Virginia Regulatory Town Hall View Comments

Department of Health Professions

Multiple Boards

Guidance Document Change: Consistent with the established position of the NASW, the Board considers “conversion therapy” or “sexual orientation change efforts” to be services that have the potential to be a danger to clients, especially minors. Thus, under regulations governing practitioners licensed or registered by the Board, practicing conversion therapy/sexual orientation change efforts with minors could result in a finding of misconduct and disciplinary action against the licensee or registrant.

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5/14/19 9:36 pm

Commenter: Carrie Walker, LPC- Richmond Creative Counseling LLC

Ban Conversion Therapy

Conversion therapy is harmful and deadly. The Board of Social Work needs to join the other "mental health" boards in banning this terrible practice that has been proven to not only be ineffective, but to also cause irreparable harm to some of our most vulnerable community members. Our entire practice of 36 Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, and Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners at Richmond Creative Counseling stand united against conversion therapy and we are hopeful that the Board of Social Work will support what every reputable regulatory and governing agency in the medical and mental health worlds have stated: conversion therapy has NO place among the helping professionals of this world.

CommentID: 72467