Remember Those “I’m a Mormon” Christian Ads? De Ja Vu in the News and a Heads Up For Upcoming Therapy Sessions!
By Kristy Money, PhD, LP
Last week, news broke that the U.S. Department of Defense left Latter-day Saints out within the broader Christian category: Catholic, Protestant, and other Christian traditions. For any international therapists reading this who work with Mormons, I imagine you have been looking at US politics with fascination, or perhaps not wanting to look at all. And that’s ok. And if you’re here in the US…well, no matter where you fall on the political spectrum or aren’t political at all, fascination may not be the right word.
Depending on your perspective, the news that the LDS Church wasn’t invited to the Christian identity party may feel unremarkable, validating, a little funny, disappointing, or even threatening. For some of our clients, it may stir up surprisingly strong emotions. So I wanted to give you the heads up so you’d know what they’re talking about, and I have some thoughts as well from a psychologist’s perspective.
As therapists working in Mormon mental health, LDS mental health, and faith transition spaces, we know that group identity matters. We also know that Mormons have a long history with the tension of belonging, exclusion, and what it means to be considered “inside” or “outside” the dominant culture. Few American-born religious communities have such a vivid collective memory of being treated as outsiders as the LDS.
Psychology has long recognized the power of in-group and out-group dynamics. Humans are social creatures. We derive meaning, identity, and safety from our groups. When group boundaries are up in the air—whether we are suddenly included, excluded, reclassified, or redefined—people often experience a real sense of disorientation. Sometimes what appears to be a superficial disagreement about labels is actually a deeper conversation about identity, belonging, and loss.
This is particularly relevant for therapists working with Mormon, post-Mormon, and Mormon-adjacent clients. Whether someone remains deeply committed to their faith, is navigating a faith transition, or has left organized religion altogether, questions of belonging often sit near the center of the therapeutic work.
Regardless of our political persuasion, most of us can agree that mental health tends to suffer in environments where conformity is valued above individuality, where different ideas and cultures are viewed as threats, and where people feel pressure to suppress parts of themselves in order to belong. Research consistently finds that psychological well-being is supported by environments that allow for diversity, autonomy, and meaningful social connection. Cultural competency, curiosity, and perspective-taking are not just really, really great professional values I hope you all are embracing. These constructs are protective factors for healthy communities.
Nature offers a useful metaphor. Monocultures are fragile and funhealthy. Diversity strengthens ecosystems and species, making them more adaptable and resilient. The human species is, well, not so different. Healthy cultures make room for different histories, identities, beliefs, and ways of being.
Whether your clients are upset about this week’s news or largely indifferent to it but find it entertaining, moments like these can create opportunities for reflection. What does it feel like to be included? What does it feel like to be excluded? What emotions arise when someone else defines your identity for you? What happens when the boundaries of belonging get yanked out from under you?
These are questions many marginalized groups wrestle with every day. They are also questions many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, former Mormons, and Mormon-adjacent individuals understand deeply from personal experience.
We may not have control over how institutions categorize people. What we do have control over is our capacity for empathy. As clinicians, we can help clients explore their reactions, understand the needs beneath them, and consider what these experiences reveal about the universal human desire to belong.
That work (building understanding across differences) has always been at the heart of cultural competency. And for therapists serving Mormon and LDS populations, it remains some of the most important work we do.
The Mormon Mental Health Association exists because these conversations matter. If you’re interested in Mormon mental health, faith transitions, religious identity, cultural competency, and supporting clients navigating complex relationships with Mormon culture, we’d love to continue the conversation with you.
Join us at the MMHA Conference: Mormon-ish — The Space In Between on July 30–31, 2026.
See you there.