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Monday, Dec 01, 2008
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Ask Michael: Reparative therapy is destructive therapy |
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| Ask Michael: Reparative therapy is destructive therapy | ||
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by Michael Raitt -
SGN Contributing Writer In the February 22, 2008 edition of the Seattle Gay News, Wayne Besen, SGN Contributing Writer, wrote an excellent piece called Ex-Gay quack therapists declare war. If you haven't read it, get online and read it. I have talked about "reparative therapy" as it applied to a young man who wrote in many months ago. I would like to address this topic directly. Without doubt, "reparative therapy" is destructive to GLBTQ men and women! Any person, under any licensed, official title (therapist, counselor, doctor, etc.) who is working on behalf of peoples' well-being should have their license revoked and have disciplinary action leveled against them from reputable, professional bodies such as ACA (American Counseling Association) if they partake in any form of professional, credible counseling that suggests LGBTQ is wrong, abnormal, or needs to be fixed. Reparative therapists operate under what I call a "premise of pathology." The root of reparative is "repair." One repairs something that is broken or damaged. This premise puts forth the idea that there is something disturbed, damaged, broken, or clinically abnormal about being GLBTQ. They usually say, "It is not who you are, it is what you do that is wrong." However they may disguise their messages, goals, and intent in flowery language or misguided Biblical dogma, this premise drives their work. The only pathology they should concern themselves with is the pathology that lives within them that makes them anxious and fearful of GLBTQ people. These "therapists" suggest that LGBTQ men and women will be happier if they aren't the way they are. They argue that people in our community suffer from various mental illnesses (depression, anxiety, addiction, etc) because we are GLBTQ. Both these arguments are unequivocally false. Every clinical concern exists in every population. Regardless of your sexual orientation, most of us will, from time to time, experience life events that make us anxious, depressed, or turn to a substance for relief of our psychological pain. Certainly, the straight community is plagued by these types of issues. In Besen's piece, he wrote, "Many of these counselors [reparative therapists] still believe that a distant same-sex parent causes homosexuality. Their 'cure' is making platonic friendships with same-sex friends and playing sports." Besen described this as "nonsense" and I wholeheartedly agree. These are arcane theories and ridiculous therapeutic interventions that cause more harm. These absurd ideas keep patients steeped in their own pathology and fuel underlying clinical issues. None of this is about health and well-being. What about someone who says, "I am depressed because I am Gay"? What makes you depressed is brain chemistry and/or the beliefs that you hold about being Gay that come from segments of our society that perpetuate hatred and intolerance of GLBTQ men and women. Other things that contribute to your depression are things that may have happened to you because of being Gay or you fear harm may come to you if people discover you are Gay (being harassed, discriminated against, physically harmed etc.). LGBTQ does not and cannot not make depression or any other clinical condition. Depression, anxiety, and other clinical concerns arise for a plethora of reasons including our desire to be accepted in the face of feeling rejected by our families and parts of our society. It is these types of conflicts that manifest themselves in clinical symptoms. DO NOT engage in reparative therapy! You will never reach the goals you are trying to reach. You will have harm inflicted upon you. Many respected, intelligent colleagues who preceded me in my work as a therapist recognized the harm in reparative type therapy and in pathologizing GLBTQ people. This is why the designation of GLB as a mental illness was taken out of the field of psychiatry (mental health counseling) years ago. (I did not include "T" for Transexual members of our community because it is still considered a "disorder" - it is called Gender Identity Disorder. I, personally, have a problem with that designation and I DO NOT consider Transexualism a disorder). I am a Gay man. I am happy, proud, and successful. I have a loving family and loving friends. I work hard every day and try to contribute in a positive way. I know many, many GLBTQ men and women who are the same. I DO NOT want to be anything other than what I am. Take responsibility for how you feel by feeling great and proud about who you are as a LGBTQ person! If you struggle with this, reach out for help. There are excellent resources and therapists (some GLBTQ and some straight) who will support you in accepting yourself and moving you towards health and wellbeing. Remember, we are in every strata of society and the majority of us love and are loved, contribute in rich and positive ways, work hard, and are law-abiding citizens. We are not, and have never been broken, an illness, or sickness! We don't need to be repaired! Michael Raitt, MA LMHC, writes a bi-monthly column in the SGN. If you would like to comment on this column, ask a question you'd like him to write about, or suggest another topic of interest, please contact him at askingmichael@comcast.net. |
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