8/5/09

APA repudiates gay-to-straight "reparative " therapy

"NEW YORK – The American Psychological Association declared Wednesday that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments."

"Instead, the APA urged therapists to consider multiple options — that could range from celibacy to switching churches — for helping clients 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."

Read on at Psychologists repudiate gay-to-straight therapy

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That sound you hear is everyone channeling the vancome lady.

by the way, the header would like nicer if you resize or redo the logo to 750w x 140h.

ACH said...

When talking about mental health professionals, the term APA is ambiguous. There is the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association. Psychologists have Ph.D's in psychology. Psychiatrists have MD's and did a residency in psychiatry (though sometimes clinical psychologists do these too.)

Of course, once I started reading the article I knew which one it meant, but it's something that confuses people sometimes.