Therapeutic Choice

There is no doubt that no one chooses to experience same-sex lust, however, do we have a choice in how we live our lives and what identities we take? The Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy in the UK, written by LGBT charity Stonewall states:

For people who are unhappy about their sexual orientation or their gender identity, there may be grounds for exploring therapeutic options to help them live more comfortably with it, reduce their distress and reach a greater degree of self-acceptance. Some people may benefit from the support of psychotherapy and counselling to help them manage unhappiness and to clarify their sense of themselves. Clients make healthy choices when they understand themselves better. Ethical practice in these cases requires the practitioner to have adequate knowledge and understanding of gender and sexual diversity and to be free from any agenda that favours one gender identity or sexual orientation as preferable over other gender and sexual diversities. For this reason, it is essential for clinicians to acknowledge the broad spectrum of sexual orientations and gender identities and gender expressions

Therefore, it is clear from this statement that it is the client, not the therapist that determines what identity or sexual orientation the client chooses to adopt. However, the paradox in the statement above is that if a client wishes to explore the root causes of their same-sex lust or doesn’t identify with a label of a sexual orientation (whether it be heterosexual or homosexual) they are forced into an affirmation-only approach because it is thought sexual attractions cannot change and are fixed. When sexual fluidity or bisexuality is considered, a move from “straight” to “gay” is celebrated whereas a move from “gay” to “straight” is denounced.

There are threes lies that are often reinforced:

1. You are genetically born gay or straight
2. Sexual attractions cannot change
3. Individuals who willingly, by their own choice choose to engage in therapy addressing same sex lust will be severely harmed psychologically

Our next guest knows this all too well and is at the forefront of defending therapeutic choices for clients in the UK. In this webinar, we discuss the present barriers that individuals in the UK face when accessing professional support and what we can do as a collective faith community to defend the human right to access support and counselling without prejudice.

Date: Saturday, 18th September 2021

Time: 5pm BST

Mike struggled with his sense of masculinity, he had shame and fear of being drawn to the same sex. Mike then reached out to professional counsellors. He spent three years working through issues of emotional dependency and the damage that followed unhealthy friendships and misguided attempts to reconcile his sexual confusion. Following a psychodrama session, Mike began to understand that he had been a “replacement child,” recognising that his father—following the death of first-born son (who was also named Michael)—was not emotionally present in Mike’s upbringing. Freedom for Mike meant about honestly recognising how his sexuality was shaped by patterning and choices, some of which are beyond our control. Mike has thus dedicated himself to fight for the rights and freedoms of individuals wanting to leave unwanted sexual attractions, behaviours and feelings to get access to pastoral and professional help to find their own pathways.

Mike Davidson is CEO of Core Issues Trust (CIT), a Christian charity that protects the rights to receive and provide professional care for unwanted same-sex attractions and gender confusions. He is also the Chairman of the International Federation for Therapeutic and Counselling Choice (IFTCC). , a Judeo-Christian organisation, multi-disciplinary in nature that exists to support dedicated providers of services to individuals seeking a change of their unwanted relational and sexual behaviours, attractions and patterns.

Mike worked as an academic, staff and student developer at the universities of Rhodes, Nottingham, Surrey and Ulster. He founded Core Issues Trust in 2007. He produced and directed the feature documentary film, Voices of the Silenced (2018). He actively participates in UK media debate around sexual politics. He is a board member of the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity incorporating the NARTH Institute (Alliance). He was refused certification by the UKCP and BPA and continues to advocate for the rights and freedoms of those leaving homosexuality.