Feb 12, 2026
The Real Cost of Conversion Therapy: Financial and Emotional Impact on Christian Families
Families are paying thousands of dollars for programs that every major medical organization says cannot work.
Quick Takeaways
Conversion therapy is consumer fraud. A New Jersey jury unanimously ruled that an organization selling gay-to-straight "conversion" services had committed consumer fraud and engaged in unconscionable business practices.
A 2022 study in JAMA Pediatrics estimated the total annual economic burden of conversion therapy and its downstream harms at more than $9.23 billion across the United States.
Families are paying thousands of dollars for programs that every major medical organization says cannot work.
Teens who experience conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to peers who don't.
Safer, free, and faith-focused alternatives exist and are proven to keep families together.
When a parent discovers their child is experiencing same-sex attraction or gender confusion, fear is often the first response. Most parents aren't looking for a battle. They're looking for answers. And unfortunately, conversion therapy providers know exactly how to find them.
They show up in church bulletins, on faith-community websites, and in the offices of licensed counselors who speak the language of scripture. They promise something no honest clinician would ever promise: that they can change who your child is. And they charge families handsomely for the attempt.
A Court Already Called It What It Is: Fraud
In 2015, a New Jersey jury unanimously found that the organization JONAH, which marketed services it claimed could turn gay men straight, had committed consumer fraud and engaged in unconscionable business practices. JONAH was ordered to pay $72,400 to compensate the people it had harmed, plus legal fees, and was permanently shut down.
Perhaps most revealing: at trial, JONAH's own "success story," witnesses testified that they were still primarily attracted to men. Not one described experiencing regular attraction to women. One juror described the decision as "cut and dried." The judge made clear there was no factual basis for the success statistics these providers advertise.
That is not a technicality. That is the legal system calling conversion therapy what it is.
What Families Actually Pay
Many parents who turn to conversion therapy do so out of genuine love. They believe they are making an investment in their child's well-being and trust that a counselor speaking their faith's language has their family's best interests at heart.
The reality is often heartbreaking. Families have reported spending anywhere from several hundred to tens of thousands of dollars on programs, retreats, and intensive counseling sessions that promise results science says are impossible. Some take out loans. Some borrow from relatives. Some spend years in these programs before realizing the promises were empty from the start.
Chaim Levin, one of the plaintiffs in the JONAH case, had his mother pay approximately $4,000 for treatment. She later testified: "He was just a really good salesman."
A 2022 analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics found that conversion therapy costs an estimated $650 million per year to deliver, with the downstream harms it causes adding more than $8.58 billion in additional burden annually. That includes hospitalizations for depression and anxiety, substance abuse treatment, and the long-term costs of trauma-related care.
For a plain-language breakdown of those downstream harms, read our full guide on what the risks of conversion therapy are.
The Emotional Price Is Even Higher
Money is the smaller of the two losses.
Research from the Williams Institute found that teens who experience conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to peers who do not. They are also nearly six times more likely to experience depression and more than three times more likely to engage in substance abuse.
For the families who've lived it, the answer to “does conversion therapy work?” is painfully clear.
There is something else conversion therapy does that often goes unspoken: it blames parents. Many programs tell mothers and fathers that their child's same-sex attraction or gender confusion is the result of faulty parenting. Parents who come in looking for help leave feeling like failures, and their children leave feeling like burdens.
It is no surprise, then, that when we ask if people regret conversion therapy, the answer from Christian families who've been there is almost always yes.
What the Money Could Do Instead
Every dollar spent on conversion therapy is a dollar not spent building something real. Family counseling that helps parents and kids communicate openly. Pastoral guidance from a minister who knows your family and honors your faith. Support networks where parents who have walked this road can speak honestly about what helped.
None of these resources promise the impossible, but there are free Christian alternatives to conversion therapy that deliver what those programs never have: connection.
If someone is asking your family to pay for a guaranteed outcome that every major medical organization says cannot be achieved, they are not offering hope. They are selling false comfort at a price your family will spend years repaying.
Don't let someone cash in on your child's confusion.
FAQs
How much does conversion therapy cost families?
Costs vary widely, but families report spending hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars on programs and counseling that promise results science says are impossible. A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study estimated the direct annual cost of these practices in the U.S. at $650 million, with associated downstream harms pushing the total economic burden past $9.23 billion per year.
Has conversion therapy ever been ruled as consumer fraud?
Yes. In 2015, a New Jersey jury unanimously ruled that JONAH, an organization marketing gay-to-straight "conversion" services, had committed consumer fraud and engaged in unconscionable business practices. The organization was ordered to pay damages and was permanently shut down. The judge noted there was no factual basis for the success statistics these providers advertise.
What are the emotional costs of conversion therapy for kids?
Research shows teens who experience conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to peers who don't. They also face significantly elevated rates of depression and substance abuse, and many describe lasting shame and a loss of trust in their parents and their faith.
Does conversion therapy harm family relationships?
The evidence consistently shows it does. Many conversion therapy programs explicitly blame parents for their child's same-sex attraction or gender confusion, which damages the parent-child relationship. Children frequently experience these practices as rejection, regardless of the parents' intentions.
What are safer faith-focused alternatives for Christian families?
Family counseling, pastoral support from informed clergy, and peer networks for Christian parents are all more constructive paths. Organizations like Fortunate Families and PFLAG's faith resources offer guidance grounded in both family unity and Christian values, without the false promises or financial risk of conversion therapy.
Recent posts
Feb 12, 2026
Feb 12, 2026
The Real Cost of Conversion Therapy: Financial and Emotional Impact on Christian Families
Families are paying thousands of dollars for programs that every major medical organization says cannot work.
Quick Takeaways
Conversion therapy is consumer fraud. A New Jersey jury unanimously ruled that an organization selling gay-to-straight "conversion" services had committed consumer fraud and engaged in unconscionable business practices.
A 2022 study in JAMA Pediatrics estimated the total annual economic burden of conversion therapy and its downstream harms at more than $9.23 billion across the United States.
Families are paying thousands of dollars for programs that every major medical organization says cannot work.
Teens who experience conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to peers who don't.
Safer, free, and faith-focused alternatives exist and are proven to keep families together.
When a parent discovers their child is experiencing same-sex attraction or gender confusion, fear is often the first response. Most parents aren't looking for a battle. They're looking for answers. And unfortunately, conversion therapy providers know exactly how to find them.
They show up in church bulletins, on faith-community websites, and in the offices of licensed counselors who speak the language of scripture. They promise something no honest clinician would ever promise: that they can change who your child is. And they charge families handsomely for the attempt.
A Court Already Called It What It Is: Fraud
In 2015, a New Jersey jury unanimously found that the organization JONAH, which marketed services it claimed could turn gay men straight, had committed consumer fraud and engaged in unconscionable business practices. JONAH was ordered to pay $72,400 to compensate the people it had harmed, plus legal fees, and was permanently shut down.
Perhaps most revealing: at trial, JONAH's own "success story," witnesses testified that they were still primarily attracted to men. Not one described experiencing regular attraction to women. One juror described the decision as "cut and dried." The judge made clear there was no factual basis for the success statistics these providers advertise.
That is not a technicality. That is the legal system calling conversion therapy what it is.
What Families Actually Pay
Many parents who turn to conversion therapy do so out of genuine love. They believe they are making an investment in their child's well-being and trust that a counselor speaking their faith's language has their family's best interests at heart.
The reality is often heartbreaking. Families have reported spending anywhere from several hundred to tens of thousands of dollars on programs, retreats, and intensive counseling sessions that promise results science says are impossible. Some take out loans. Some borrow from relatives. Some spend years in these programs before realizing the promises were empty from the start.
Chaim Levin, one of the plaintiffs in the JONAH case, had his mother pay approximately $4,000 for treatment. She later testified: "He was just a really good salesman."
A 2022 analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics found that conversion therapy costs an estimated $650 million per year to deliver, with the downstream harms it causes adding more than $8.58 billion in additional burden annually. That includes hospitalizations for depression and anxiety, substance abuse treatment, and the long-term costs of trauma-related care.
For a plain-language breakdown of those downstream harms, read our full guide on what the risks of conversion therapy are.
The Emotional Price Is Even Higher
Money is the smaller of the two losses.
Research from the Williams Institute found that teens who experience conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to peers who do not. They are also nearly six times more likely to experience depression and more than three times more likely to engage in substance abuse.
For the families who've lived it, the answer to “does conversion therapy work?” is painfully clear.
There is something else conversion therapy does that often goes unspoken: it blames parents. Many programs tell mothers and fathers that their child's same-sex attraction or gender confusion is the result of faulty parenting. Parents who come in looking for help leave feeling like failures, and their children leave feeling like burdens.
It is no surprise, then, that when we ask if people regret conversion therapy, the answer from Christian families who've been there is almost always yes.
What the Money Could Do Instead
Every dollar spent on conversion therapy is a dollar not spent building something real. Family counseling that helps parents and kids communicate openly. Pastoral guidance from a minister who knows your family and honors your faith. Support networks where parents who have walked this road can speak honestly about what helped.
None of these resources promise the impossible, but there are free Christian alternatives to conversion therapy that deliver what those programs never have: connection.
If someone is asking your family to pay for a guaranteed outcome that every major medical organization says cannot be achieved, they are not offering hope. They are selling false comfort at a price your family will spend years repaying.
Don't let someone cash in on your child's confusion.
FAQs
How much does conversion therapy cost families?
Costs vary widely, but families report spending hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars on programs and counseling that promise results science says are impossible. A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study estimated the direct annual cost of these practices in the U.S. at $650 million, with associated downstream harms pushing the total economic burden past $9.23 billion per year.
Has conversion therapy ever been ruled as consumer fraud?
Yes. In 2015, a New Jersey jury unanimously ruled that JONAH, an organization marketing gay-to-straight "conversion" services, had committed consumer fraud and engaged in unconscionable business practices. The organization was ordered to pay damages and was permanently shut down. The judge noted there was no factual basis for the success statistics these providers advertise.
What are the emotional costs of conversion therapy for kids?
Research shows teens who experience conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to peers who don't. They also face significantly elevated rates of depression and substance abuse, and many describe lasting shame and a loss of trust in their parents and their faith.
Does conversion therapy harm family relationships?
The evidence consistently shows it does. Many conversion therapy programs explicitly blame parents for their child's same-sex attraction or gender confusion, which damages the parent-child relationship. Children frequently experience these practices as rejection, regardless of the parents' intentions.
What are safer faith-focused alternatives for Christian families?
Family counseling, pastoral support from informed clergy, and peer networks for Christian parents are all more constructive paths. Organizations like Fortunate Families and PFLAG's faith resources offer guidance grounded in both family unity and Christian values, without the false promises or financial risk of conversion therapy.
Recent posts
Feb 12, 2026
Feb 12, 2026
The Real Cost of Conversion Therapy: Financial and Emotional Impact on Christian Families
Families are paying thousands of dollars for programs that every major medical organization says cannot work.
Quick Takeaways
Conversion therapy is consumer fraud. A New Jersey jury unanimously ruled that an organization selling gay-to-straight "conversion" services had committed consumer fraud and engaged in unconscionable business practices.
A 2022 study in JAMA Pediatrics estimated the total annual economic burden of conversion therapy and its downstream harms at more than $9.23 billion across the United States.
Families are paying thousands of dollars for programs that every major medical organization says cannot work.
Teens who experience conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to peers who don't.
Safer, free, and faith-focused alternatives exist and are proven to keep families together.
When a parent discovers their child is experiencing same-sex attraction or gender confusion, fear is often the first response. Most parents aren't looking for a battle. They're looking for answers. And unfortunately, conversion therapy providers know exactly how to find them.
They show up in church bulletins, on faith-community websites, and in the offices of licensed counselors who speak the language of scripture. They promise something no honest clinician would ever promise: that they can change who your child is. And they charge families handsomely for the attempt.
A Court Already Called It What It Is: Fraud
In 2015, a New Jersey jury unanimously found that the organization JONAH, which marketed services it claimed could turn gay men straight, had committed consumer fraud and engaged in unconscionable business practices. JONAH was ordered to pay $72,400 to compensate the people it had harmed, plus legal fees, and was permanently shut down.
Perhaps most revealing: at trial, JONAH's own "success story," witnesses testified that they were still primarily attracted to men. Not one described experiencing regular attraction to women. One juror described the decision as "cut and dried." The judge made clear there was no factual basis for the success statistics these providers advertise.
That is not a technicality. That is the legal system calling conversion therapy what it is.
What Families Actually Pay
Many parents who turn to conversion therapy do so out of genuine love. They believe they are making an investment in their child's well-being and trust that a counselor speaking their faith's language has their family's best interests at heart.
The reality is often heartbreaking. Families have reported spending anywhere from several hundred to tens of thousands of dollars on programs, retreats, and intensive counseling sessions that promise results science says are impossible. Some take out loans. Some borrow from relatives. Some spend years in these programs before realizing the promises were empty from the start.
Chaim Levin, one of the plaintiffs in the JONAH case, had his mother pay approximately $4,000 for treatment. She later testified: "He was just a really good salesman."
A 2022 analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics found that conversion therapy costs an estimated $650 million per year to deliver, with the downstream harms it causes adding more than $8.58 billion in additional burden annually. That includes hospitalizations for depression and anxiety, substance abuse treatment, and the long-term costs of trauma-related care.
For a plain-language breakdown of those downstream harms, read our full guide on what the risks of conversion therapy are.
The Emotional Price Is Even Higher
Money is the smaller of the two losses.
Research from the Williams Institute found that teens who experience conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to peers who do not. They are also nearly six times more likely to experience depression and more than three times more likely to engage in substance abuse.
For the families who've lived it, the answer to “does conversion therapy work?” is painfully clear.
There is something else conversion therapy does that often goes unspoken: it blames parents. Many programs tell mothers and fathers that their child's same-sex attraction or gender confusion is the result of faulty parenting. Parents who come in looking for help leave feeling like failures, and their children leave feeling like burdens.
It is no surprise, then, that when we ask if people regret conversion therapy, the answer from Christian families who've been there is almost always yes.
What the Money Could Do Instead
Every dollar spent on conversion therapy is a dollar not spent building something real. Family counseling that helps parents and kids communicate openly. Pastoral guidance from a minister who knows your family and honors your faith. Support networks where parents who have walked this road can speak honestly about what helped.
None of these resources promise the impossible, but there are free Christian alternatives to conversion therapy that deliver what those programs never have: connection.
If someone is asking your family to pay for a guaranteed outcome that every major medical organization says cannot be achieved, they are not offering hope. They are selling false comfort at a price your family will spend years repaying.
Don't let someone cash in on your child's confusion.
FAQs
How much does conversion therapy cost families?
Costs vary widely, but families report spending hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars on programs and counseling that promise results science says are impossible. A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study estimated the direct annual cost of these practices in the U.S. at $650 million, with associated downstream harms pushing the total economic burden past $9.23 billion per year.
Has conversion therapy ever been ruled as consumer fraud?
Yes. In 2015, a New Jersey jury unanimously ruled that JONAH, an organization marketing gay-to-straight "conversion" services, had committed consumer fraud and engaged in unconscionable business practices. The organization was ordered to pay damages and was permanently shut down. The judge noted there was no factual basis for the success statistics these providers advertise.
What are the emotional costs of conversion therapy for kids?
Research shows teens who experience conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to peers who don't. They also face significantly elevated rates of depression and substance abuse, and many describe lasting shame and a loss of trust in their parents and their faith.
Does conversion therapy harm family relationships?
The evidence consistently shows it does. Many conversion therapy programs explicitly blame parents for their child's same-sex attraction or gender confusion, which damages the parent-child relationship. Children frequently experience these practices as rejection, regardless of the parents' intentions.
What are safer faith-focused alternatives for Christian families?
Family counseling, pastoral support from informed clergy, and peer networks for Christian parents are all more constructive paths. Organizations like Fortunate Families and PFLAG's faith resources offer guidance grounded in both family unity and Christian values, without the false promises or financial risk of conversion therapy.