'Ex-gay' therapist cited for ethics breeches

PlanetOut News
1/26/05

SUMMARY: Richard Cohen, an influential figure in the "ex-gay" movement, has been permanently expelled from the American Counseling Association (ACA) because of ethics violations.

Richard Cohen, an influential figure in the "ex-gay" movement, has been permanently expelled from the American Counseling Association (ACA) because of ethics violations, according to an ACA document.

Cohen, billed as an "expert in sexual reorientation therapy," is the board president of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) and author of "Coming Out Straight: Understanding and Healing Homosexuality." He claims that he was not gay; he had "same-sex attraction disorder" and has since been healed.

The ACA announcement was obtained by Wayne Besen, author of "Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth," and posted on his Web site on Tuesday.

The ACA said Cohen was expelled for violations of six ethical codes and that he "has not elected to appeal the decision taken by the ACA Ethics Committee." Details about the violations were not specified, but they corresponded to ACA codes of conduct toward clients, such as avoiding dual relationships or fostering dependent counseling ties.

The case was closed on May 28, 2002, according to Larry Freeman, the ACA's manager of ethics and professional standards.

"It is no surprise that Richard Cohen violated the ACA ethics, because reparative therapy itself lacks integrity and attempts to meet their agenda's need, not the needs of clients," said Joe Kort, psychotherapist and author of "10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Improve Their Lives."

"Of particular note is that Cohen's violations are self-serving, as he is accused of violating standard ethics of protecting his client from dual relationships, marketing purposes and testimonials," Kort added.

Considered a success story for the "ex-gay" movement, Cohen is an adviser to conservative radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger and he has advocated his therapeutic theories on "The O'Reilly Factor," "20/20" and other shows.

One man who considered himself "ex-gay" for 17 years said Cohen's book, "Coming Out Straight," ultimately discouraged him from keeping up the struggle to change his orientation. Rick from Fredonia, N.Y., (who asked that his last name be withheld), said Cohen relies on a common reparative therapy theory: A child who doesn't form a healthy bond with his or her same-sex parent develops an "unhealthy" sexuality.

"Cohen's approach is to utilize 'holding therapy' as a way of repairing the bond and help a person transition from homosexuality to their 'inherent' heterosexuality," Rick told the PlanetOut Network.

"I found this basic concept to be very damaging to me," he said. "I was always 'sick' or 'broken' or in some other way inadequate as a human being. Because therapy always focused on my father and his supposed absence and bad parenting, my relationship with him suffered."

Rick added, "I decided to stop being 'ex-gay' after a long process in which I determined being gay was not a sickness to be healed or a sin to be repented of."

The American Psychiatric Association has repudiated "reparative therapy" for homosexuality. "There is no evidence that any treatment can change a homosexual person's deep-seated sexual feelings for others of the same sex," the group claims on its Web site.