What Is Conversion Therapy and Why Is It Harmful?

If someone you care about went through conversion therapy, or you're trying to figure out whether a therapist's approach is genuinely affirming, the term comes up often without much explanation behind what these practices involve. Here's what conversion therapy is, what the research shows about its effects, and where things stand legally as of early 2026.

What Conversion Therapy Is

Conversion therapy is a broad term for any practice attempting to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. The goal is to make someone less gay, less bi, or less trans. Practitioners who use these approaches believe LGBTQ+ identities are disorders needing to be treated or corrected.

The practices themselves vary widely. Some involve talk-based approaches, where a therapist steers clients toward heterosexuality or toward identifying with their sex assigned at birth. Others have historically included more severe methods: aversion conditioning, electric shock, forced medication, or physical restraint. Even the talk-based forms are considered harmful by every major medical and mental health organization in the United States.

Who Gets Targeted

Conversion therapy is aimed most often at minors. Young people, sometimes as young as elementary school age, are brought to conversion practitioners by parents who believe something is wrong with their child. The young person typically has no say in whether they participate.

Adults also seek conversion therapy out, sometimes voluntarily, often under significant family, religious, or community pressure. Calling something "voluntary" when the alternative is losing your family or community is complicated.

What the Research Shows

Every major medical and mental health association in the United States has condemned conversion therapy. The list includes the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

The research is consistent: conversion therapy does not work. Sexual orientation and gender identity are not disorders, and attempting to change them does not succeed. What conversion therapy does produce is significant psychological harm.

Research from The Trevor Project shows LGBTQ+ youth who went through conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to report attempting suicide compared to peers who did not. Additional documented outcomes include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and lasting damage to self-worth. These results appear across both talk-based and physical forms of the practice.

Where Things Stand Legally in 2026

The legal picture shifted on March 31, 2026. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in Chiles v. Salazar, finding Colorado's ban on licensed mental health professionals practicing conversion therapy on minors raises First Amendment concerns by regulating speech based on viewpoint. The decision sent the case back to lower courts for review under a stricter legal standard, and legal experts widely expect the ruling to render similar laws in roughly two dozen other states significantly harder to enforce.

Prior to this ruling, 23 states and Washington D.C. had banned licensed healthcare providers from practicing conversion therapy on minors. Those protections are now considerably less certain.

This ruling does not make conversion therapy safe. The ruling makes these practices harder for states to prohibit. The harm conversion therapy causes has not changed. For more on how political shifts are affecting LGBTQ+ mental health, the post on navigating LGBTQ mental health in a politically hostile climate covers the broader context.

What Affirming Therapy Looks Like Instead

LGBTQ-affirming therapy is the evidence-based alternative. An affirming therapist does not try to change who you are. The goal is to support your wellbeing, help you process whatever you are going through, and create space for you to understand yourself on your own terms.

Affirming therapy addresses whatever is present: anxiety or depression tied to coming out or family rejection, working through the tension between religious and LGBTQ+ identities, processing harm from past conversion therapy experiences, identity development at any stage of life, or relationship and family challenges. The identity is context, not the problem to be solved.

The difference between affirming and conversion-based approaches is not subtle. In affirming care, your suffering is treated with evidence-based approaches that respect who you are. Online anxiety therapy and LGBTQ-affirming care are not separate tracks. For many people, they address the same thing.

What to Look for in an Affirming Therapist

Finding a genuinely affirming provider takes more than scanning a therapist's website for the word "welcoming." A few things worth looking for: Do they use your language, including your pronouns and how you describe your own identity? Do they have specific experience or training working with LGBTQ+ clients, not simply a note on their site saying they are open to all? Do they treat your identity as context rather than something to address or change? And are they familiar with the specific terrain LGBTQ+ people face around family, religion, and community?

A therapist who seems generally kind is not the same as a therapist with actual LGBTQ-affirming training. The post on how affirming therapy supports LGBTQ+ self-acceptance goes deeper on what to expect from that kind of work.

If You Have Been Through Conversion Therapy

If you went through conversion therapy yourself, many people carry shame, confusion, or complex feelings about their identity directly shaped by those experiences. That is a common and documented response to what conversion therapy does.

Healing is possible. Affirming therapy includes working through what happened, rebuilding trust in your own instincts, and reconnecting with yourself without all the noise conversion therapy introduces.

You do not need to be fixed. You never did.

Taylor Garff provides online LGBTQ-affirming therapy and anxiety therapy in Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, South Carolina, and Florida. If you are looking for a therapist who meets you where you are, visit my LGBTQ+ Therapy page to learn more about working together.

FAQ

What is conversion therapy?

Conversion therapy refers to any practice aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Approaches range from talk-based therapy to physical interventions. None of these practices are supported by evidence, and all have been condemned by major medical associations.

Is conversion therapy legal in the United States?

The legal situation changed significantly in March 2026. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in Chiles v. Salazar that state laws banning licensed therapists from practicing conversion therapy on minors raise First Amendment concerns by regulating speech based on viewpoint. The decision makes bans in roughly two dozen states much harder to enforce. Legality varies by state and continues to shift.

Does conversion therapy work?

No. There is no credible evidence that conversion therapy changes sexual orientation or gender identity. The American Psychological Association and other major bodies have reviewed the research extensively and found conversion therapy ineffective. The consistent finding is psychological harm, not change.

Why is conversion therapy harmful?

Research from The Trevor Project and others shows LGBTQ+ youth who undergo conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to report attempting suicide compared to peers who did not. Other documented effects include depression, anxiety, PTSD, and lasting damage to self-esteem and identity. These outcomes appear with both talk-based and physical forms of the practice.

What is LGBTQ-affirming therapy?

LGBTQ-affirming therapy is evidence-based care treating sexual orientation and gender identity as normal variations of human experience rather than problems to be corrected. An affirming therapist focuses on the client's actual wellbeing, including anxiety, depression, relationship issues, or identity development, without treating identity as the presenting problem.

How do I find an LGBTQ-affirming therapist?

Look for therapists who specifically mention LGBTQ-affirming training or experience, not only general openness. Ask about their approach, whether they use your language and pronouns, and whether they have worked with people facing similar concerns. Telehealth options have expanded access significantly, particularly for people in areas with fewer affirming providers locally.

What should I do if I was harmed by conversion therapy?

Reaching out to an LGBTQ-affirming therapist is a good starting point. Processing what happened, rebuilding trust in yourself, and addressing anxiety or depression are all areas where affirming therapy helps. The harm from conversion therapy is real and documented, and support is available.

About the Author

Taylor Garff, M.Coun., LCPC, CMHC, LPC, CCATP is a licensed therapist with over 10 years of experience helping adults manage anxiety, overwhelm, and identity challenges. He is licensed in Idaho (LCPC #7150), Utah (CMHC #6004), Colorado (LPC #0018672), Connecticut (LPC #8118), and Florida (TPMC #1034). He is certified in HeartMath, Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), and breathwork facilitation. Taylor is the founder of Inner Heart Therapy, where he provides online therapy across multiple states.