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Recent developments at the level of the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) have created confusion for many people regarding the legality and ethics of so-called conversion therapy. While legal interpretations may shift over time, one fact remains firmly grounded in decades of research and clinical consensus: conversion therapy is harmful, ineffective, and potentially life-threatening.
At the Mindful Ecotherapy Center, we believe it is essential to separate legal discourse from clinical truth. The absence of a ban, or the striking down of one, does not make a practice safe, ethical, or acceptable within professional mental health care.
What Is Conversion Therapy?
Conversion therapy refers to a range of discredited practices aimed at changing an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. These approaches may include talk therapy framed around shame, aversion techniques, or spiritual coercion. Despite how they are presented, these interventions are not supported by credible psychological science.
Leading organizations such as the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and National Association of Social Workers have all issued clear statements opposing conversion therapy, citing overwhelming evidence of harm and lack of efficacy.
The Evidence of Harm
Research consistently shows that individuals subjected to conversion therapy are at significantly increased risk for:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Substance use disorders
- Self-harm
- Suicidal ideation and attempts
A large-scale study by Ryan et al. (2020) found that exposure to conversion therapy was associated with more than double the likelihood of attempting suicide compared to those who were not exposed. Similarly, Turban et al. (2020) demonstrated that LGBTQ+ youth who underwent conversion efforts had significantly higher rates of severe psychological distress and suicidality.
These findings are not isolated. They reflect a broader pattern: attempts to suppress or alter core identity traits create profound internal conflict, shame, and psychological fragmentation. From a mindfulness and ecotherapy perspective, this represents a forced disconnection from the self. This is an outcome that is fundamentally at odds with healing.
Ethical Violations in Clinical Practice
Any licensed counselor or therapist who implements conversion therapy is violating core ethical principles, including:
- Nonmaleficence (do no harm)
- Beneficence (promote well-being)
- Respect for client autonomy and dignity
Modern therapeutic approaches, including mindfulness-based therapies, trauma-informed care, and ecotherapy, emphasize acceptance, integration, and self-awareness, not suppression or eradication of identity.
Practitioners who continue to use conversion therapy are not practicing evidence-based care. They are engaging in interventions that have been widely discredited and condemned by the mental health community.
What You Can Do
If you become aware of a licensed therapist in your area practicing conversion therapy, it is important to take action:
- Report them to their state licensing board immediately. Licensing boards exist to protect the public and uphold professional standards.
- If someone is offering therapy services without a license, report them as well. Practicing psychotherapy without a license is illegal in most jurisdictions and may constitute a felony offense.
- If you or someone you know has been harmed by conversion therapy, legal recourse may be available, including civil lawsuits.
Taking these steps is not punitive. It is protective. It safeguards vulnerable people from further harm and reinforces ethical standards within the profession.
A Mindful Ecotherapy Perspective
Healing involves reconnection to self, to body, to community, and to the natural world. Conversion therapy does the opposite. It fosters disconnection, self-rejection, and internalized stigma.
Mindfulness-based ecotherapy offers a radically different path:
- Observing thoughts and feelings without judgment
- Cultivating self-compassion
- Reconnecting with natural rhythms and embodied experience
- Supporting identity integration rather than suppression
From this perspective, the goal is not to change who someone is, but to help them fully inhabit and accept themselves.
Final Thoughts
Legal decisions may evolve, but the science is clear: conversion therapy is harmful. No court ruling can override decades of empirical evidence and clinical consensus. Mental health professionals have an ethical obligation to reject harmful practices and provide care that affirms and supports the whole person.
If you encounter conversion therapy in your community, do not ignore it. Speak up, report it, and advocate for safe, ethical care. Lives quite literally depend on it.
References
American Psychological Association. (2009). Report of the task force on appropriate therapeutic responses to sexual orientation. APA.
Ryan, C., Toomey, R. B., Diaz, R. M., & Russell, S. T. (2020). Parent-initiated sexual orientation change efforts with LGBT adolescents: Implications for young adult mental health and adjustment. Journal of Homosexuality, 67(2), 159–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2018.1538407
Turban, J. L., Beckwith, N., Reisner, S. L., & Keuroghlian, A. S. (2020). Association between recalled exposure to gender identity conversion efforts and psychological distress and suicide attempts among transgender adults. JAMA Psychiatry, 77(1), 68–76. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.2285
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