Therapists still offer treatment for homosexuality

Report: 'The response of mental health professionals to clients seeking help to change or redirect same-sex sexual orientation'. Researchers from UCL and St George's, University of London have published a report which indicates that a significant minority of psychiatrists and therapists still attempt to help lesbian, gay and bisexual clients become heterosexual, despite a lack of evidence that such treatment is effective or even safe. The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust and published today in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry , coincides with the researchers? launch of the web site www.treatmentshomosexuality.org.uk. The aim of the web site is to raise awareness of this issue. It provides oral histories from lesbian, gay and bisexual people who have undergone treatment, and from professionals who developed and conducted such treatments. The researchers questioned more than 1,400 mental health professionals on whether they would attempt to change a client's sexual orientation, if requested to do so. Although only one in twenty-five (4%) said that they would do so, one in six (17%) reported having assisted at least one client to reduce their gay or lesbian feelings, usually through therapy.