Please ban therapy that makes any effort to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity or that views these as a sign of mental illness. As a mental health provider, I can confidently say that any such therapy is damaging to a client's sense of self, self-esteem, and overall person and can cause long lasting harm. For this reason multiple organizations, including the American Psychological Association, have issued statements against these therapies. Please ban conversion therapies in Virginia!
Sincerely,
Katie Richard, LPC