and communication skills, gain clarity, and feel better.
Pricing
Learn more about my rates and find answers about payment options.
Emotion Management
For tweens who need coping skills to manage strong emotions such as:
-anxiety
-anger
-suicidal thoughts
and
For their parents or caregivers struggling to handle emotional outbursts
Couples Therapy or Discernment Counseling
Couples Therapy for couples who are committed to changing relationship patterns, improving communication skills, and increasing intimacy and vulnerability
or
Discernment Counseling for couples in which at least one partner is considering separation or divorce and is not sure if an attempt to improve the relationship is worth the effort
Individual Therapy
For older teens and adults who are interested in working through personal issues related to:
-family or partner relationships
-perfectionism or fear of failure
-disordered eating or body image
-sports and performance psychology
-grief and loss
-faith transitions
Contact Me
I look forward to hearing from you! Email is the best way to get in touch with me. Both email and phone/voicemail are secure and HIPAA compliant.