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How Much Does Conversion Therapy Cost? A Sourced Breakdown
There is no price list. The clearest numbers come from courtrooms and research.
"Conversion therapy" has no standard price list, but court records and research show what families pay. In New Jersey, a jury ordered one provider to pay $72,400 to five plaintiffs to cover the fees they had paid it and the counseling they needed afterward. In California, one woman paid a licensed marriage and family therapist more than $70,000 over eight years. Nationally, a 2022 study in JAMA Pediatrics estimated that about $650 million a year is spent on these practices among young people, and $9.23 billion a year once the harms that follow are counted. The same study estimated nearly $98,000 in added costs per young person. The session fee is the smallest part of the bill.
Quick Takeaways
There is no price list. The clearest numbers come from courtrooms and research.
A New Jersey jury ordered one provider to pay $72,400 for fees and follow-up counseling.
One woman paid a licensed therapist more than $70,000 over eight years. Her case settled in 2019.
A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study put direct spending at about $650 million a year and the full cost at $9.23 billion a year.
The largest costs arrive after the sessions end.
Why There Is No Price List
You will rarely see "conversion therapy" on an invoice. Today it is sold as talk: weekly counseling, "exploratory" sessions, coaching, or a weekend retreat. Knowing what conversion therapy is helps you recognize it under a new name. The most reliable numbers come from cases where providers had to answer for it.
What Families Paid: Two Court Cases
Ferguson v. JONAH (New Jersey, 2015). Before trial, a judge ruled the group could not present success statistics because there was "no factual basis" for them. A jury then found its practices fraudulent under the state's consumer fraud law and ordered the defendants to pay $72,400 to cover what five plaintiffs had paid and the counseling they needed afterward. The group agreed to shut down. CT4F walks through this and other conversion therapy fraud cases families should know.
McCobb v. Willey (California, settled 2019). An adult client paid a licensed marriage and family therapist more than $70,000 over eight years. He told her who she was attracted to could be changed through therapy and that he could "rewire" her brain. The case was resolved confidentially in 2019.
Both cases point to the same truth. "Conversion therapy" is a scam, and anyone who promises to change who your child is attracted to or how they see themselves is selling an outcome no one can deliver.
The National Bill
In 2022, researchers published a national estimate of what these practices cost in JAMA Pediatrics. They found that about $650 million a year is spent directly on "conversion therapy" for young people in the United States. Once the harms that follow are added, including depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide attempts, the total reaches an estimated $9.23 billion a year.
Per young person, the study estimated nearly $98,000 in added costs compared with receiving no intervention at all. Most of that cost arrives after the sessions end, in care for the harms that follow. The mental health research behind those harms, and what is known about conversion therapy and suicide risk, explain why the bill keeps growing.
The Cost No Study Can Price
Researchers can count therapy bills. They cannot price a child who stops confiding in a parent. CT4F has written about the financial and emotional cost to Christian families, and the pattern is consistent: the program divides the very household it promised to protect. A solution that divides families is not a solution at all.
Before You Pay Anyone
Ask for every fee in writing. Be wary of prepaid packages, retreats priced as bundles, and any provider who quotes a success rate. Check conversion therapy laws by state to see what protections apply where you live, and if a provider has already taken your money with promises like these, you can report a provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does conversion therapy cost?
There is no standard rate. In one California case, an adult client paid a licensed therapist more than $70,000 over eight years. A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study estimated about $650 million a year in direct spending nationwide.
What is the total economic cost of conversion therapy?
The same study estimated $9.23 billion a year once harms like depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide attempts are counted, or nearly $98,000 in added costs per young person.
Can I get my money back from a conversion therapy provider?
Sometimes. In Ferguson v. JONAH, a New Jersey jury ordered a provider to pay $72,400 to cover fees and later counseling. Results depend on your state and your facts, so speak with an attorney.
Is conversion therapy a scam?
A New Jersey court found one provider's practices fraudulent under consumer fraud law. No reliable evidence shows these practices change who someone is attracted to or how they see themselves.
What should I ask before paying a counselor?
Ask for every fee in writing, what the counselor will actually work on, and whether they will try to change who your child is attracted to or how they see themselves. Walk away from success rates and prepaid packages.
Sources and Further Reading
Research on Cost and Harm
Court Cases
Southern Poverty Law Center case docket: Ferguson v. JONAH, the $72,400 jury verdict and settlement
National Center for Lesbian Rights case summary: McCobb v. Willey, resolved in 2019
CT4F Resources for Families
Recent posts
How Much Does Conversion Therapy Cost? A Sourced Breakdown
There is no price list. The clearest numbers come from courtrooms and research.
"Conversion therapy" has no standard price list, but court records and research show what families pay. In New Jersey, a jury ordered one provider to pay $72,400 to five plaintiffs to cover the fees they had paid it and the counseling they needed afterward. In California, one woman paid a licensed marriage and family therapist more than $70,000 over eight years. Nationally, a 2022 study in JAMA Pediatrics estimated that about $650 million a year is spent on these practices among young people, and $9.23 billion a year once the harms that follow are counted. The same study estimated nearly $98,000 in added costs per young person. The session fee is the smallest part of the bill.
Quick Takeaways
There is no price list. The clearest numbers come from courtrooms and research.
A New Jersey jury ordered one provider to pay $72,400 for fees and follow-up counseling.
One woman paid a licensed therapist more than $70,000 over eight years. Her case settled in 2019.
A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study put direct spending at about $650 million a year and the full cost at $9.23 billion a year.
The largest costs arrive after the sessions end.
Why There Is No Price List
You will rarely see "conversion therapy" on an invoice. Today it is sold as talk: weekly counseling, "exploratory" sessions, coaching, or a weekend retreat. Knowing what conversion therapy is helps you recognize it under a new name. The most reliable numbers come from cases where providers had to answer for it.
What Families Paid: Two Court Cases
Ferguson v. JONAH (New Jersey, 2015). Before trial, a judge ruled the group could not present success statistics because there was "no factual basis" for them. A jury then found its practices fraudulent under the state's consumer fraud law and ordered the defendants to pay $72,400 to cover what five plaintiffs had paid and the counseling they needed afterward. The group agreed to shut down. CT4F walks through this and other conversion therapy fraud cases families should know.
McCobb v. Willey (California, settled 2019). An adult client paid a licensed marriage and family therapist more than $70,000 over eight years. He told her who she was attracted to could be changed through therapy and that he could "rewire" her brain. The case was resolved confidentially in 2019.
Both cases point to the same truth. "Conversion therapy" is a scam, and anyone who promises to change who your child is attracted to or how they see themselves is selling an outcome no one can deliver.
The National Bill
In 2022, researchers published a national estimate of what these practices cost in JAMA Pediatrics. They found that about $650 million a year is spent directly on "conversion therapy" for young people in the United States. Once the harms that follow are added, including depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide attempts, the total reaches an estimated $9.23 billion a year.
Per young person, the study estimated nearly $98,000 in added costs compared with receiving no intervention at all. Most of that cost arrives after the sessions end, in care for the harms that follow. The mental health research behind those harms, and what is known about conversion therapy and suicide risk, explain why the bill keeps growing.
The Cost No Study Can Price
Researchers can count therapy bills. They cannot price a child who stops confiding in a parent. CT4F has written about the financial and emotional cost to Christian families, and the pattern is consistent: the program divides the very household it promised to protect. A solution that divides families is not a solution at all.
Before You Pay Anyone
Ask for every fee in writing. Be wary of prepaid packages, retreats priced as bundles, and any provider who quotes a success rate. Check conversion therapy laws by state to see what protections apply where you live, and if a provider has already taken your money with promises like these, you can report a provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does conversion therapy cost?
There is no standard rate. In one California case, an adult client paid a licensed therapist more than $70,000 over eight years. A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study estimated about $650 million a year in direct spending nationwide.
What is the total economic cost of conversion therapy?
The same study estimated $9.23 billion a year once harms like depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide attempts are counted, or nearly $98,000 in added costs per young person.
Can I get my money back from a conversion therapy provider?
Sometimes. In Ferguson v. JONAH, a New Jersey jury ordered a provider to pay $72,400 to cover fees and later counseling. Results depend on your state and your facts, so speak with an attorney.
Is conversion therapy a scam?
A New Jersey court found one provider's practices fraudulent under consumer fraud law. No reliable evidence shows these practices change who someone is attracted to or how they see themselves.
What should I ask before paying a counselor?
Ask for every fee in writing, what the counselor will actually work on, and whether they will try to change who your child is attracted to or how they see themselves. Walk away from success rates and prepaid packages.
Sources and Further Reading
Research on Cost and Harm
Court Cases
Southern Poverty Law Center case docket: Ferguson v. JONAH, the $72,400 jury verdict and settlement
National Center for Lesbian Rights case summary: McCobb v. Willey, resolved in 2019
CT4F Resources for Families
Recent posts
How Much Does Conversion Therapy Cost? A Sourced Breakdown
There is no price list. The clearest numbers come from courtrooms and research.
"Conversion therapy" has no standard price list, but court records and research show what families pay. In New Jersey, a jury ordered one provider to pay $72,400 to five plaintiffs to cover the fees they had paid it and the counseling they needed afterward. In California, one woman paid a licensed marriage and family therapist more than $70,000 over eight years. Nationally, a 2022 study in JAMA Pediatrics estimated that about $650 million a year is spent on these practices among young people, and $9.23 billion a year once the harms that follow are counted. The same study estimated nearly $98,000 in added costs per young person. The session fee is the smallest part of the bill.
Quick Takeaways
There is no price list. The clearest numbers come from courtrooms and research.
A New Jersey jury ordered one provider to pay $72,400 for fees and follow-up counseling.
One woman paid a licensed therapist more than $70,000 over eight years. Her case settled in 2019.
A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study put direct spending at about $650 million a year and the full cost at $9.23 billion a year.
The largest costs arrive after the sessions end.
Why There Is No Price List
You will rarely see "conversion therapy" on an invoice. Today it is sold as talk: weekly counseling, "exploratory" sessions, coaching, or a weekend retreat. Knowing what conversion therapy is helps you recognize it under a new name. The most reliable numbers come from cases where providers had to answer for it.
What Families Paid: Two Court Cases
Ferguson v. JONAH (New Jersey, 2015). Before trial, a judge ruled the group could not present success statistics because there was "no factual basis" for them. A jury then found its practices fraudulent under the state's consumer fraud law and ordered the defendants to pay $72,400 to cover what five plaintiffs had paid and the counseling they needed afterward. The group agreed to shut down. CT4F walks through this and other conversion therapy fraud cases families should know.
McCobb v. Willey (California, settled 2019). An adult client paid a licensed marriage and family therapist more than $70,000 over eight years. He told her who she was attracted to could be changed through therapy and that he could "rewire" her brain. The case was resolved confidentially in 2019.
Both cases point to the same truth. "Conversion therapy" is a scam, and anyone who promises to change who your child is attracted to or how they see themselves is selling an outcome no one can deliver.
The National Bill
In 2022, researchers published a national estimate of what these practices cost in JAMA Pediatrics. They found that about $650 million a year is spent directly on "conversion therapy" for young people in the United States. Once the harms that follow are added, including depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide attempts, the total reaches an estimated $9.23 billion a year.
Per young person, the study estimated nearly $98,000 in added costs compared with receiving no intervention at all. Most of that cost arrives after the sessions end, in care for the harms that follow. The mental health research behind those harms, and what is known about conversion therapy and suicide risk, explain why the bill keeps growing.
The Cost No Study Can Price
Researchers can count therapy bills. They cannot price a child who stops confiding in a parent. CT4F has written about the financial and emotional cost to Christian families, and the pattern is consistent: the program divides the very household it promised to protect. A solution that divides families is not a solution at all.
Before You Pay Anyone
Ask for every fee in writing. Be wary of prepaid packages, retreats priced as bundles, and any provider who quotes a success rate. Check conversion therapy laws by state to see what protections apply where you live, and if a provider has already taken your money with promises like these, you can report a provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does conversion therapy cost?
There is no standard rate. In one California case, an adult client paid a licensed therapist more than $70,000 over eight years. A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study estimated about $650 million a year in direct spending nationwide.
What is the total economic cost of conversion therapy?
The same study estimated $9.23 billion a year once harms like depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide attempts are counted, or nearly $98,000 in added costs per young person.
Can I get my money back from a conversion therapy provider?
Sometimes. In Ferguson v. JONAH, a New Jersey jury ordered a provider to pay $72,400 to cover fees and later counseling. Results depend on your state and your facts, so speak with an attorney.
Is conversion therapy a scam?
A New Jersey court found one provider's practices fraudulent under consumer fraud law. No reliable evidence shows these practices change who someone is attracted to or how they see themselves.
What should I ask before paying a counselor?
Ask for every fee in writing, what the counselor will actually work on, and whether they will try to change who your child is attracted to or how they see themselves. Walk away from success rates and prepaid packages.
Sources and Further Reading
Research on Cost and Harm
Court Cases
Southern Poverty Law Center case docket: Ferguson v. JONAH, the $72,400 jury verdict and settlement
National Center for Lesbian Rights case summary: McCobb v. Willey, resolved in 2019
CT4F Resources for Families