I am a devout Mormon...Catholic...Jew...Protestant. Will the psychologists at Cornerstone respect and understand my affiliation and help me to deal with my problems within the rubric of my religious beliefs?

Individuals with strong religious convictions often fear seeking psychological services outside their religious "family" due to concerns that others might not understand or respect their religious convictions, or worse yet, may try to change them in some way. The psychologists at Cornerstone have diverse religious backgrounds and beliefs. In addition to their own personal experiences, staff members receive training in other belief systems that may differ from their own. As such, there is a respect for individuals religious beliefs in the same way that there is a respect for every other thought, feeling, or belief that an individual might use to communicate his or her unique personal experience. As a function of Cornerstone's staff members' respect for the uniqueness of the individual, there is also an understanding that each individual has a personal "religious" experience, even within different religious denominations. As such, doing penance, being involved in repentance, overcoming personal habits, has a particular meaning based on one's own developmental and family experience.

At times, individuals' religious beliefs or experiences do change as a function of self-exploration in therapy. For some, religious convictions intensify and serve as a strong motivator for making positive changes in their lives. For others, religious beliefs are not discussed in therapy, as the specific difficulties seem to be apart from religious practice, and hence remain unaltered as a function of the therapy process. Yet others modify their religious beliefs when they are found to be incongruent with other strongly held beliefs and convictions on the road to developing a more internally consistent sense of self. Ultimately, however, the decision to modify religious beliefs rests with the client and is a function of his or her unique process of self exploration.