Being gay is not an illness

Features: Dr Michael Witney, Director of Therapies

Dr Michael Witney, Director of Therapies at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

In May this year the Guardian newspaper revealed that a number of therapists in the UK were offering to ‘cure’ people of being gay. (Guardian article, 27 May 2011)

The article, by undercover reporter Patrick Strudwick, described practices more reminiscent of the 1950s than what one might expect to find in modern Britain. In reality a gay rights campaigner, he visited a conversion therapist saying he wanted to be straight. He was told his sexuality arose from childhood sexual abuse and was given prayers to recite whenever he thought of men sexually. Following his complaint to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), they suspended the therapist’s accreditation and required her to undertake training and professional development.

We asked Oxleas’ Director of Therapies Michael Witney and Consultant Systemic Psychotherapist Dr Maeve Malley for their response to the issues raised by Patrick Strudwick. This is what they had to say.

There can be no justification for a clinical response which implies that any sexual identity is ‘better’ or ‘healthier’ than any other. There is no scientifically sound evidence that sexual orientation can be changed. Being gay is not an illness, does not require treatment and cannot be changed.¹

All psychotherapists and counsellors working for Oxleas are registered with professional bodies. Psychologists and arts therapists are also registered with the Health Professions Council, the statutory regulation body. The professional bodies have clear policies on equality, diversity and the requirement to respect clients from all backgrounds and sexual identities.

These bodies responded to the issue of so-called conversion therapy with unambiguous statements. The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) said:

“UKCP does not consider homosexuality or bisexuality or transsexual or transgendered states to be pathologies, mental disorders or indicative of developmental arrest.

“UKCP honours and respects sexual diversity as part of our approach to diversity, equalities and social responsibility. In this regard our position is the same as that of many other professional organisations such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (and the) Royal College of Psychiatrists.” ²

The American Psychological Association has expressed concern about conversion therapies and their potential harm to patients: “In 1997, the association's Council of Representatives passed a resolution reaffirming psychology’s opposition to homophobia in treatment and spelling out a client's right to unbiased treatment and self-determination. Any person who enters into therapy to deal with issues of sexual orientation has a right to expect that such therapy will take place in a professionally neutral environment, without any social bias.” ³

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender clients may be vulnerable to depression and anxiety as a response to an anticipation of rejection or judgement – this makes it particularly important for Oxleas clinicians to support our own commitment to treat all clients with respect and without bigotry or prejudice.