Mormon Mental Health Podcast artwork

Mormon Mental Health Podcast

99 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★ - 135 ratings

Mormon Mental Health is an online mental health resource serving the Mormon community through hosting mental health podcasts. Mormon Mental Health was created in response to an increasing demand for an easy way to inform and connect Mormons seeking mental health services with resources and professionals that address Mormon culture, Mormon beliefs, and the issues unique to Mormon family and community systems. Mormon Mental Health is a service of Mormon Stories and the Open Stories Foundation. Mormon Stories explicitly seeks to align all operations with the Mormon Stories Shared Values Statement. Additionally, we endeavor to ensure that the projects we undertake 1) support individuals in Mormon-related faith crises, 2) save marriages where appropriate, 3) heal families, and 4) celebrate, challenge, and advance Mormon culture in healthy ways.

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Episodes

185: Jennifer Limones: A Personal Response to the Recent Abuse Training

August 26, 2019 23:00 - 30 minutes - 13.8 MB

Jennifer Limones joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health to discuss the recent training the Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints released for abuse training and protection of youth and minors. Jennifer, having taken the training, shares her insights with Natasha about the training and, although it’s a step in the right direction, she validates some of the fears of it not being run by a third party, that there is no accountability as to what was involved in the training th...

184: Mixed Faith Families

July 22, 2019 23:00 - 1 hour - 33.4 MB

Shandra Petersen Harris joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health as they discuss mixed faith families and the impact of President Nelson’s recent general conference address.   Shandra is majoring in clinical mental health as a graduate student, stationed in San Antonio, Texas.   References from this episode:  https://www.patheos.com/blogs/mormontherapist/2019/04/president-nelson-im-having-a-trust-crisis.html https://www.patheos.com/blogs/mormontherapist/2019/06/wav...

183: Framing Mormonism that Benefits Mental and Relational Health

July 15, 2019 23:00 - 1 hour - 45.4 MB

Natasha is joined on this episode by Jenny Elledge and Jana Spangler. They talk about aspects or framings of Mormon theology that can be helpful to mental health instead of detrimental. Some of the topics they include are: agency, love as the primary commandment, faith, ongoing revelation and many more.   Jenny Elledge is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. She works with clients with mixed faith marriages & families. You can find out more about her by going here: https://www.symmetr...

182: Jimmy Bridges: Therapeutic Considerations for Queer Clients with Conservative Religious Upbringings

June 10, 2019 23:00 - 37 minutes - 17 MB

Jimmy Bridges presented the following at the MO/KAN AAMFT Conference held in Kansas City, March 22, 2019. It is titled: Therapeutic Considerations for Queer Clients with Conservative Religious Upbringings What does it take to be queer and Christian? Clinicians working with queer clients consider the contextual factors of societal discrimination often involved in presenting problems. When queer clients come from conservative or fundamentalist religious upbringings, presenting issues and m...

181: Jimmy Bridges: His research and conclusions regarding a recent presentation, “Queer Clients with Conservative Religious Upbringings: Therapeutic Considerations.”

June 03, 2019 23:00 - 1 hour - 41.5 MB

Jimmy Bridges joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health. Recently Jimmy presented at a conference. His presentation was titled, “Queer Clients with Conservative Religious Upbringings: Therapeutic Considerations.” Natasha and Jimmy discuss his presentation and dig a bit deeper into his research and conclusions. Jimmy Bridges, MS, LMFT is a doctoral student in the couple and family therapy program at Kansas State University. His research looks at the experiences of sexual minorit...

180: Thomas Lynch, Founder of RO-DBT Therapy

May 29, 2019 13:02 - 1 hour - 34.5 MB

In episode 168, Natasha was joined by Kevin Kloosterman, a trained RO-DBT Therapist. RO-DBT is a more recent therapy model and Kevin shared his thoughts on the model. You can find the episode by going here:  https://www.mormonmentalhealth.org/168-kevin-kloosterman-and-ro-dbt-therapy/ In this episode, Kevin is back along with Thomas Lynch, the founder of RO-DBT. They are joined by Erica Smith Lynch, who happens to be Thomas’ wife. The group discuss the beginnings of the treatment, how Ke...

179: Masturbation, Values, and Kids with Natasha Heifer-Parker, MFT, CST

May 20, 2019 23:00 - 1 hour - 30.3 MB

Natasha was recently a guest on Braxton Dutson’s “Birds and Bees Podcast.” Braxton is a LCSW and Certified Sex Therapist in Salt Lake City, Utah. He works at The Healing Group and can be found here: https://www.thehealinggroup.com/therapists/2018/4/20/braxton-dutson-lcsw-cst   About the episode:  Masturbation, There are a lot of euphemisms for the word that makes many people uncomfortable to talk about. Let's face it, many parents are worried about what it means if their child mas...

178: A Personal Story: Gay Son’s Death after Exclusion Policy Announcement

May 13, 2019 23:00 - 1 hour - 54.4 MB

Natasha Helfer Parker interviews Alyson & George Deussen, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who lost a son, who identified as gay, to suicide almost three years ago after the exclusion policy had been announced. They discuss, among other things, their response to the policy reversal announced recently.   Alyson and George have found a great community in affirmations. To find out more, please visit: affirmations.org   To help keep Mormon Mental Health going pa...

177: President and SVP of Affirmations Discuss Reversal of LGBTQIA Policy

May 12, 2019 02:17 - 1 hour - 41.8 MB

Nathan Kitchen, President of Affirmations, and Laurie Lee Hall, SVP, join Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health. They join and discuss the impact of the reversal of the “exclusion policy”. They focus on the approach that Affirmations uses: Name what is hurting you and what is wounding you Feel safe to name your beliefs or non beliefs Do so in a supportive and civil way Does your community allow for you to be happy right now For more on Affirmations, please go here: https:...

176: A Conversation about the LGBTQIA Policy with Affirmacion in South America

May 02, 2019 18:30 - 1 hour - 54.6 MB

In this episode of Mormon Mental Health, Natasha is joined by Fabian Markez, J. Fernando González Díaz, Luis David Trujillo & Joaquín R. Busseporp who are all members of the South American Affirmacion organization. The interview is in Spanish as Natasha feels it’s important to hear voices in Mormonism other than the classic USA voice. To keep Mormon Mental Health going past 2019, please become a subscriber at mormonmentalhealth.org.

175: The Nov 2015 Policy Reversal from a Clinical Standpoint

April 23, 2019 03:35 - 1 hour - 47 MB

In this episode of Mormon Mental Health, Natasha is joined by Sara Hughes-Zabawa, Jennifer White and Lisa Butterworth as they discuss the recent reversal of the 2015 exclusion policy surrounding children with LGBTQ+ parents not being baptized and participating in other aspects of the church.  The 4 approach the policy from a clinical perspective and how LGBTQ+ folks were affected in 2015 and now. They also address: 1)    Holding space for those serving the community, 2)    The complex ...

174: Group Therapy Dealing with Sexual Concerns at BYU

April 15, 2019 23:00 - 1 hour - 64.9 MB

BYU Faculty Members and Therapists at BYU, Marty Erickson and Michael Buxton, join Natasha on this episode of Mormon Sex Info. They discuss the group therapy they do at BYU for students surrounding sexual concerns. The program follows the “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” (ACT). CAPS (the department of counseling at BYU) is available for students and they stress confidentiality.   In this episode they talk about the evolution of the therapy, what a group sessions looks like and how the...

173: “The Next Mormon: How Millennials are changing the LDS Church” from a Mental Health Perspective

April 02, 2019 01:28 - 1 hour - 30.2 MB

Dr. Jana Reiss and Dr. Benjamin Knoll recently released a book about a survey they performed and the results, specially about Millennials. The book started 2011 when Dr. Reiss was interested in childhood and adolescents within Mormonism. But it then changed when Jana became interested in how those children are as adults, how the religion informed them and how those teachings in childhood might affect adult retention and religiosity. She then created a survey which was to see if there was int...

172: Breaking down the Myths of Cannabis

March 25, 2019 23:00 - 1 hour - 34.1 MB

Ricky and Larry Siegel join Natasha to discuss cannabis and stereotypical myths surrounding its use. Recently a journalist came out with an article (soon to come out with a book) about the “truth” about marijuana. Ricky and Larry go through its arguments, debunking them with science and data. In fact, their data suggests that there are far more positives that come from the plant than negatives. The original article can be found here:  https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/marijuana-mental-illn...

171: Zac Erickson and His Personal and Professional Experience with ADHD

March 18, 2019 23:00 - 1 hour - 36.3 MB

Zac Erickson, Registered Provisional Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists, joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health. He shares his experience with ADHD and how he now helps those who have been diagnosed with this condition. He goes into detail about the 3 subtypes, how diagnoses are made, how to help those struggling, including parenting tips and what kind of treatments are available. Zac practices individual and couple therapy and specializes in ADHD. He is ...

170: Why “Sex Addiction” Isn’t a Thing – A Personal Story

March 11, 2019 23:00 - 2 hours - 67.2 MB

On this episode of Mormon Sex Info, Matt Fullmer joins Natasha to share his experience going through “Sex Addiction Treatment,” coming from the Mormon Tradition. He shares his experiences with the treatment as the church ramped up its porn rhetoric, why the treatment didn’t work for him and why he’s now better off realizing that this type of treatment is not clinically sound nor effective. To find a certified sex therapist in your area, please visit: AASECT.org Please visit https://www.n...

169: Response to Elder and Sister Redlunds talk about Faith, Doubt and Doubters

March 05, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 37.7 MB

Recently Elder and Sister Redlunds did a talk in Hawaii for young adults regarding faith, doubt and doubters. Mike Hancey joins Natasha to discuss their reactions to the talk and how damaging it can be to those going through a faith crisis or transition. Mike recently resigned from the church. He shares his experience going through his own personal crisis and why this talk was the catalyst to resign. He also shares his thoughts on what he would tell the Redlunds if he could. The original...

168: Kevin Kloosterman and RO-DBT Therapy

February 25, 2019 23:00 - 1 hour - 35.4 MB

Kevin Kloosterman, MS, LMFT, joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health. Kevin shares his experience with Radically Open-Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (RO-DBT).   RO-DBT is an evidence-based treatment developed by Dr. Tom Lynch, PhD and is informed by over 20 years of clinical and experimental research.  RO-DBT has proven to be successful in helping individuals with a wide range of challenges that have emotional over-control at their core, including persistent depression, tre...

167: A Response to the New Temple Wording

February 19, 2019 01:00 - 1 hour - 38.6 MB

In this episode of Mormon Mental Health, Natasha discusses the changes with the temple wording and why the changes might have mental health implications for the members of the church. She is joined by:   Sarah Hughes-Zabawa, LSCW, living in Montana specializing in trauma and specific women’s issues and a wellness coach with Symmetry Solutions. https://www.symmetrysols.com/sara-hughes-zabawa   Jimmy Bridges, PhD student at Kansas State University studying queer Mormon populations wh...

166: Tresa Edmunds in Bringing the Voice of Her Autistic Child to the World

January 29, 2019 02:00 - 1 hour - 41.2 MB

Tresa Edmunds joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health. Tresa is a writer, advocate and entrepreneur. In this episode she discusses her experience caring for her child who has autism spectrum disorder and what this diagnosis is about from one mom’s perspective and how to deal with it (spoiler alert: self-care.) She discusses how her job is not to be the voice of her son but to share his voice with the world.  Tresa can be found online, going by the name of “Reese Dixon,” on ...

165: Judaism Advocacy

January 22, 2019 02:00 - 1 hour - 33.9 MB

Katherine Wela Bogen joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health. She is a returning guest as she recently joined Natasha to discuss false reporting when it comes to sexual assaults. In this episode, Katherine discusses her relationship with Judaism and especially how her advocacy for it has been affected in the Trump Era. She discusses the 8 stages of Genocide: http://www.genocidewatch.org/images/8StagesBriefingpaper.pdf Katherine is a clinical research program coordinator a...

164: False Reporting

January 15, 2019 02:00 - 1 hour - 29 MB

Katherine Wela Bogen joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health to discuss the data behind false reporting. She made a facebook post during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings when Christine Blasey Ford spoke out about her experience with Kavanaugh in high school. The post went viral and you can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/katherine.bogen/posts/2141527535858774 Katherine is a clinical research program coordinator at Rhode Island Hospital in the department of Psychiatry, wo...

163: John Dehlin: Research on LGBTQIA and Mix Orientation Relationships – Part 1

January 08, 2019 02:00 - 1 hour - 38.3 MB

In this part 1 of a conversation with John Dehlin, Natasha and John discuss his research and findings when it comes to LGBBTQIA and Mix Orientation Relationships. John shares how he came into this field, how he got his data and what findings his data represents.  John Dehlin is a researcher, podcster and social activist. He has a Ph.D. in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from Utah State University. You can find out more about his private coaching practice here: http://www.johndehlin.com/...

162: A Personal Story of Depression

January 01, 2019 02:00 - 1 hour - 33.8 MB

Lisa Butterworth joins Natasha to discuss her personal journey with depression. Having never had any major issues, recently Lisa finds herself battling with it. She discusses how she deals with it on a personal level but also as a mental health professional. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 Lisa has a masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She is a provider at Symmetry Solutions. You can find out m...

161: Differentiation

November 27, 2018 02:00 - 1 hour - 33.5 MB

Michelle Washburn-Busk and Jimmy Bridges join Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health. They are both current PhD candidate students at Kansas State, working towards the Marriage and Family Therapy program. The episode starts with Natasha sharing her background with differentiation, her education on it and how her view of it has evolved. Michelle and Jimmy talk about building off of Ryan and Deci’s “Self-Determination Theory”. They also discuss differentiation in sexuality among oth...

160: The Art of Art Therapy

November 03, 2018 19:01 - 54 minutes - 24.7 MB

Mary Stanley joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health. Mary is an Art Therapist. She discusses her background and looks at how art can be applied to different treatment issues. Mary has a BFA in Fine Arts & Psychology from Albion College and a Masters of Professional Studies in Art Therapy & Creativity development from the Pratt Institute. She is a Board Certified Art Therapist among other things. You can find out more about Mary by going here: https://www.thehealinggroup...

159: Post Traumatic Growth

October 17, 2018 23:11 - 1 hour - 27.6 MB

Mormon Mental Health Association Colleague, Kelly Furr, joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health.Kelly is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist in Arizona and is a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern in Florida. She helped with the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, in February 14, 2018, as members of the community were directly affected. Kelly shares her experience while also sharing insights into how to help victims affected by trauma. For m...

158: Joelle Casteix and Sexual Assault Advocacy

October 09, 2018 18:57 - 1 hour - 27.9 MB

Joelle Casteix joins Natasha on this episode. Joelle is a sexual assault advocate having worked with SNAP and is currently with STOP.   Joelle shares her story of sexual assault while a student at a Catholic school where the heads of the school knew what was happening, silencing her as a teenager. She goes into detail with similarities between her religion, Catholicism, and Mormonism.   Natahsa and Joelle discuss what survivors can do, what leaders can do and what members/friends can...

157: Art and Faith Transition

September 30, 2018 19:05 - 51 minutes - 23.8 MB

Summer Meyers joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health. Summer is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. As an Art Therapist she focuses on creativity as healing. Summer shares her story with Natasha about her experience with Mormonism and why she was led to be an Art Therapist as well as her experience as an Art Therapist with a particular project with clients. To view the drawings, please go here: goo.gl/g4PWs2  Summer can be reached at [email protected] or at 424-2...

156: A Personal Story of Child Sexual Abuse by an Uncle who is Currently Serving as a Bishop

September 21, 2018 00:55 - 3 hours - 87.1 MB

Jared and Juli Egley traveled to Wichita, KS, to share their story in detail with Natasha. Jared experienced sexual abuse as a child by his uncle who is currently serving as a bishop.   Please note: explicit details are shared about the abuse   As of the posting of this podcast, the area president and Jared’s Uncle’s Stake President are refusing to take any action.   Natasha refers to this story in a previous episode, without using Jared and Juli’s names. To listen to episode 137,...

155: Rerelease of Ep 55 - The Effects of Excommunication on All of Us: Healing Perspectives

September 18, 2018 21:11 - 1 hour - 70.7 MB

Due to the news of Sam Young's excommunication, we are rereleasing episode 55 from February 2015. Sam Young organized "Protect LDS Children". You can find out more by going here: http://protectldschildren.org ..... This week the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has once again been in the news in regards to the excommunication of one of their own: this time it’s John Dehlin of Mormon Stories – only months after the excommunication of Kate Kelly of Ordain Women.  There have b...

154: Sandy’s Response to Church Discipline

September 07, 2018 02:18 - 1 hour - 31.4 MB

Natasha has a returning guest in this episode of Mormon Mental Health. “Sandy” joined Natasha previously to share her story of sexual assault in the church by her bishop when she was 8 years old. With recent news of Sam Young’s looming excommunication, “Sandy” shares her reaction to it and goes into why she submitted her story to the Protect LDS Children website in the first place.   To see her story, go here:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klXw_sFoJLo&feature=youtu.be   To li...

153: Sex in the Mormon News Aug 2018

August 31, 2018 23:00 - 1 hour - 44.9 MB

Shannon Hickman of Core Healing Counseling and Kristin Hodson of the Healing Group join Natasha on this month’s Sex in the Mormon News. On this episode, they discuss several articles which include their criticism about an article coming out of BYU Idaho that talks about why comprehensive sex ed is damaging, discussion around the Mormon Mental Health statement that recently was released about worthiness interviews and then the policy that is harmful to homosexual members in the church.  Als...

152: Healthy Boundaries When Dealing with Infertility

August 20, 2018 01:47 - 1 hour - 30.6 MB

Healthy Boundaries When Dealing with Infertility

151: A Personal Story of a Mixed Orientation Marriage

August 12, 2018 01:06 - 1 hour - 41.8 MB

This episode is an intimate conversation with Natasha’s close friend, Melissa, who found she was in a mixed orientation marriage several years into her Mormon marriage. At the time, Natasha was a part of Melissa’s process of uncovering her own journey. And, Natasha went on her own journey because of this situation herself, admitting her own biases. Natasha will be co-hosting a retreat Oct 12-14 in Salt Lake City Utah on “Understanding and Navigating Healthy Perspectives and Journeys within...

150: McKenna Denson’s Journey and Her Stand Against Joseph Bishop and the LDS Church

July 24, 2018 01:00 - 1 hour - 49.4 MB

TRIGGER WARNING Rape and other abuse are discussed in this episode. In March of 2018, MormonLeaks released an audio recording and transcript of McKenna Denson interviewing Joseph Bishop, MTC President during her time she was in the MTC in 1984. Bishop groomed and raped her and now Denson is bringing suit against him and the LDS Church. McKenna joins Natasha to discuss the mental health aspects of her life as a young sexually abused child by her step father to her encounters with Bishop...

149: Faithful Women and Mental Health

July 21, 2018 22:19 - 1 hour - 31.7 MB

  In this episode of Mormon Mental Health, Natasha is joined by 3 women of faith: Gina Colvin, Katie Langston and Fatimah Salleh. As leaders of congregations, they discuss the mental health concerns in the construct of religion, and in particular, Mormonism. They also discuss what other communities can teach Mormonism and what Mormonism can teach these other communities. Gina, Katie and Fatimah will be presenting at the Sunstone Symposium on July 22, 2018. Three Witnesses July 22, 201...

148: Mormon Sex Info Shares: Women's Anatomy of Arousal: Secret Maps to Buried Pleasure with Sheri Winston

July 07, 2018 04:47 - 1 hour - 30.3 MB

Sheri Winston joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Sex Info. Sheri is the author of "Women's Anatomy of Arousal: Secret Maps to Buried Pleasure." Natasha and Sheri discuss her book and specifically the ways in which women experience sexual pleasure.   To find out more about Sheri and the work she is doing, please visit:   https://intimateartscenter.com   To purchase the book, please go here:   https://intimateartscenter.com/shop/the-book-womens-anatomy-of-arousal/

147: Sex in the Mormon News June 2018

June 28, 2018 01:00 - 1 hour - 29.2 MB

Shannon Hickman joins Natasha on this episode of Sex in the Mormon News for June 2018. They begin the discussion with comments from an article that recently came out in the "Journal of Sex Research" called, "God, I Can't Stop Thinking About Sex! The Rebound Effect in Unsuccessful Suppression of Sexual Thoughts Among Religious Adolescents" where they discuss the research supporting the view that suppressing sexual thought only causes more damage. Natasha and Shannon then revisit the Josh an...

146: Depression, Mormonism, and Faith Transitions Part 3

June 12, 2018 03:30 - 56 minutes - 25.9 MB

In light of a statement on LDS.org declaring, “An inability to feel the spirit … is often a symptom of poor mental health,” Natasha Helfer Parker, MFT CSTand John Dehlin, Ph.D. are joined by our guest Matt to speak about his experiences with Mormon faith crisis, depression, and suicidality—issues he has dealt with for 20 years. According to Matt, it makes him angry to read that his struggles were a trial, test, or blessing from God, or that he could have been healed if he had more faith, p...

145: Depression, Mormonism, and Faith Transitions Part 2

June 12, 2018 03:25 - 53 minutes - 24.6 MB

In light of a statement on LDS.org declaring, “An inability to feel the spirit … is often a symptom of poor mental health,” Natasha Helfer Parker, MFT CST and John Dehlin, Ph.D. are joined by our guest Matt to speak about his experiences with Mormon faith crisis, depression, and suicidality—issues he has dealt with for 20 years. According to Matt, it makes him angry to read that his struggles were a trial, test, or blessing from God, or that he could have been healed if he had more faith, ...

144: Depression, Mormonism, and Faith Transitions Part 1

June 12, 2018 03:20 - 1 hour - 31.6 MB

In light of a statement on LDS.org declaring, “An inability to feel the spirit … is often a symptom of poor mental health,” Natasha Helfer Parker, MFT CSTand John Dehlin, Ph.D. are joined by our guest Matt to speak about his experiences with Mormon faith crisis, depression, and suicidality—issues he has dealt with for 20 years. According to Matt, it makes him angry to read that his struggles were a trial, test, or blessing from God, or that he could have been healed if he had more faith, p...

143: Setting Boundaries with Parents and In-Laws

June 05, 2018 04:07 - 1 hour - 44.3 MB

Jennifer White, CSW, returns on this episode of Mormon Mental Health as Natasha continues her series on boundaries. In this episode, Jennifer and Natasha discuss boundaries with parents post-mission, the engagement period and then after marriage. James joins the discussion to share his experience with his in-laws in his marriage especially how he and his wife have gone through a faith transition. Natasha finishes up the episode by giving 4 tips to help with setting boundaries with parents ...

142: Sex in the Mormon News May 2018

May 31, 2018 01:00 - 1 hour - 32.8 MB

Natasha is joined by Braxton Dutson, CWS, in the second episode of the series discussing the letter that Camille Bailey Aagard wrote to her son about porn. This episode includes multiple references including the following:   Al Vernacchio’s  “For Goodness Sex” https://www.amazon.com/Goodness-Sex-Changing-Sexuality-Values/dp/0062269518   David Ley “Ethical Porn for Dicks” https://www.amazon.com/Ethical-Porn-Dicks-Responsible-Pleasure-ebook/dp/B01M67PXK9/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 ...

141: A Story of a Transgender Woman in the Church

May 22, 2018 05:04 - 1 hour - 41.8 MB

Linda Swayne Gifford joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health. At the age of 68, Linda came out last fall as transgender. She shares her story with Natasha which includes the effect it had on her family, the church’s response and how all of this accumulated and affected her mental health.   References discussed in this episode:   The Gender Bread Person http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2012/03/the-genderbread-person-v2-0/   To read the guest blog post Linda wro...

140: A Post-Fundamentalist Story and How to Navigate an Exit in Healthy Ways

May 15, 2018 01:00 - 1 hour - 34.9 MB

Kristyn Decker joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health. Having been the child of polygamous prophet, Kristyn shares her journey of being part of a polygamous group and also her post-fundamentalist life. She shares her experience with sexuality as a fundamentalist, her experience going on the show “Sister Wives” and then Natasha and Kristyn dive into the doctrines used to keep people dedicated to the group. Kristyn is the author of “Fifty Years in Polygamy: Big Secrets and Lit...

139: What We Can Learn from Community of Christ about Faith Transitions

May 08, 2018 01:00 - 1 hour - 31.2 MB

On this episode of Mormon Mental Health, Natasha is joined by Karin Franklin Peter who is a Community of Christ minister and serves on the Council of Presidents of Seventy. Natasha and Karin discuss Karin's personal spiritual journey in the church, the reaction by members in the church and current changes taking place. Natasha sums up the episode by mentioning some of the mental health practices that Karin and the Community of Christ employ that both Mormons and non-Mormons alike can learn...

138: Consent & Boundaries for Allies of Sexual Assault Victims & Survivors

May 01, 2018 02:09 - 1 hour - 34.7 MB

Sarah Hughes-Zabawa, LCSW, and Jennifer White, CSW, join Natasha to discuss consent and ways that we can better equip ourselves whether as leaders in the church, family members, supports and allies for anyone that has had to deal with any type of sexual assault. Discussed in this topic are articles including, Myths about Rape and How to Teach Consent to Kids from everydyafeminism.com:   https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/02/how-to-teach-consent-to-kids/ Natasha Helfer Parker runs an on...

137: Sex in the Mormon News April 2018

April 23, 2018 23:00 - 1 hour - 35.2 MB

Kristin Marie Bennion and Amy Heffernan join Natasha as they discuss current topics in Mormonism surrounding sexuality. They discuss the term “non-consensual immorality” and how this is not a “thing," the Protect LDS Children movement, the situation surrounding Joseph Bishop and go into depth of one man’s experience who found his sexual perpetrator was recently called to be a bishop. During the conversation, Natasha realizes she ...