If You’re Gay, Should You See a Gay Therapist? | Psychology Today

Contents:

• GAY THERAPY, GAY THERAPISTS, GAY TREATMENT
• 5 SURPRISG FACTS ABOUT GAY CONVERSN THERAPY
• GAY THERAPY: HOW TO FD THE RIGHT GAY THERAPIST
• ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER
• IF YOU’RE GAY, SHOULD YOU SEE A GAY THERAPIST?
• WHAT IT’S LIKE TO EXPERIENCE GAY CONVERSN THERAPY
• THE CEL, DANGERO REALY OF GAY NVERSN THERAPY
• GAY THERAPY CENTER ONLE THERAPY REVIEW

GAY THERAPY, GAY THERAPISTS, GAY TREATMENT

While there are some groups that try to "treat" homosexualy orr change , the gay therapy discsed this article refers to therapy signed to help someone al wh issu around their sexualy and not any way change . People who are lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr or queer (LGBTQ, this article, simply referred to as "gay") seek help for many of the same issu that heterosexuals do. Issu like anxiety, prsn and addictn disorrs are known to be more prevalent gay dividuals (Homosexualy [LGBT] and Mental Health Issu) and gay issu are often lked to the ndns.

To e the TherapyTribe therapist search tool, select "Gay Lbian Issu" om the "I'm lookg for help wh" drop-down box and then enter your zip or postal and click Search. But mastream psychologists say the therapy is effective, uhil and often harmful, exacerbatg anxiety and self-hatred among those treated for what is not a mental 2013, two s volvg the therapy to nvert gay people to heterosexuals h the urts, wh one seekg to sue unselors who offer the therapy and the other seekg to fend are five thgs you need to know about the therapy and the current psychologists say nversn therapy don't workA diagnosis of major prsn do not evoke much rponse, eher a stigmatizg or supportive, om a person's social work, a study dited.

5 SURPRISG FACTS ABOUT GAY CONVERSN THERAPY

(Image cred: Oleg Golovnev | shutterstock)Homosexualy is not nsired a mental disorr, so the Amerin Psychologil Associatn (APA) do not remend "curg" same-sex attractn any se. Instead, societal ignorance, prejudice and prsure to nform to heterosexual sir are the real dangers to gay people's mental health, acrdg to a 1997 statement on "nversn" or "reparative" therapy by the APA.

[7 Absolutely Evil Medil Experiments]More recently, people who have been through nversn therapy report talk therapy that emphasiz psdoscientific theori, such as the ia that an overbearg mother and a distant father make a child gay. His therapist blamed his parents for Arana's homosexualy, and urged him to distance himself om his female bt Lev, one of the men sug Jonah for ceptive practic, says that he qu nversn therapy after his therapist had him strip down and touch himself to "rennect wh his masculy, " acrdg to the New York 's happeng the urts? [5 Myths About Gay People Debunked]In a send se California, a feral judge is hearg arguments agast a new state law that bans nversn therapy for mors.

GAY THERAPY: HOW TO FD THE RIGHT GAY THERAPIST

In 1935, Frd went even further, wrg to a woman who wanted her homosexual son nverted that homosexualy "is nothg to be ashamed of, no vice, no gradatn; nnot be classified as an illns. One of the stranger attempts was an effort by Vienne endocrologist Eugen Steach to transplant tticl om straight men to the scrotums of gay men an attempt to rid them of same-sex sir. It didn’t of the most proment advot of nversn therapy the 1940s and 50s was Edmund Bergler, who saw homosexualy as a perversn and believed he uld "cure" gay people wh a punishment-based, nontatnal therapy the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn stopped classifyg homosexualy as a mental disorr 1973, nversn therapi lost support.

But relig-right anizatns such as Exod Internatnal and Foc on the Fay's Love Won Out took up the charge, promotg their own "ex-gay" therapi.

A small group of psychologists, spltg wh their peers, ntue to promote the therapi, foundg the nversn therapy anizatn NARTH, or the Natnal Associatn for Rearch & Therapy of Homosexualy.

ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER

[The 10 Most Controversial Psychiatric Disorrs]One study says worksNew rearch may shed light on how homosexualy has survived the gene pool. In 2003, famed psychiatrist Robert Spzer, who spearhead the removal of homosexualy om the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn's mental disorr list 1973, reported the journal Archiv of Sexual Behavr that terviews wh nversn therapy patients suggted that some people uld change their sexual paper was cendiary and highly cricized, given that relied on terviews wh patients stead of measurable benchmarks of same-sex sir.

IF YOU’RE GAY, SHOULD YOU SEE A GAY THERAPIST?

Conservative groups were lighted to have support om Spzer, who wasn't tated wh relig bias or anti-gay iology; gay anizatns felt the end, however, Spzer me to agree wh his crics. Acrdg to the Brish Psychologil Society (BPS), nversn therapy - sometim lled "reparative therapy" or "gay cure therapy" - tri to change someone's sexual orientatn or genr inty. But provirs, ually unlicensed, n often disguise the terms they e to avoid beg terms clu:Sexual attractn fluidy exploratn therapy (SAFE-T)Elimatg, rcg, or creasg equency or tensy of unwanted same-sex attractn (SSA)Reparative therapySexual reorientatn effortsEx-gay mistryPromotg healthy sexualyAddrsg sexual addictns and disorrsSexualy unselgEnuragg relatnal and sexual wholensHealg sexual brokennsConversn therapy techniqu n lead to feelg “ls than” or “damaged, ” impactg self-teem.

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO EXPERIENCE GAY CONVERSN THERAPY

A number of medil and mental health anizatns have issued public statements rejectg the e of nversn therapy bee of many provirs who claim to be qualified to provi nversn therapy are often not licensed mental health practners or medil study found that LGBTQ (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, or qutng) people who are rejected or discrimated agast are:8 tim more likely to report havg attempted suiciAlmost 6 tim more likely to report high levels of prsnMore than 3 tim as likely to e illegal dgs3 tim more likely to be at high risk of HIV and other STDsAcrdg to rearch, nearly 700, 000 LGBTQ adults the U. Although a person’s sexual or romantic orientatn or genr inty may not be a source of distrs, people who intify as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, qutng, asexual, or any other orientatn or genr inty may fd that the social stigma of livg as a mory is a source of strs or anxiety.

Acrdg to a 2007 survey, stunts who intified as lbian, gay, bisexual, or transgenr were almost ten tim as likely to have experienced bullyg and victimizatn at school and more than twice as likely to have nsired suici as their heterosexual, non-transgenr classmat wh the prev year.

THE CEL, DANGERO REALY OF GAY NVERSN THERAPY

Early edns of the Diagnostic and Statistil Manual (DSM) intified homosexualy as a mental disorr, until clil rearch monstrated sexual or romantic attractn to someone of the same genr is a normal, healthy, posive form of human sexualy. As the work proceeds, is revealed that John is out to his fay (who accepts him entirely) and publicly, while Paolo do not want his fay to know he is gay. LGBTQ people often face barriers to healthre such as social stigma, discrimatn, and prejudice, makg difficult for gay people to accs qualy mental health treatment.

While there are many heterosexual gay-iendly therapists, workg wh a therapist who is also a member of the LGBTQIA+ muny n help you form a eper theraptic alliance. Addnally, bee many people who intify as lbian or gay n be part of a send (and sometim third or more) margalized muny, may be helpful to search for a psychologist who shar another aspect of your inty.

GAY THERAPY CENTER ONLE THERAPY REVIEW

Onle therapist directori make easy for gay, bisexual, lbian, and transgenr dividuals to search for mental health profsnals who match their unique preferenc and requirements. In addn to filterg your search to fd an LGBTQ therapist, be sure to rearch the therapist’s tn, trag, and unrstandg of gay, lbian, transgenr, and bisexual issu.

Your therapist should have experience workg wh other gay men, women, and genr diverse people, and they should be faiar wh issu surroundg sexualy, genr exprsn, g out, mental illns, self-teem, and other issu that affect the LGBTQ muny.

Durg your search, avoid psychologists who promise to treat or “cure” homosexualy, as sexual orientatn change efforts like nversn therapy and reparative therapy are unsuccsful and harmful. Homosexualy is not a mental illns—and nversn therapy is a harmful practice that n take a signifint toll on self-teem, leadg to self-stctive behavrs like substance abe, self-harm, and even suici. The It Gets Better Project is a nonprof anizatn dited to upliftg, empowerg, and nnectg lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and queer youth worldwi.