Conversion/Reparative Therapy

Therapy can be used for many different reasons. Whether it be for one’s physical or mental and emotional health. Both have the potential to help young people and harm young people. Conversion/Reparative therapy is used to treat people who have same sex attractions and is meant to change one’s sexuality to a heterosexual. Some believe that it is wrong to like someone of the same gender, or wrong to change gender. They also believe that it is a person’s choice to like someone of the same gender. In recent years, there has been research on attractions to significant others.The research shows that attractions don’t come from the mind but the body instead (Mitchell and Dezarn). Around 2-6 percent of young adults identify as being LGBTQ+ and out

According to Karolyn Ann Hicks from Washington College, “the Court reaffirmed this rationale in Pierce v. Society of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, 183 in which it decided that parents have autonomy under the Fourteenth Amendment with regard to raising their children.184.”Many young adult minors by law must do whatever treatment their parent/guardian feels is needed for the teens mental or physical health. Some of those treatments may include having to attend conversion therapy. The young LGBTQ+ adults may not get the final say in whether they go to treatment or not (Hein and Matthews). But, according to Christopher Blackwell from the University of Central Florida, “Strong evidence indicates the effects of these therapies on GLBT clients can be harmful and damaging and in fact, result in serious psychological trauma to clients.” As a result of having gone to reparative therapy some patients have come forward and said that the after effects of attending has attributed to them having “anger, depression, suicidal ideations, and sexual dysfunction” (Sandley). Some researchers have gone out and seen what conversion therapy is like for people and how they are treated while in therapy. “In one of many undercover investigations into conversion therapy, Ted Cox (2014) recalls one method where retreat leaders recreated a participant’s relationship with a new father by asking him to beat an

There are many different ways that therapists treat young adults that go to conversion therapy. They use shock therapy, group therapy, being admitted to a hospital, etc. There are many different ways deal with it some ways are safer than others. Also, there have been some states that have banned the use of conversion/reparative therapy on young adults who are minors. There are five states in the country that have decided to ban the practice of reparative therapy they are California, Illinois,Connecticut,New Jersey and Oregon. They have banned it because of how it affects the emotional state of minors and because of how it is not necessary(Garcia).Conversion therapy should not be given to minors due to the methods the therapist use to cure young adults of their sexuality. Teens have had thoughts of hurting themselves severely due to going to this type of therapy(Sandley). Homosexuality has not been on the list of mental illnesses since 1974 when it was removed. This means that it no longer needs to be treated as