POST-RELIGION TOPICS & MIXED-FAITH MARRIAGES

Anyone who has gone through a faith crisis or transition understands that it can come with an enormous impact and often brings with it complicated emotions, relationship conflicts, and significant feelings of loss. Additionally, those experiencing conflict around faith and religion often find that it can be quite isolating. Whether the conflict is between one's religion and sexuality, experiencing a faith crisis, religious trauma, values re-identification, or learning to migrate a mixed-faith marriage, therapy can help individuals and couples navigate this terrain in a more empowered and intentional way. 

 

Therapy addressing sexuality and changes in faith often involves pathways such as exploring how one's religious beliefs intersect with their sexual orientation and/or identity, facilitating acceptance of new understanding of the role religion has in their life, and reconciling ongoing conflicts related to these changes. Addressing religious conflict and faith crisis can also entail processing doubts and beliefs in a safe environment, and finding meaning as one continues on their spiritual journey (if desired). Additionally, therapeutic interventions for religious trauma offer validation and healing for those who have experienced harm or distress within religious contexts. Values re-identification therapy supports clients in redefining their core values and beliefs ensuring such values are in alignment with their evolving sense of self, promoting authenticity, integrity and personal growth.

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Many of Kristin's clients are in what are called "mixed-faith" marriages, where one partner identifies as a believing member of a religion and the other identifies differently. Whether she is working with the client who has experienced a shift in their faith, the couple, or someone whose loved one has distanced from the church, Kristin helps her clients learn to migrate a landscape that is now looking quite different from what they've experienced up until that point. Some examples of concerns addressed with these clients have to do with managing conflict and healing relationships with family members and other relationships, healing a sense of betrayal for one or both partners, negotiating healthy boundaries with extended family and community, identifying personal and marital values, navigating sexuality topics, parenting concerns, grief work, and so on.