11 feb 2026
Conversion Therapy Research: What Medical Studies Tell Christian Parents
You can be a faithful Christian parent and still protect your child from these dangerous, discredited practices.
Quick Takeaways
Every major medical organization in the United States has concluded that conversion therapy does not work and causes serious harm to children.
Minors who experience conversion therapy are twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to those who don't.
Today's "conversion therapy" looks like talk therapy and prayer-based counseling. The method is gentler in appearance. The psychological damage is not.
According to JAMA Pediatrics, the ripple effects of conversion therapy cost American taxpayers an estimated $9 billion every year.
You can be a faithful Christian parent and still protect your child from these dangerous, discredited practices.
When a child comes home with questions about who they are, most parents reach for their faith, their love, and their best judgment. That is exactly the right instinct. The problem is that some practitioners know how to find parents in that tender moment and offer something that sounds like help but is, according to decades of medical research, the opposite.
If you are a Christian parent trying to make sense of what the science actually says, here is what you need to know.
What Does the Research Say?
The medical consensus on conversion therapy is not a matter of debate among credentialed professionals. Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States, from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association to the American Psychological Association, has concluded that these practices are ineffective and linked to serious harm.
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reviewed the available research and found no studies supporting the claim that conversion therapy benefits children, adolescents, or their families. None. What researchers found consistently, across multiple large studies, is evidence of real harm.
The Suicide Risk Is Not Exaggerated
One of the most important findings involves suicide risk. Studies from the Williams Institute at UCLA found that people who experienced conversion therapy were nearly twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts and to attempt suicide compared to peers who did not. For minors specifically, teens exposed to conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide.
Linda Robertson and Joyce Calvo, both mothers who shared their stories in connection with legal proceedings challenging conversion therapy laws, lost their children. Another mother, Paulette Trimmer, described her son barely making it home alive. These are not statistics. These are families.
The Everyday Harm You Don't Hear About
Conversion therapy's most visible harms tend to involve extreme historical practices like electroshock. But that image is outdated. Today's conversion therapy typically happens in a counseling office through prayer-based talk sessions. The American Psychological Association has documented consequences, including deep depression, anxiety, shame, loss of faith, and lasting self-hatred. Children are often taught to blame themselves when the therapy fails, which only deepens the wound.
Research also shows that exposure to conversion therapy more than doubles the likelihood that a child will run away from home, creating a whole new layer of danger for families who were trying to stay together.
The Financial Cost Is Real, Too
JAMA Pediatrics published research in 2022 estimating that the total humanistic and economic burden of conversion therapy on young people in the United States exceeds $9 billion annually, factoring in healthcare costs, lost productivity, and the lasting consequences of the trauma these practices cause.
Parents are often asked to pay thousands of dollars for programs described as retreats, camps, or faith-based counseling. The packaging changes. The outcome doesn't. A practice with no documented success and a well-documented record of harm is not a treatment. It's a scam.
What Does This Mean for Christian Parents?
None of this research asks you to abandon your beliefs. It asks you to be a careful steward of your child's well-being. Genuine pastoral support, family counseling grounded in compassion, and faith communities that walk alongside families without pressure are all available and documented as genuinely helpful. The research is not telling parents to give up. It is telling them not to let someone else cash in on their child's pain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do medical organizations say about conversion therapy?
Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States, including the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics, has concluded that conversion therapy is ineffective and harmful. Federal health agencies, including SAMHSA, have found no evidence that these practices benefit children or their families.
Does conversion therapy increase suicide risk in minors?
Yes. Research from the Williams Institute at UCLA found that teens who undergo conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to those who do not. Mothers like Linda Robertson, Joyce Calvo, and Paulette Trimmer have shared publicly how these practices nearly cost them their children.
What mental health problems are linked to conversion therapy?
Research links conversion therapy exposure to depression, anxiety, severe psychological distress, loss of faith, self-hatred, and an increased likelihood of running away from home. The American Psychological Association has documented these outcomes in detail.
How much does conversion therapy cost families?
Programs can cost families thousands of dollars. A 2022 study in JAMA Pediatrics estimated the total economic and humanistic burden at more than $9 billion annually across the United States.
Is there a difference between conversion therapy and faith-based counseling?
Yes. Legitimate pastoral support and faith-based family counseling do not promise to change who a child is attracted to or how they see themselves. Conversion therapy specifically claims it can alter a child's personal identity. That claim is what every credible medical organization has found to be both false and harmful.
Publicaciones recientes
11 feb 2026
11 feb 2026
Conversion Therapy Research: What Medical Studies Tell Christian Parents
You can be a faithful Christian parent and still protect your child from these dangerous, discredited practices.
Quick Takeaways
Every major medical organization in the United States has concluded that conversion therapy does not work and causes serious harm to children.
Minors who experience conversion therapy are twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to those who don't.
Today's "conversion therapy" looks like talk therapy and prayer-based counseling. The method is gentler in appearance. The psychological damage is not.
According to JAMA Pediatrics, the ripple effects of conversion therapy cost American taxpayers an estimated $9 billion every year.
You can be a faithful Christian parent and still protect your child from these dangerous, discredited practices.
When a child comes home with questions about who they are, most parents reach for their faith, their love, and their best judgment. That is exactly the right instinct. The problem is that some practitioners know how to find parents in that tender moment and offer something that sounds like help but is, according to decades of medical research, the opposite.
If you are a Christian parent trying to make sense of what the science actually says, here is what you need to know.
What Does the Research Say?
The medical consensus on conversion therapy is not a matter of debate among credentialed professionals. Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States, from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association to the American Psychological Association, has concluded that these practices are ineffective and linked to serious harm.
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reviewed the available research and found no studies supporting the claim that conversion therapy benefits children, adolescents, or their families. None. What researchers found consistently, across multiple large studies, is evidence of real harm.
The Suicide Risk Is Not Exaggerated
One of the most important findings involves suicide risk. Studies from the Williams Institute at UCLA found that people who experienced conversion therapy were nearly twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts and to attempt suicide compared to peers who did not. For minors specifically, teens exposed to conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide.
Linda Robertson and Joyce Calvo, both mothers who shared their stories in connection with legal proceedings challenging conversion therapy laws, lost their children. Another mother, Paulette Trimmer, described her son barely making it home alive. These are not statistics. These are families.
The Everyday Harm You Don't Hear About
Conversion therapy's most visible harms tend to involve extreme historical practices like electroshock. But that image is outdated. Today's conversion therapy typically happens in a counseling office through prayer-based talk sessions. The American Psychological Association has documented consequences, including deep depression, anxiety, shame, loss of faith, and lasting self-hatred. Children are often taught to blame themselves when the therapy fails, which only deepens the wound.
Research also shows that exposure to conversion therapy more than doubles the likelihood that a child will run away from home, creating a whole new layer of danger for families who were trying to stay together.
The Financial Cost Is Real, Too
JAMA Pediatrics published research in 2022 estimating that the total humanistic and economic burden of conversion therapy on young people in the United States exceeds $9 billion annually, factoring in healthcare costs, lost productivity, and the lasting consequences of the trauma these practices cause.
Parents are often asked to pay thousands of dollars for programs described as retreats, camps, or faith-based counseling. The packaging changes. The outcome doesn't. A practice with no documented success and a well-documented record of harm is not a treatment. It's a scam.
What Does This Mean for Christian Parents?
None of this research asks you to abandon your beliefs. It asks you to be a careful steward of your child's well-being. Genuine pastoral support, family counseling grounded in compassion, and faith communities that walk alongside families without pressure are all available and documented as genuinely helpful. The research is not telling parents to give up. It is telling them not to let someone else cash in on their child's pain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do medical organizations say about conversion therapy?
Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States, including the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics, has concluded that conversion therapy is ineffective and harmful. Federal health agencies, including SAMHSA, have found no evidence that these practices benefit children or their families.
Does conversion therapy increase suicide risk in minors?
Yes. Research from the Williams Institute at UCLA found that teens who undergo conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to those who do not. Mothers like Linda Robertson, Joyce Calvo, and Paulette Trimmer have shared publicly how these practices nearly cost them their children.
What mental health problems are linked to conversion therapy?
Research links conversion therapy exposure to depression, anxiety, severe psychological distress, loss of faith, self-hatred, and an increased likelihood of running away from home. The American Psychological Association has documented these outcomes in detail.
How much does conversion therapy cost families?
Programs can cost families thousands of dollars. A 2022 study in JAMA Pediatrics estimated the total economic and humanistic burden at more than $9 billion annually across the United States.
Is there a difference between conversion therapy and faith-based counseling?
Yes. Legitimate pastoral support and faith-based family counseling do not promise to change who a child is attracted to or how they see themselves. Conversion therapy specifically claims it can alter a child's personal identity. That claim is what every credible medical organization has found to be both false and harmful.
Publicaciones recientes
11 feb 2026
11 feb 2026
Conversion Therapy Research: What Medical Studies Tell Christian Parents
You can be a faithful Christian parent and still protect your child from these dangerous, discredited practices.
Quick Takeaways
Every major medical organization in the United States has concluded that conversion therapy does not work and causes serious harm to children.
Minors who experience conversion therapy are twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to those who don't.
Today's "conversion therapy" looks like talk therapy and prayer-based counseling. The method is gentler in appearance. The psychological damage is not.
According to JAMA Pediatrics, the ripple effects of conversion therapy cost American taxpayers an estimated $9 billion every year.
You can be a faithful Christian parent and still protect your child from these dangerous, discredited practices.
When a child comes home with questions about who they are, most parents reach for their faith, their love, and their best judgment. That is exactly the right instinct. The problem is that some practitioners know how to find parents in that tender moment and offer something that sounds like help but is, according to decades of medical research, the opposite.
If you are a Christian parent trying to make sense of what the science actually says, here is what you need to know.
What Does the Research Say?
The medical consensus on conversion therapy is not a matter of debate among credentialed professionals. Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States, from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association to the American Psychological Association, has concluded that these practices are ineffective and linked to serious harm.
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reviewed the available research and found no studies supporting the claim that conversion therapy benefits children, adolescents, or their families. None. What researchers found consistently, across multiple large studies, is evidence of real harm.
The Suicide Risk Is Not Exaggerated
One of the most important findings involves suicide risk. Studies from the Williams Institute at UCLA found that people who experienced conversion therapy were nearly twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts and to attempt suicide compared to peers who did not. For minors specifically, teens exposed to conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide.
Linda Robertson and Joyce Calvo, both mothers who shared their stories in connection with legal proceedings challenging conversion therapy laws, lost their children. Another mother, Paulette Trimmer, described her son barely making it home alive. These are not statistics. These are families.
The Everyday Harm You Don't Hear About
Conversion therapy's most visible harms tend to involve extreme historical practices like electroshock. But that image is outdated. Today's conversion therapy typically happens in a counseling office through prayer-based talk sessions. The American Psychological Association has documented consequences, including deep depression, anxiety, shame, loss of faith, and lasting self-hatred. Children are often taught to blame themselves when the therapy fails, which only deepens the wound.
Research also shows that exposure to conversion therapy more than doubles the likelihood that a child will run away from home, creating a whole new layer of danger for families who were trying to stay together.
The Financial Cost Is Real, Too
JAMA Pediatrics published research in 2022 estimating that the total humanistic and economic burden of conversion therapy on young people in the United States exceeds $9 billion annually, factoring in healthcare costs, lost productivity, and the lasting consequences of the trauma these practices cause.
Parents are often asked to pay thousands of dollars for programs described as retreats, camps, or faith-based counseling. The packaging changes. The outcome doesn't. A practice with no documented success and a well-documented record of harm is not a treatment. It's a scam.
What Does This Mean for Christian Parents?
None of this research asks you to abandon your beliefs. It asks you to be a careful steward of your child's well-being. Genuine pastoral support, family counseling grounded in compassion, and faith communities that walk alongside families without pressure are all available and documented as genuinely helpful. The research is not telling parents to give up. It is telling them not to let someone else cash in on their child's pain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do medical organizations say about conversion therapy?
Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States, including the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics, has concluded that conversion therapy is ineffective and harmful. Federal health agencies, including SAMHSA, have found no evidence that these practices benefit children or their families.
Does conversion therapy increase suicide risk in minors?
Yes. Research from the Williams Institute at UCLA found that teens who undergo conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to those who do not. Mothers like Linda Robertson, Joyce Calvo, and Paulette Trimmer have shared publicly how these practices nearly cost them their children.
What mental health problems are linked to conversion therapy?
Research links conversion therapy exposure to depression, anxiety, severe psychological distress, loss of faith, self-hatred, and an increased likelihood of running away from home. The American Psychological Association has documented these outcomes in detail.
How much does conversion therapy cost families?
Programs can cost families thousands of dollars. A 2022 study in JAMA Pediatrics estimated the total economic and humanistic burden at more than $9 billion annually across the United States.
Is there a difference between conversion therapy and faith-based counseling?
Yes. Legitimate pastoral support and faith-based family counseling do not promise to change who a child is attracted to or how they see themselves. Conversion therapy specifically claims it can alter a child's personal identity. That claim is what every credible medical organization has found to be both false and harmful.