Should I recommend professional counseling to gay members and/or their families?

Therapy Can Strengthen Healthy Patterns of Living

A change in attraction should not be expected or demanded as an outcome by parents, leaders, or professional counselors. However, seeking insight from a professional counselor is a sign of strength and humility. If a person chooses to seek such help, others should respect his or her right to determine the desired outcomes.

Sometimes it can be difficult to view oneself objectively. Seeking insight from a professional counselor can help many aspects of life—from addressing patterns of depression and anxiety to strengthening a marriage. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has noted, professional help can sometimes be just as important as spiritual help (see “Like A Broken Vessel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 40–42).

When one seeks therapy, the Church recommends approaches that respect “client self-determination.” In other words, the individual has the right to determine desired outcomes, and therapists and counselors should respect his or her wishes. For someone who experiences same-sex attraction or identifies as gay, counseling may help the person approach his or her sexuality in healthier, more fulfilling ways. However, counseling and therapy are not needed by everyone.

While shifts in sexuality can and do occur for some people, it is unethical to focus professional treatment on an assumption that a change in sexual orientation will or must occur. Again, the individual has the right to define the desired outcome.