Gay conversion therapy (sometimes referred to as 'gay cure' or 'reparative' therapy) is the umbrella term for a type of talking therapy or activity which attempts to change sexual orientation or reduce attraction to others of the same sex.
The
joint statementsays gay conversion therapy is unethical and potentially harmful. It was prepared at the request of the Department of Health, and is endorsed by the lesbian, gay and bisexual rights group Stonewall.
Signatories include the
UK Council for Psychotherapy(UKCP), the British Psychoanalytic Council, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the British Psychological Society and The National Counselling Society.
David Pink, Chief Executive of UKCP, said:
“There have been high profile cases featured in the media and the public are worried about gay conversion therapy. The public needs to know where responsible professionals stand on this.
“Using psychotherapy to change or convert gay people is an abuse. This guidance is designed to help those who feel pressure to seek a ‘cure’ for their sexuality.”
The
statementoffers accessible information for those who may feel under pressure to seek ‘treatment’ for their sexuality, and signposts people to places where they can access safe and non-judgemental therapeutic support.
David Murphy, chair of the British Psychological Society’s Professional Practice Board, said: “We fully endorse the conversion therapy consensus statement which clearly sets out the facts and gives helpful advice about available support. The British Psychological Society has published guidance that opposes any psychological psychotherapeutic or counselling treatment or interventions (often referred to as conversion therapies). Same-sex sexual orientations are not diagnosable illnesses”.
MPs have called for ‘gay conversion therapy’ to be banned.
Last month Labour MP Geraint Davies told the Commons that under this government the number of people referred to psychotherapists and counsellors has tripled to one million, and some of them are faced with so-called gay to straight conversion therapy.
He asked ministers to support his Bill to regulate psychotherapists and ban so-called “gay cures”.
Daniel Poulter, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, said the government “support the system of accredited voluntary registration established by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care”.
He added: “On the specific point of what the honourable gentleman says about gay to straight conversion therapy, I also find that absolutely abhorrent in principle, but the issue is - it is an important issue and he should listen to this - that if we were to ban or put in place regulations on that it may have unintended consequences. That may affect counsellors and stop counsellors from practising who are supporting people coming to terms with their sexuality. That is an important service, and I hope we can support it on both sides of this House.”
Juliet Newbigin, a psychoanalytic psychotherapist at the British Psychoanalytic Council, said:
“Feelings of sexual attraction to members of one’s own sex are not to be treated as a symptom of psychological disorder, no matter how unwelcome they are to the individual concerned. A person who finds themselves troubled by such feelings is in a vulnerable and confused state and it is vital that such an individual does not fall into the hands of a therapist who has a belief in a pre-conceived out-come – namely a “healthy conversion to heterosexuality."
"Not only is this treatment unethical; it is also likely to increase the suffering of the person seeking help."
The British Psychoanalytic Council's Professor Brett Kahr added:
“For more than 100 years, psychotherapists have provided psychological talking therapy for individuals, couples and families in distress. All well-trained practitioners work from a position of neutrality, particularly when helping clients with important life challenges and issues, including sexuality. No well-trained mental health practitioner would endeavour to turn a gay person heterosexual or a heterosexual person gay."
"Working from a neutral stance, we explore sexual concerns in a thoughtful, open-minded and sensitive manner, neither encouraging nor discouraging particular sexualities. Members of the public would be within their rights to be highly cautious of any ‘therapist’ who attempts to foist a particular sexual orientation upon a client."