7 feb 2026
The Economic Truth About Conversion Therapy: Why Christian Families Are Being Targeted
The total annual economic burden of conversion therapy and its harms is estimated at $9.23 billion, according to research published in JAMA Pediatrics
Quick Takeaways
In 2015, a New Jersey jury unanimously ruled that conversion therapy is consumer fraud, with no factual basis for success claims
The total annual economic burden of conversion therapy and its harms is estimated at $9.23 billion, according to research published in JAMA Pediatrics
Families report spending thousands of dollars on programs that promise healing but deliver trauma, broken relationships, and sometimes tragedy
Each failed program leads to recommendations for more expensive "treatments," creating a cycle that leaves families financially and emotionally bankrupt
Christian parents are being targeted by providers who exploit faith and fear, turning family love into a profitable business model
When your child is struggling, you'd do anything to help them. You'd give your last dollar. You'd take out loans. You'd borrow from relatives. That's exactly what conversion therapy providers are counting on.
Following The Money Trail
In 2015, something unprecedented happened in a New Jersey courtroom. After a three-week trial, a jury unanimously found that Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH) had committed consumer fraud by selling services claiming to turn gay people straight.
Judge Peter Bariso didn't mince words. He ruled there is "no factual basis" for the success statistics these providers claim. He compared the theory that homosexuality is a disorder to believing "the earth is flat and the sun revolves around it."
The verdict required JONAH to pay $72,400 to compensate the victims and permanently shut down. But here's what matters most for parents: the court didn't just say conversion therapy doesn't work. They said it's fraud.
When something has a zero percent success rate but an 840 percent increase in suicide risk for kids, that's not therapy. That's harm marketed as hope.
The Real Cost: Paulette Trimmer's Story
Paulette Trimmer knows exactly what conversion therapy costs. Not just in dollars, though those added up quickly. She knows what it costs in years you can't get back, in trust that takes a lifetime to rebuild, in the look on your child's face when they push away your hug.
Her son Adam attended multiple conversion therapy programs after a suicide attempt. Each one promised healing. Each one cost more money than the last. Each one made things worse.
"There was a second program Adam wanted to attend," Paulette recalls. "I didn't want him to go, but he begged me. I said, 'If this is really what you want, we will help you.' That one cost even more money. When he came back, he was even worse toward us."
Then Adam wanted a third program. This one would later be depicted in the movie "Boy Erased" for its abusive practices.
"We finally put our foot down," Paulette says. "I said, 'No. I don't know what they're teaching you, but it's killing our relationship with you.'"
That decision likely saved Adam's life. But it took years for their family to heal from the damage already done.
Why The Scam Works So Well
Conversion therapy providers have perfected a business model that preys on Christian parents' deepest fears and highest hopes. Here's how it works:
Step 1: Target vulnerable families. They know when your child is struggling with their personal identity, you're desperate for answers that align with your faith.
Step 2: Promise what you want to hear. They offer testimonials, success stories, and the assurance that your child can change.
Step 3: Blame the victim when it fails. When the first program doesn't work (it never works), they don't admit failure. Instead, they suggest your child didn't try hard enough, wasn't faithful enough, needs more intensive treatment.
Step 4: Sell you to the next level. Each subsequent program costs more. The message is always the same: just one more retreat, one more counselor, one more chance.
This cycle doesn't end because the therapy succeeds. It ends when families finally run out of money, their child runs away, or worse.
The $9 Billion Question
Research published in JAMA Pediatrics calculated the total annual economic burden of conversion therapy at $9.23 billion. That includes the direct costs families pay plus the costs of treating resulting mental health harm, substance abuse, suicide attempts, homelessness, and lost productivity.
But those numbers can't capture what it costs a mother to hear her child say she's "the worst parent in the world" because that's what the counselor taught him to believe. They can't measure what it's worth to get back the years your child spent blaming you instead of trusting you.
Michael Ferguson, one of the plaintiffs in the JONAH case, put it plainly: "Gay conversion therapy stole years from my life, and nearly stole my life."
What Christian Parents Need to Know
Conversion therapy is not pastoral counseling. Genuine pastoral care supports families and strengthens relationships. Conversion therapy systematically destroys family bonds by teaching children to blame their parents for how they were created.
Higher prices don't mean better results. When Paulette Trimmer's family paid for increasingly expensive programs, they weren't getting better care. They were getting deeper into a scam.
Your parental instincts are trustworthy. Paulette's decision to say "no" to that third program came from her gut telling her something was deeply wrong. That instinct was right. If something about a program or counselor makes you uneasy, trust that feeling.
Free alternatives exist that actually work. Organizations like FreedHearts, Fortunate Families, and the Trevor Project offer free resources grounded in both faith and evidence-based family support. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on programs that harm your child.
The Faith Question
Paulette Trimmer remains a devoted Pentecostal Christian. She goes to church every Sunday. Her faith hasn't wavered. But she's learned something crucial: "The only way I can answer that is, I love God, I am not going to change that. And I love my son, and I'm not going to change that."
She's one of the lucky ones. She got her son back. Linda Robertson and Joyce Calvo weren't so fortunate. Their children didn't survive the shame these programs caused.
When someone asks you to choose between your faith and your child, when someone promises they can "fix" your child for the right price, they're not offering godly wisdom. They're running a con.
Protecting Your Family
No outside counselor should profit from your family's pain. Here's how to protect yourself:
Research any program thoroughly. If they promise to change who your child is attracted to, that's a red flag.
Ask about their approach. Do they blame parents? Do they claim homosexuality is caused by family dysfunction? Those are debunked theories.
Check credentials and affiliations. Every major medical and mental health organization opposes conversion therapy practices.
Trust your budget. If you can't comfortably afford it, that's God's way of protecting you from making a costly mistake.
Prioritize your relationship. Anything that drives a wedge between you and your child is not of God, regardless of how it's packaged.
The safest path forward is the one you walk with your child, not the one you pay someone else to force them down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much do families typically spend on conversion therapy?
A: Families report spending anywhere from several hundred to tens of thousands of dollars on programs, retreats, and counseling sessions. Many take out loans or borrow from relatives. The cost often escalates as providers recommend increasingly expensive "treatments" when earlier programs fail.
Q: If conversion therapy is fraud, why is it still legal in some states?
A: While many states have banned licensed therapists from practicing conversion therapy on minors, religious counselors and unlicensed practitioners often operate in legal gray areas. They've also rebranded using terms like "personal orientation counseling" or "identity exploration" to avoid detection.
Q: What's the difference between conversion therapy and legitimate counseling for Christian teens?
A: Legitimate counseling helps teens process their feelings and strengthens family relationships. Conversion therapy attempts to change who someone is attracted to (which doesn't work) and often teaches children to blame their parents. Real therapy brings families together. Conversion therapy tears them apart.
Q: Can I support my child without compromising my faith?
A: Yes. Thousands of Christian parents maintain their faith while loving and supporting their gay or transgender children. Organizations like Fortunate Families and FreedHearts provide faith-focused resources that don't require you to pay anyone or risk your relationship with your child.
Q: What should I do if my church is recommending conversion therapy?
A: Trust your parental instincts over church pressure. Seek second opinions from mental health professionals who follow evidence-based practices. Remember that you are the expert on your child, not someone trying to sell you expensive programs. Your family's wellbeing comes before anyone's business model.
Publicaciones recientes
7 feb 2026
7 feb 2026
The Economic Truth About Conversion Therapy: Why Christian Families Are Being Targeted
The total annual economic burden of conversion therapy and its harms is estimated at $9.23 billion, according to research published in JAMA Pediatrics
Quick Takeaways
In 2015, a New Jersey jury unanimously ruled that conversion therapy is consumer fraud, with no factual basis for success claims
The total annual economic burden of conversion therapy and its harms is estimated at $9.23 billion, according to research published in JAMA Pediatrics
Families report spending thousands of dollars on programs that promise healing but deliver trauma, broken relationships, and sometimes tragedy
Each failed program leads to recommendations for more expensive "treatments," creating a cycle that leaves families financially and emotionally bankrupt
Christian parents are being targeted by providers who exploit faith and fear, turning family love into a profitable business model
When your child is struggling, you'd do anything to help them. You'd give your last dollar. You'd take out loans. You'd borrow from relatives. That's exactly what conversion therapy providers are counting on.
Following The Money Trail
In 2015, something unprecedented happened in a New Jersey courtroom. After a three-week trial, a jury unanimously found that Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH) had committed consumer fraud by selling services claiming to turn gay people straight.
Judge Peter Bariso didn't mince words. He ruled there is "no factual basis" for the success statistics these providers claim. He compared the theory that homosexuality is a disorder to believing "the earth is flat and the sun revolves around it."
The verdict required JONAH to pay $72,400 to compensate the victims and permanently shut down. But here's what matters most for parents: the court didn't just say conversion therapy doesn't work. They said it's fraud.
When something has a zero percent success rate but an 840 percent increase in suicide risk for kids, that's not therapy. That's harm marketed as hope.
The Real Cost: Paulette Trimmer's Story
Paulette Trimmer knows exactly what conversion therapy costs. Not just in dollars, though those added up quickly. She knows what it costs in years you can't get back, in trust that takes a lifetime to rebuild, in the look on your child's face when they push away your hug.
Her son Adam attended multiple conversion therapy programs after a suicide attempt. Each one promised healing. Each one cost more money than the last. Each one made things worse.
"There was a second program Adam wanted to attend," Paulette recalls. "I didn't want him to go, but he begged me. I said, 'If this is really what you want, we will help you.' That one cost even more money. When he came back, he was even worse toward us."
Then Adam wanted a third program. This one would later be depicted in the movie "Boy Erased" for its abusive practices.
"We finally put our foot down," Paulette says. "I said, 'No. I don't know what they're teaching you, but it's killing our relationship with you.'"
That decision likely saved Adam's life. But it took years for their family to heal from the damage already done.
Why The Scam Works So Well
Conversion therapy providers have perfected a business model that preys on Christian parents' deepest fears and highest hopes. Here's how it works:
Step 1: Target vulnerable families. They know when your child is struggling with their personal identity, you're desperate for answers that align with your faith.
Step 2: Promise what you want to hear. They offer testimonials, success stories, and the assurance that your child can change.
Step 3: Blame the victim when it fails. When the first program doesn't work (it never works), they don't admit failure. Instead, they suggest your child didn't try hard enough, wasn't faithful enough, needs more intensive treatment.
Step 4: Sell you to the next level. Each subsequent program costs more. The message is always the same: just one more retreat, one more counselor, one more chance.
This cycle doesn't end because the therapy succeeds. It ends when families finally run out of money, their child runs away, or worse.
The $9 Billion Question
Research published in JAMA Pediatrics calculated the total annual economic burden of conversion therapy at $9.23 billion. That includes the direct costs families pay plus the costs of treating resulting mental health harm, substance abuse, suicide attempts, homelessness, and lost productivity.
But those numbers can't capture what it costs a mother to hear her child say she's "the worst parent in the world" because that's what the counselor taught him to believe. They can't measure what it's worth to get back the years your child spent blaming you instead of trusting you.
Michael Ferguson, one of the plaintiffs in the JONAH case, put it plainly: "Gay conversion therapy stole years from my life, and nearly stole my life."
What Christian Parents Need to Know
Conversion therapy is not pastoral counseling. Genuine pastoral care supports families and strengthens relationships. Conversion therapy systematically destroys family bonds by teaching children to blame their parents for how they were created.
Higher prices don't mean better results. When Paulette Trimmer's family paid for increasingly expensive programs, they weren't getting better care. They were getting deeper into a scam.
Your parental instincts are trustworthy. Paulette's decision to say "no" to that third program came from her gut telling her something was deeply wrong. That instinct was right. If something about a program or counselor makes you uneasy, trust that feeling.
Free alternatives exist that actually work. Organizations like FreedHearts, Fortunate Families, and the Trevor Project offer free resources grounded in both faith and evidence-based family support. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on programs that harm your child.
The Faith Question
Paulette Trimmer remains a devoted Pentecostal Christian. She goes to church every Sunday. Her faith hasn't wavered. But she's learned something crucial: "The only way I can answer that is, I love God, I am not going to change that. And I love my son, and I'm not going to change that."
She's one of the lucky ones. She got her son back. Linda Robertson and Joyce Calvo weren't so fortunate. Their children didn't survive the shame these programs caused.
When someone asks you to choose between your faith and your child, when someone promises they can "fix" your child for the right price, they're not offering godly wisdom. They're running a con.
Protecting Your Family
No outside counselor should profit from your family's pain. Here's how to protect yourself:
Research any program thoroughly. If they promise to change who your child is attracted to, that's a red flag.
Ask about their approach. Do they blame parents? Do they claim homosexuality is caused by family dysfunction? Those are debunked theories.
Check credentials and affiliations. Every major medical and mental health organization opposes conversion therapy practices.
Trust your budget. If you can't comfortably afford it, that's God's way of protecting you from making a costly mistake.
Prioritize your relationship. Anything that drives a wedge between you and your child is not of God, regardless of how it's packaged.
The safest path forward is the one you walk with your child, not the one you pay someone else to force them down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much do families typically spend on conversion therapy?
A: Families report spending anywhere from several hundred to tens of thousands of dollars on programs, retreats, and counseling sessions. Many take out loans or borrow from relatives. The cost often escalates as providers recommend increasingly expensive "treatments" when earlier programs fail.
Q: If conversion therapy is fraud, why is it still legal in some states?
A: While many states have banned licensed therapists from practicing conversion therapy on minors, religious counselors and unlicensed practitioners often operate in legal gray areas. They've also rebranded using terms like "personal orientation counseling" or "identity exploration" to avoid detection.
Q: What's the difference between conversion therapy and legitimate counseling for Christian teens?
A: Legitimate counseling helps teens process their feelings and strengthens family relationships. Conversion therapy attempts to change who someone is attracted to (which doesn't work) and often teaches children to blame their parents. Real therapy brings families together. Conversion therapy tears them apart.
Q: Can I support my child without compromising my faith?
A: Yes. Thousands of Christian parents maintain their faith while loving and supporting their gay or transgender children. Organizations like Fortunate Families and FreedHearts provide faith-focused resources that don't require you to pay anyone or risk your relationship with your child.
Q: What should I do if my church is recommending conversion therapy?
A: Trust your parental instincts over church pressure. Seek second opinions from mental health professionals who follow evidence-based practices. Remember that you are the expert on your child, not someone trying to sell you expensive programs. Your family's wellbeing comes before anyone's business model.
Publicaciones recientes
7 feb 2026
7 feb 2026
The Economic Truth About Conversion Therapy: Why Christian Families Are Being Targeted
The total annual economic burden of conversion therapy and its harms is estimated at $9.23 billion, according to research published in JAMA Pediatrics
Quick Takeaways
In 2015, a New Jersey jury unanimously ruled that conversion therapy is consumer fraud, with no factual basis for success claims
The total annual economic burden of conversion therapy and its harms is estimated at $9.23 billion, according to research published in JAMA Pediatrics
Families report spending thousands of dollars on programs that promise healing but deliver trauma, broken relationships, and sometimes tragedy
Each failed program leads to recommendations for more expensive "treatments," creating a cycle that leaves families financially and emotionally bankrupt
Christian parents are being targeted by providers who exploit faith and fear, turning family love into a profitable business model
When your child is struggling, you'd do anything to help them. You'd give your last dollar. You'd take out loans. You'd borrow from relatives. That's exactly what conversion therapy providers are counting on.
Following The Money Trail
In 2015, something unprecedented happened in a New Jersey courtroom. After a three-week trial, a jury unanimously found that Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH) had committed consumer fraud by selling services claiming to turn gay people straight.
Judge Peter Bariso didn't mince words. He ruled there is "no factual basis" for the success statistics these providers claim. He compared the theory that homosexuality is a disorder to believing "the earth is flat and the sun revolves around it."
The verdict required JONAH to pay $72,400 to compensate the victims and permanently shut down. But here's what matters most for parents: the court didn't just say conversion therapy doesn't work. They said it's fraud.
When something has a zero percent success rate but an 840 percent increase in suicide risk for kids, that's not therapy. That's harm marketed as hope.
The Real Cost: Paulette Trimmer's Story
Paulette Trimmer knows exactly what conversion therapy costs. Not just in dollars, though those added up quickly. She knows what it costs in years you can't get back, in trust that takes a lifetime to rebuild, in the look on your child's face when they push away your hug.
Her son Adam attended multiple conversion therapy programs after a suicide attempt. Each one promised healing. Each one cost more money than the last. Each one made things worse.
"There was a second program Adam wanted to attend," Paulette recalls. "I didn't want him to go, but he begged me. I said, 'If this is really what you want, we will help you.' That one cost even more money. When he came back, he was even worse toward us."
Then Adam wanted a third program. This one would later be depicted in the movie "Boy Erased" for its abusive practices.
"We finally put our foot down," Paulette says. "I said, 'No. I don't know what they're teaching you, but it's killing our relationship with you.'"
That decision likely saved Adam's life. But it took years for their family to heal from the damage already done.
Why The Scam Works So Well
Conversion therapy providers have perfected a business model that preys on Christian parents' deepest fears and highest hopes. Here's how it works:
Step 1: Target vulnerable families. They know when your child is struggling with their personal identity, you're desperate for answers that align with your faith.
Step 2: Promise what you want to hear. They offer testimonials, success stories, and the assurance that your child can change.
Step 3: Blame the victim when it fails. When the first program doesn't work (it never works), they don't admit failure. Instead, they suggest your child didn't try hard enough, wasn't faithful enough, needs more intensive treatment.
Step 4: Sell you to the next level. Each subsequent program costs more. The message is always the same: just one more retreat, one more counselor, one more chance.
This cycle doesn't end because the therapy succeeds. It ends when families finally run out of money, their child runs away, or worse.
The $9 Billion Question
Research published in JAMA Pediatrics calculated the total annual economic burden of conversion therapy at $9.23 billion. That includes the direct costs families pay plus the costs of treating resulting mental health harm, substance abuse, suicide attempts, homelessness, and lost productivity.
But those numbers can't capture what it costs a mother to hear her child say she's "the worst parent in the world" because that's what the counselor taught him to believe. They can't measure what it's worth to get back the years your child spent blaming you instead of trusting you.
Michael Ferguson, one of the plaintiffs in the JONAH case, put it plainly: "Gay conversion therapy stole years from my life, and nearly stole my life."
What Christian Parents Need to Know
Conversion therapy is not pastoral counseling. Genuine pastoral care supports families and strengthens relationships. Conversion therapy systematically destroys family bonds by teaching children to blame their parents for how they were created.
Higher prices don't mean better results. When Paulette Trimmer's family paid for increasingly expensive programs, they weren't getting better care. They were getting deeper into a scam.
Your parental instincts are trustworthy. Paulette's decision to say "no" to that third program came from her gut telling her something was deeply wrong. That instinct was right. If something about a program or counselor makes you uneasy, trust that feeling.
Free alternatives exist that actually work. Organizations like FreedHearts, Fortunate Families, and the Trevor Project offer free resources grounded in both faith and evidence-based family support. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on programs that harm your child.
The Faith Question
Paulette Trimmer remains a devoted Pentecostal Christian. She goes to church every Sunday. Her faith hasn't wavered. But she's learned something crucial: "The only way I can answer that is, I love God, I am not going to change that. And I love my son, and I'm not going to change that."
She's one of the lucky ones. She got her son back. Linda Robertson and Joyce Calvo weren't so fortunate. Their children didn't survive the shame these programs caused.
When someone asks you to choose between your faith and your child, when someone promises they can "fix" your child for the right price, they're not offering godly wisdom. They're running a con.
Protecting Your Family
No outside counselor should profit from your family's pain. Here's how to protect yourself:
Research any program thoroughly. If they promise to change who your child is attracted to, that's a red flag.
Ask about their approach. Do they blame parents? Do they claim homosexuality is caused by family dysfunction? Those are debunked theories.
Check credentials and affiliations. Every major medical and mental health organization opposes conversion therapy practices.
Trust your budget. If you can't comfortably afford it, that's God's way of protecting you from making a costly mistake.
Prioritize your relationship. Anything that drives a wedge between you and your child is not of God, regardless of how it's packaged.
The safest path forward is the one you walk with your child, not the one you pay someone else to force them down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much do families typically spend on conversion therapy?
A: Families report spending anywhere from several hundred to tens of thousands of dollars on programs, retreats, and counseling sessions. Many take out loans or borrow from relatives. The cost often escalates as providers recommend increasingly expensive "treatments" when earlier programs fail.
Q: If conversion therapy is fraud, why is it still legal in some states?
A: While many states have banned licensed therapists from practicing conversion therapy on minors, religious counselors and unlicensed practitioners often operate in legal gray areas. They've also rebranded using terms like "personal orientation counseling" or "identity exploration" to avoid detection.
Q: What's the difference between conversion therapy and legitimate counseling for Christian teens?
A: Legitimate counseling helps teens process their feelings and strengthens family relationships. Conversion therapy attempts to change who someone is attracted to (which doesn't work) and often teaches children to blame their parents. Real therapy brings families together. Conversion therapy tears them apart.
Q: Can I support my child without compromising my faith?
A: Yes. Thousands of Christian parents maintain their faith while loving and supporting their gay or transgender children. Organizations like Fortunate Families and FreedHearts provide faith-focused resources that don't require you to pay anyone or risk your relationship with your child.
Q: What should I do if my church is recommending conversion therapy?
A: Trust your parental instincts over church pressure. Seek second opinions from mental health professionals who follow evidence-based practices. Remember that you are the expert on your child, not someone trying to sell you expensive programs. Your family's wellbeing comes before anyone's business model.