APA resolution could
undermine some ministries
By Edward Terry, The Layman, September 25, 2009
An American Psychological Association (APA) resolution approved in August advises mental health professionals not to tell gay clients they can become straight through reparative therapy or other treatments.
Though the statement won’t change ministries such as the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s One By One, it does undermine their effectiveness and means one less option for patients, said Kristen Tremba, the organization’ s executive director. Tremba also said that the APA’s statement is contrary to its own standards.
“If someone comes in and wants to talk about (reparative therapy) or discuss the possibility of change as an option, they are prevented from doing so,” she said. “From our standpoint, that’s harmful. I think you can see how both sides think it’s harmful. The pro-gay side thinks it is harmful because they are determined to say that (saying) homosexuality in any way is wrong is absolutely harmful upon that person’s identity. And for us to say that it’s right is completely harmful upon that person’s spirituality and identity in Christ. So, we have the same argument that it’s harmful, but we’re coming from diametrically opposed worldviews and belief systems.”
The APA’s statement, approved Aug. 5 in Toronto, also discourages any treatments that portray homosexuality as a mental illness or development disorder. The group also states that there is no proof that orientation change efforts are either helpful or harmful, but still are discouraging it.
“Without such information, psychologists cannot predict the impact of these treatments and need to be very cautious, given that some qualitative research suggests the potential for harm,” said Judith M. Glassgold, chair of the task force that authored the report. “Practitioners can assist clients through therapies that do not attempt to change sexual orientation, but rather involve acceptance, support and identity exploration and development without imposing a specific identity outcome.”
To support that theory, one would have to acknowledge homosexuality as acceptable behavior. Though acceptance is becoming much more prevalent, there are still many Christians who disagree.
The idea of reparative therapy, Tremba said, rings true for ministries such as One By One,which is now affiliated with Exodus International. Like any form of sin, Tremba said, God’s grace is the antidote.
“He repairs our hearts and He changes us to conform to His image,” she said. “That is the heart of our ministry. To say that doesn’t happen, that that is harmful, that counselors shouldn’t be allowed to go that direction, completely undermines our ministry.”
There was some praise by faith-based groups on at least one part of the APA report. Acknowledging the importance of faith in dealing with same-sex attraction, the APA resolution urges licensed mental health care providers treating such clients to help them “explore possible life paths that address the reality of their sexual orientation, reduce the stigma associated with homosexuality, respect the client’s religious beliefs, and consider possibilities for a religiously and spiritually meaningful and rewarding life.”
Exodus International, the largest worldwide ministry to those conflicted between religious beliefs and same-sex attraction, praised that section of the report but also said, in a released statement, that it does not fully agree with the criticism of reparative therapy and sexual orientation change.
The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) was critical of the double standard and the lack of reorientation therapy representation on the committee that authored it. In a NARTH news release, the organization said the action fails to uphold the APA’s own principle of client self-determination.
“One can make the case that every member of the task force can be classified as an activist,” the NARTH statement said. “Had the task force been more neutral in their approach, they could have arrived at only one conclusion: homosexuality is not invariable fixed in all people, and some people can and do change, not just in terms of behavior and identity but in core features of sexual orientation such as fantasy and attractions.”
The mission of One By One is to educate and equip the church to minister to those in conflict with their sexuality. The organization uses John 8, when a woman was caught in the act of adultery and brought before Jesus Christ for judgment, as the model for responding to sexual sin.