Nursing Implications in the Application of Conversion Therapies on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Clients

Conversion therapies, also know as reparative therapies,
emphasize homosexual orientations as psychopathology in
gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) clients and
claim these individuals can reverse their sexual orientation
through psychiatric counseling and treatment. Although
professional medical and nursing organizations have
branded psychiatric interventions designed to change an
individual’s sexual orientation as unethical, an international
movement fueled largely by religious organizations
promote such therapies for GLBT persons. This
article explores the historical perceptions of homosexuality
as psychiatric pathology, efficacy of conversion-based
therapies in the changing of clients’ homosexual
orientations to heterosexual, positions of professional
medical and nursing organizations regarding the use of
conversion therapies, and ethical considerations these types
of therapies pose for psychiatric and mental health nurses.