04/04/2026
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As a practicing clinical counselor, I am bound by an ethical duty to ensure client safety and uphold the principle of doing no harm.
Professional Counseling practice is grounded in research, training, and evidence-based interventions to provide effective treatment. Research conducted by medical and mental health professionals has revealed that Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Change Efforts (SOGICE), including conversion therapy practices, present significant risk of harm to clients, particularly youth. This research has resulted in numerous medical and mental health organizations opposing such practices.
Though the Supreme Court decision in Chiles v. Salazar held that that Colorado’s law suppressed speech based on viewpoint, the ruling was narrow. The Court did not speak to the safety or efficacy of conversion therapy. Professional Counselors must strive to do no harm and to protect their clients using only safe, ethical, and evidence-based interventions.
For more information, please review:
-The Supreme Court’s decision:https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-539_fd9g.pdf
-The American Psychological Association’s paper: https://www.apa.org/about/policy/resolution-sexual-orientation-change-efforts.pdf
-The American Counseling Association’s statement: https://bit.ly/ACA-statement
