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Why Every Major Medical Association Has Rejected Conversion Therapy: A Summary for Faith-Based Families
Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States has formally rejected conversion therapy as both ineffective and harmful.
Quick Takeaways
Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States has formally rejected conversion therapy as both ineffective and harmful.
Research published in JAMA Pediatrics estimates the economic burden of conversion therapy and its harms at more than $9 billion annually.
A New Jersey jury unanimously found one prominent "conversion therapy" provider guilty of consumer fraud and ordered it permanently shut down.
These organizations are not attacking faith. They are protecting children from practices that carry serious risks and have no scientific basis.
Parents can honor their beliefs and protect their child at the same time by turning to faith-focused family resources instead.
What the Medical Community Actually Says
When it comes to conversion therapy, the medical community speaks with one voice. Not "some" organizations and not "most." Every single major medical and mental health association in the United States opposes this practice. That includes the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Counseling Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and more than a dozen others.
These groups represent tens of thousands of practitioners who follow the evidence. And the evidence is clear: conversion therapy does not work, and it causes real harm. That is why licensed therapists are ethically required to refuse these practices when parents request them.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published a comprehensive 2023 review titled Moving Beyond Change Efforts. Its conclusion: change efforts directed at children and teens "are harmful and should never be provided."
Why This Matters for Your Family
As Christian parents, many of us are careful about trusting experts, especially when it comes to our kids. That caution is healthy. But in this case, the mental health research on conversion therapy and the firsthand stories of families who have walked this road point in the same direction.
A 2022 study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that the total annual economic burden of conversion therapy and its harms is estimated at $9.23 billion. Each individual exposed to these practices faces nearly $98,000 in additional lifetime costs related to trauma, lost productivity, and healthcare needs.
Families pour thousands of dollars into programs that promise healing but deliver heartbreak. Anyone selling these services is running a scam.
What the Courts Have Confirmed
The legal system has weighed in as well. In 2015, a New Jersey jury unanimously found that JONAH, a prominent "conversion therapy" organization, had committed consumer fraud. The judge in Ferguson v. JONAH compared the claim that same-sex attraction is a curable disorder to the idea that the earth is flat. JONAH was ordered to shut down permanently.
Not one "success story" witness at trial could testify that they now experienced regular opposite-sex attraction.
What Real Families Have Experienced
Behind the research and the courtroom testimony are families whose stories confirm what the science shows.
Linda Robertson, a devout Christian mother, pursued "conversion therapy" for her son Ryan, believing it would help him. Instead, it drove him deeper into shame and despair. Ryan died in 2009. Linda has since shared her story publicly, including in an amicus brief filed in Chiles v. Salazar, urging other parents not to make the same choice she did.
Paulette Trimmer, a Pentecostal mother, supported her son Adam's decision to attend a program called "Healing from Homosexuality." What followed were years of heartache, blame, and alienation. Adam eventually attempted suicide. Today, Paulette and Adam speak publicly to warn others: these programs do not change who a child is. They change how that child sees their parents.
Faith and Medicine Can Walk Together
Rejecting conversion therapy does not mean rejecting your faith. It means refusing to let someone profit from your family's fear.
Organizations like FreedHearts and the Family Acceptance Project offer tools designed for faith-focused families, helping parents show support for their children while protecting against depression, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts. You can find more resources for parents navigating this journey at CT4F.
You are the expert on your child. No outside program should come between you and your family.
FAQs
Why do medical organizations oppose conversion therapy? Every major medical and mental health organization opposes conversion therapy because research consistently shows it is ineffective and increases risks of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal tendences. The 2023 SAMHSA report, Moving Beyond Change Efforts, confirmed these findings.
Has conversion therapy ever been found to be fraud? Yes. In Ferguson v. JONAH (2015), a New Jersey jury unanimously ruled that a "conversion therapy" organization committed consumer fraud. The organization was ordered shut down, and the judge declared that treating same-sex attraction as a curable disorder is scientifically baseless.
How much does conversion therapy cost families? A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study estimated the total annual economic burden at $9.23 billion. Individual families can spend thousands on programs with no scientific basis, while downstream costs of trauma-related healthcare and lost productivity compound that toll.
Can I be a faithful Christian and still reject conversion therapy? Yes. Rejecting conversion therapy means making informed decisions that protect your child from harmful practices. Faith-focused resources like the Family Acceptance Project and FreedHearts help parents stand by their children while staying rooted in their values.
What should a Christian parent do instead? Invest in resources that strengthen family bonds rather than trying to change who your child is. Organizations like FreedHearts and the Family Acceptance Project provide guidance for families of faith navigating these questions together.
Publicaciones recientes
Why Every Major Medical Association Has Rejected Conversion Therapy: A Summary for Faith-Based Families
Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States has formally rejected conversion therapy as both ineffective and harmful.
Quick Takeaways
Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States has formally rejected conversion therapy as both ineffective and harmful.
Research published in JAMA Pediatrics estimates the economic burden of conversion therapy and its harms at more than $9 billion annually.
A New Jersey jury unanimously found one prominent "conversion therapy" provider guilty of consumer fraud and ordered it permanently shut down.
These organizations are not attacking faith. They are protecting children from practices that carry serious risks and have no scientific basis.
Parents can honor their beliefs and protect their child at the same time by turning to faith-focused family resources instead.
What the Medical Community Actually Says
When it comes to conversion therapy, the medical community speaks with one voice. Not "some" organizations and not "most." Every single major medical and mental health association in the United States opposes this practice. That includes the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Counseling Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and more than a dozen others.
These groups represent tens of thousands of practitioners who follow the evidence. And the evidence is clear: conversion therapy does not work, and it causes real harm. That is why licensed therapists are ethically required to refuse these practices when parents request them.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published a comprehensive 2023 review titled Moving Beyond Change Efforts. Its conclusion: change efforts directed at children and teens "are harmful and should never be provided."
Why This Matters for Your Family
As Christian parents, many of us are careful about trusting experts, especially when it comes to our kids. That caution is healthy. But in this case, the mental health research on conversion therapy and the firsthand stories of families who have walked this road point in the same direction.
A 2022 study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that the total annual economic burden of conversion therapy and its harms is estimated at $9.23 billion. Each individual exposed to these practices faces nearly $98,000 in additional lifetime costs related to trauma, lost productivity, and healthcare needs.
Families pour thousands of dollars into programs that promise healing but deliver heartbreak. Anyone selling these services is running a scam.
What the Courts Have Confirmed
The legal system has weighed in as well. In 2015, a New Jersey jury unanimously found that JONAH, a prominent "conversion therapy" organization, had committed consumer fraud. The judge in Ferguson v. JONAH compared the claim that same-sex attraction is a curable disorder to the idea that the earth is flat. JONAH was ordered to shut down permanently.
Not one "success story" witness at trial could testify that they now experienced regular opposite-sex attraction.
What Real Families Have Experienced
Behind the research and the courtroom testimony are families whose stories confirm what the science shows.
Linda Robertson, a devout Christian mother, pursued "conversion therapy" for her son Ryan, believing it would help him. Instead, it drove him deeper into shame and despair. Ryan died in 2009. Linda has since shared her story publicly, including in an amicus brief filed in Chiles v. Salazar, urging other parents not to make the same choice she did.
Paulette Trimmer, a Pentecostal mother, supported her son Adam's decision to attend a program called "Healing from Homosexuality." What followed were years of heartache, blame, and alienation. Adam eventually attempted suicide. Today, Paulette and Adam speak publicly to warn others: these programs do not change who a child is. They change how that child sees their parents.
Faith and Medicine Can Walk Together
Rejecting conversion therapy does not mean rejecting your faith. It means refusing to let someone profit from your family's fear.
Organizations like FreedHearts and the Family Acceptance Project offer tools designed for faith-focused families, helping parents show support for their children while protecting against depression, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts. You can find more resources for parents navigating this journey at CT4F.
You are the expert on your child. No outside program should come between you and your family.
FAQs
Why do medical organizations oppose conversion therapy? Every major medical and mental health organization opposes conversion therapy because research consistently shows it is ineffective and increases risks of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal tendences. The 2023 SAMHSA report, Moving Beyond Change Efforts, confirmed these findings.
Has conversion therapy ever been found to be fraud? Yes. In Ferguson v. JONAH (2015), a New Jersey jury unanimously ruled that a "conversion therapy" organization committed consumer fraud. The organization was ordered shut down, and the judge declared that treating same-sex attraction as a curable disorder is scientifically baseless.
How much does conversion therapy cost families? A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study estimated the total annual economic burden at $9.23 billion. Individual families can spend thousands on programs with no scientific basis, while downstream costs of trauma-related healthcare and lost productivity compound that toll.
Can I be a faithful Christian and still reject conversion therapy? Yes. Rejecting conversion therapy means making informed decisions that protect your child from harmful practices. Faith-focused resources like the Family Acceptance Project and FreedHearts help parents stand by their children while staying rooted in their values.
What should a Christian parent do instead? Invest in resources that strengthen family bonds rather than trying to change who your child is. Organizations like FreedHearts and the Family Acceptance Project provide guidance for families of faith navigating these questions together.
Publicaciones recientes
Why Every Major Medical Association Has Rejected Conversion Therapy: A Summary for Faith-Based Families
Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States has formally rejected conversion therapy as both ineffective and harmful.
Quick Takeaways
Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States has formally rejected conversion therapy as both ineffective and harmful.
Research published in JAMA Pediatrics estimates the economic burden of conversion therapy and its harms at more than $9 billion annually.
A New Jersey jury unanimously found one prominent "conversion therapy" provider guilty of consumer fraud and ordered it permanently shut down.
These organizations are not attacking faith. They are protecting children from practices that carry serious risks and have no scientific basis.
Parents can honor their beliefs and protect their child at the same time by turning to faith-focused family resources instead.
What the Medical Community Actually Says
When it comes to conversion therapy, the medical community speaks with one voice. Not "some" organizations and not "most." Every single major medical and mental health association in the United States opposes this practice. That includes the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Counseling Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and more than a dozen others.
These groups represent tens of thousands of practitioners who follow the evidence. And the evidence is clear: conversion therapy does not work, and it causes real harm. That is why licensed therapists are ethically required to refuse these practices when parents request them.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published a comprehensive 2023 review titled Moving Beyond Change Efforts. Its conclusion: change efforts directed at children and teens "are harmful and should never be provided."
Why This Matters for Your Family
As Christian parents, many of us are careful about trusting experts, especially when it comes to our kids. That caution is healthy. But in this case, the mental health research on conversion therapy and the firsthand stories of families who have walked this road point in the same direction.
A 2022 study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that the total annual economic burden of conversion therapy and its harms is estimated at $9.23 billion. Each individual exposed to these practices faces nearly $98,000 in additional lifetime costs related to trauma, lost productivity, and healthcare needs.
Families pour thousands of dollars into programs that promise healing but deliver heartbreak. Anyone selling these services is running a scam.
What the Courts Have Confirmed
The legal system has weighed in as well. In 2015, a New Jersey jury unanimously found that JONAH, a prominent "conversion therapy" organization, had committed consumer fraud. The judge in Ferguson v. JONAH compared the claim that same-sex attraction is a curable disorder to the idea that the earth is flat. JONAH was ordered to shut down permanently.
Not one "success story" witness at trial could testify that they now experienced regular opposite-sex attraction.
What Real Families Have Experienced
Behind the research and the courtroom testimony are families whose stories confirm what the science shows.
Linda Robertson, a devout Christian mother, pursued "conversion therapy" for her son Ryan, believing it would help him. Instead, it drove him deeper into shame and despair. Ryan died in 2009. Linda has since shared her story publicly, including in an amicus brief filed in Chiles v. Salazar, urging other parents not to make the same choice she did.
Paulette Trimmer, a Pentecostal mother, supported her son Adam's decision to attend a program called "Healing from Homosexuality." What followed were years of heartache, blame, and alienation. Adam eventually attempted suicide. Today, Paulette and Adam speak publicly to warn others: these programs do not change who a child is. They change how that child sees their parents.
Faith and Medicine Can Walk Together
Rejecting conversion therapy does not mean rejecting your faith. It means refusing to let someone profit from your family's fear.
Organizations like FreedHearts and the Family Acceptance Project offer tools designed for faith-focused families, helping parents show support for their children while protecting against depression, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts. You can find more resources for parents navigating this journey at CT4F.
You are the expert on your child. No outside program should come between you and your family.
FAQs
Why do medical organizations oppose conversion therapy? Every major medical and mental health organization opposes conversion therapy because research consistently shows it is ineffective and increases risks of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal tendences. The 2023 SAMHSA report, Moving Beyond Change Efforts, confirmed these findings.
Has conversion therapy ever been found to be fraud? Yes. In Ferguson v. JONAH (2015), a New Jersey jury unanimously ruled that a "conversion therapy" organization committed consumer fraud. The organization was ordered shut down, and the judge declared that treating same-sex attraction as a curable disorder is scientifically baseless.
How much does conversion therapy cost families? A 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study estimated the total annual economic burden at $9.23 billion. Individual families can spend thousands on programs with no scientific basis, while downstream costs of trauma-related healthcare and lost productivity compound that toll.
Can I be a faithful Christian and still reject conversion therapy? Yes. Rejecting conversion therapy means making informed decisions that protect your child from harmful practices. Faith-focused resources like the Family Acceptance Project and FreedHearts help parents stand by their children while staying rooted in their values.
What should a Christian parent do instead? Invest in resources that strengthen family bonds rather than trying to change who your child is. Organizations like FreedHearts and the Family Acceptance Project provide guidance for families of faith navigating these questions together.