Advocacy Group Sectors Efforts to Reshape Mental Health Standards and Legitimize Conversion Therapy

After the U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected a Colorado law prohibiting conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors, a new advocacy group known as the CHANGED Movement is intensifying its campaign to legitimize these practices within mainstream mental health frameworks. The group argues that LGBTQ+ identities are symptoms of unhealed trauma rather than inherent orientations, seeking to remove such practices from lists of harmful therapies and potentially make them billable through insurance.

Last month, co-founder Elizabeth Woning addressed a federal advisory committee overseeing the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Commission on Accreditation. Woning contended that current counseling standards fail to respect clients who wish to reject LGBTQ+ identities. Although the APA committee was seeking expanded federal recognition and authority over master’s programs—and was not accrediting CHANGED itself—Woning urged members to withhold approval. The committee subsequently recommended suspending the commission’s federal accreditation for one year, citing various complaints including allegations of antisemitism in APA-accredited programs. The Department of Education has not yet rendered a final decision on this suspension.

CHANGED has also participated in legal challenges, filing amicus briefs in the case of Chiles v. Salazar, which questioned the constitutionality of Colorado’s ban. In March, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Christian counselor, stating the ban likely infringed upon free speech rights. Woning cited this legal victory as evidence that the APA is suppressing freedom of expression.

This strategy contrasts with global trends, as nations including Canada, Germany, France, Mexico, New Zealand, and Brazil have enacted bans or restrictions on conversion practices, some with criminal penalties. The United Kingdom is also moving toward a nationwide ban, a development Woning criticized in July. Despite these bans, enforcement in the U.S. remains limited; state laws typically regulate only licensed therapists working with minors. Unlicensed groups operating in religious settings remain largely unaffected by these statutes.

The impact on youth appears to be worsening. Data from the Trevor Project indicates that the percentage of LGBTQ+ young people reporting threats of conversion therapy doubled from 11% to 22% within a single year. Critics argue that the ideology promoted by groups like CHANGED contributes to this harm. Major medical and mental health associations, including the APA, maintain that conversion therapy is ineffective and dangerous. Research published in the American Journal of Public Health found that LGBTQ+ youths subjected to such therapy were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to those who were not.

Observers note that neither founder of CHANGED holds credentials as a psychologist, licensed therapist, or physician. Woning has a degree in ministry, while co-founder Ken Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and finance. Despite this, the pair has gained access to influential political and social circles. In April, they were invited to Washington, D.C., for “America Reads the Bible,” a celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday featuring prominent figures such as Senator Ted Cruz and evangelical leader Franklin Graham.

Woning’s website outlines a broader objective to collaborate with think tanks and activists to promote socially conservative language that protects First Amendment rights, aiming to ensure Judeo-Christian heritage remains predominant. This mirrors the trajectory of Exodus International, the largest conversion therapy organization of its time, which disbanded in 2013 after its former president admitted that the vast majority of participants did not experience a change in sexual orientation. Advocates warn that while the rhetoric has shifted, the underlying goal remains the same: to normalize practices that mental health professionals consider harmful.