Reparative Therapy : The Adolescent, the Psych Nurse, and the Issues

TOPIC: Reparative therapy aims to modify the
sexual orientation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual
(LGB) people into that of heterosexuals.
Although denounced as harmful by most
professional organizations, these treatments
continue—youth may be particularly vulnerable
to the negative consequences.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to discuss
reparative therapies, the potential harm LGB
youth may experience, clinical and practice
issues for psychiatric nurses, and the ethical
issues surrounding nurse involvement in
reparative therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: Reparative therapy for
adolescents raises important clinical and ethical
issues for psychiatric nursing. Further
discussion of nurse involvement in these
treatments is needed.
Search terms: Adolescence, conversion therapy,
gay, homosexual, LGBT, reparative therapy