The ACA has ruled that members must only promote gay affirmative therapy. If a person persists in wanting to overcome same-sex feelings, the therapist must discover the “religious influences that underpin homophobia that may be harming the client.”

“In short, the ACA is saying that anyone wishing to leave homosexuality should not be helped to do so by therapists,” said TVC Executive Director Andrea Lafferty. “This certainly violates a patient’s freedom of choice in therapy. Why should someone be condemned to remain in homosexuality when they seek help to leave? It’s doubtful that any ACA therapist would prohibit a heterosexual from going into a homosexual lifestyle. Apparently you can become a homosexual-behaving person, but you can’t leave the lifestyle once you’ve chosen it.”

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has written a letter of concern to the ACA over this policy. The ADF says the ACA “suggests that ‘conversion therapy’ has no legitimate place in counseling and that those who either engage in such counseling or refer clients for this kind of therapy may violate the ACA’s ethics rules.”

The ADF may file a lawsuit against the ACA for its new policy.
Christian counselors and members of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) will be impacted by this ACA policy.

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