Mike Fuller, a therapist and former Latter-day Saint, discussed the psychological impact of religious extremism in a 63,000-view interview on Soft White Underbelly, a channel known for its portraits of people on society's margins. Fuller, who grew up Mormon, described his departure from the faith and now counsels others navigating religious trauma.

Mike worked as a full-time seminary teacher of the LDS church for twenty years. He summarizes his reason to change careers as a “journey from orthodoxy to compassion”. He has found that making decisions based on values has been fulfilling. He received both his B.A in Communication and Psychology in 2002 and  M.A in Education in 2008 from Boise State University. He recently earned a Masters in Social Work from Penn West University in 2024 and is licensed in Utah as a Certified Social Worker.

Mike Fuller joins Natasha on this episode of the Natasha Helfer podcast to share his “Compass” framework for healthy Sexuality.

In this episode of Let’s Disagree, I’m joined by Mike Fuller, a former full-time LDS seminary teacher who has since become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and sex therapist specializing in the intersection of trauma, sexual health, and religious upbringing. We talk about what life was really like inside the Church Educational System, what drew Mike to seminary teaching in the first place, how the seminary program responded to the Mormon Moment, Mormon Stories, and the CES Letter, and what ultimately led him to step away. From there, we discuss Mike’s pivot into therapy, the common patterns he sees in religious deconstruction, and how being raised in a strict religious system can shape sexuality, shame, desire, consent, boundaries, marriage, and personal authority.

What happens when a returned missionary, temple-married seminary teacher, and Church employee starts reading the very documents meant to defend the LDS Church—and discovers they raise more questions than answers? In this episode of Blame It on Mel, we sit down with a former LDS seminary teacher who dedicated his life to teaching Mormon doctrine before eventually leaving his career, rebuilding his life, and becoming a certified sex therapist.