[Vision2020] Psychologists repudiate gay-to-straight therapy

[Joe Campbell]

Could you magine someone straight trying to convert to being gay? It  
wouldn't work for me, I can tell you that much!

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 7, 2009, at 1:11 PM, Scott Dredge <scooterd408 at hotmail.com>  
wrote:

> Check out the movie 'Bruno'.  His attempted conversion from gay to  
> straight was also unsuccessful even after - among a multitude of  
> other techniques - meeting with 1st stage and 2nd stage pastors  
> supposedly skilled with gay to straight conversions.
>
> -Scott
>
> From: deco at moscow.com
> To: vision2020 at moscow.com
> Date: Wed, 5 Aug 2009 16:00:40 -0700
> Subject: [Vision2020] Psychologists repudiate gay-to-straight therapy
>
> Psychologists repudiate gay-to-straight therapy
>
> By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer David Crary, Ap National Writer  
> 24 mins ago
>
> NEW YORK – The American Psychological Association declared Wednesday 
>  that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they c 
> an become straight through therapy or other treatments.
> Instead, the APA urged therapists to consider multiple options — tha 
> t could range from celibacy to switching churches — for helping clie 
> nts whose sexual orientation and religious faith conflict.
> In a resolution adopted on a 125-to-4 vote by the APA's governing  
> council, and in a comprehensive report based on two years of  
> research, the 150,000-member association put itself firmly on record  
> in opposition of so-called "reparative therapy" which seeks to  
> change sexual orientation.
> No solid evidence exists that such change is likely, says the  
> report, and some research suggests that efforts to produce change  
> could be harmful, inducing depression and suicidal tendencies.
> The APA had criticized reparative therapy in the past, but a six- 
> member task force added weight to this position by examining 83  
> studies on sexual orientation change conducted since 1960. Its  
> comprehensive report was endorsed by the APA's governing council in  
> Toronto, where the association's annual meeting is being held this  
> weekend.
> The report breaks new ground in its detailed and nuanced assessment  
> of how therapists should deal with gay clients struggling to remain  
> loyal to a religious faith that disapproves of homosexuality.
> Judith Glassgold, a Highland Park, N.J., psychologist who chaired  
> the task force, said she hoped the document could help calm the  
> polarized debate between religious conservatives who believe in the  
> possibility of changing sexual orientation and the many mental  
> health professionals who reject that option.
> "Both sides have to educate themselves better," Glassgold said in an  
> interview. "The religious psychotherapists have to open up their  
> eyes to the potential positive aspects of being gay or lesbian.  
> Secular therapists have to recognize that some people will choose  
> their faith over their sexuality."
> In dealing with gay clients from conservative faiths, says the  
> report, therapists should be "very cautious" about suggesting  
> treatments aimed at altering their same-sex attractions.
> "Practitioners can assist clients through therapies that do not  
> attempt to change sexual orientation, but rather involve acceptance,  
> support and identity exploration and development without imposing a  
> specific identity outcome," the report says.
> "We have to challenge people to be creative," said Glassgold.
> She suggested that devout clients could focus on overarching aspects  
> of religion such as hope and forgiveness in order to transcend  
> negative beliefs about homosexuality, and either remain part of  
> their original faith within its limits — for example, by embracing c 
> elibacy — or find a faith that welcomes gays.
> "There's no evidence to say that change therapies work, but these  
> vulnerable people are tempted to try them, and when they don't work,  
> they feel doubly terrified," Glassgold said. "You should be honest  
> with people and say, 'This is not likely to change your sexual  
> orientation, but we can help explore what options you have.'"
> One of the largest organizations promoting the possibility of  
> changing sexual orientation is Exodus International, a network of  
> ministries whose core message is "Freedom from homosexuality through  
> the power of Jesus Christ."
> Its president, Alan Chambers, describes himself as someone who  
> "overcame unwanted same-sex attraction." He and other evangelicals  
> met with APA representatives after the task force formed in 2007,  
> and he expressed satisfaction with parts of the report that emerged.
> "It's a positive step — simply respecting someone's faith is a huge  
> leap in the right direction," Chambers said. "But I'd go further. Do 
> n't deny the possibility that someone's feelings might change."
> An evangelical psychologist, Mark Yarhouse of Regent University,  
> praised the  APA report for urging a creative approach to gay  
> clients' religious beliefs but — like Chambers — disagreed with  
> its skepticism about changing sexual orientation.
> Yarhouse and a colleague, Professor Stanton Jones of Wheaton  
> College, will be  releasing findings at the APA meeting Friday from  
> their six-year study of people who went through Exodus programs.  
> More than half of 61 subjects either converted to heterosexuality or  
> "disidentified" with homosexuality while embracing chastity, their  
> study said.
> To Jones and Yarhouse, their findings prove change is possible for  
> some people, and on average the attempt to change will not be harmful.
> The APA task force took as a starting point the belief that  
> homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexuality, not a  
> disorder, and that it nonetheless remains stigmatized in ways that  
> can have negative consequences.
> The report said the subgroup of gays interested in changing their  
> sexual orientation has evolved over the decades and now is comprised  
> mostly of well-educated white men whose religion is an important  
> part of their lives and who participate in conservative faiths that  
> frown on homosexuality.
> "Religious faith and psychology do not have to be seen as being  
> opposed to each other," the report says, endorsing approaches "that  
> integrate concepts from the psychology of religion and the modern  
> psychology of sexual orientation."
> Perry Halkitis, a New York University psychologist who chairs the  
> APA committee dealing with gay and lesbian issues, praised the  
> report for its balance.
> "Anyone who makes decisions based on good science will be  
> satisfied," he said. "As a clinician, you have to deal with the  
> whole person, and for some people, faith is a very important aspect  
> of who they are."
> The report also addressed the issue of whether adolescents should be  
> subjected to therapy aimed at altering their sexual orientation. Any  
> such approach should "maximize self-determination" and be undertaken  
> only with the youth's consent, the report said.
> Wayne Besen, a gay-rights activist who has sought to discredit the  
> so-called "ex-gay" movement, welcomed the APA findings.
> "Ex-gay therapy is a profound travesty that has led to pointless  
> tragedies, and we are pleased that the APA has addressed this  
> psychological scourge," Besen said.
> ___
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