I need to help a friend forced into reparative therapy?!
Question: I need to help a friend forced into reparative therapy!?
I have a young friend who is only 14 years of age and his parents are forcing him to go to a reparative therapist!. I help him all that I can but I don't know what all I can do and if I can keep up with the damage the therapist does especially seeing as I do not have formal training in psychology!. I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips to help my friend!. Any legal courses I could take!? Any moral support I could give to him!? His psychologist doesn't seem to be extremely difficult to counteract but I know that when a human is told something enough times they believe it and when a human is told two contrasting things enough times they will become confused and he may become just as bad off with my help due to his confusion as if I allowed the therapist to completely brainwash the poor kid!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Your question is a good one, and got me to look up what reparative therapy is!. Wikapedia says "Conversion therapy has been defined by the American Psychological Association as therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation, and by the American Psychiatric Association as "psychiatric treatment!.!.!.which is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon the a priori assumption that a patient should change his/her sexual homosexual orientation!." Techniques that have been tried include behavior modification, aversion therapy, psychoanalysis, primal therapy, EMDR, and reparative therapy!.
I understand why you are concerned for your friend!. I don't think that type of treatment is respectful of the biological basis for homosexuality or the individual's right to choose!. I think it comes from his parents concern about the lifestyle or their beliefs which some of us won't agree with!. I noted that you wrote that his psychologist doesn't seem to hard to counteract, and I imagine that is true!. I also noted that your friend is only 14, and honestly may still be in a searching mode!. Some people understand their sexual orientation by then, but I think many have not!.
My simple answer to you is to just be available to your friend to listen to him as he struggles to figure out right and wrong and up and down for himself!. Don't impose your morality, but let him know you are there to hear about his struggle to find truth for himself!. Good luck, and thanks for sharing your question!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I understand why you are concerned for your friend!. I don't think that type of treatment is respectful of the biological basis for homosexuality or the individual's right to choose!. I think it comes from his parents concern about the lifestyle or their beliefs which some of us won't agree with!. I noted that you wrote that his psychologist doesn't seem to hard to counteract, and I imagine that is true!. I also noted that your friend is only 14, and honestly may still be in a searching mode!. Some people understand their sexual orientation by then, but I think many have not!.
My simple answer to you is to just be available to your friend to listen to him as he struggles to figure out right and wrong and up and down for himself!. Don't impose your morality, but let him know you are there to hear about his struggle to find truth for himself!. Good luck, and thanks for sharing your question!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Maybe he needs it!.!.!.Www@Answer-Health@Com