U.S. Joint Statement by Professional Organizations Warning against so-called Conversion Therapy

The United States Joint Statement (USJS) is a pioneering educational partnership denouncing “conversion therapy” and espousing affirmative treatment. The USJS partners will be the major medical and mental health provider associations of the US. The USJS unifies those associations for the first time in educating against conversion efforts and it sets training outcomes for unbiased treatment for sexual and gender minority patients who might otherwise be subjected to conversion efforts. People who undergo conversion efforts have been known to suffer from a higher incidence of depression, suicidality, anxiety, alienation and other problems. The USJS uses education and awareness to end “conversion therapy.”

The USJS is modeled after a similar 2015 partnership in the United Kingdom. It inspired two members of Gaylesta, psychologist Guy Albert and psychotherapist Jim Walker, to launch a similar initiative in the United States. With the help of a few volunteer advisors, they started the largest national educational partnership against “conversion therapy.”

Since 2015, the USJS has been drawing the major national healthcare provider associations into the first educational partnership against “conversion therapy.” The American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association and 15 other leading health provider associations have already joined this partnership. A half dozen more major national associations are in communication about signing on.  You can find the current list of USJS partners on the website: https://usjs.org/usjs-partners/

When completed the USJS will support national ethical licensing and treatment standards and advance education that will protect sexual and gender minorities. The USJS will be the most comprehensive bulwark protecting patients against “conversion therapy.” 

The USJS is possible because of the support of many champions within the partnering associations and from the generous funding of the members of Gaylesta: The Psychotherapist Association for Gender & Sexual Diversity.

To find out more about the USJS and read the current version of the initiative, please visit the USJS website at https://usjs.org.