Beware of any therapy advertised as "Gender Exploratory Therapy." Gender Exploratory Therapy may attempt to present itself as a harmless exploration of one's gender identity, but in reality, it is nothing more than a repackaging of conversion therapy. Conversion therapy refers to any emotional or physical treatment that aims to "cure" or "repair" a person's same-sex attraction, gender identity, or expression. The harmful nature of conversion therapies has been widely recognized and condemned by reputable mental health organizations across the board.
By disguising itself as Gender Exploratory Therapy, this abusive practice seeks to deceive those who may be seeking support and understanding in their gender journey. Their goal is to withhold any gender-affirming treatment and instead find an explanation that is convincing enough to persuade a trans person to delay their transition. They especially pray on youth and their families.
"Much like how a crisis pregnancy center steers pregnant people away from abortion, GETA’s (Gender Exploratory Therapy Association) strategy is to sound cautious and helpful while promoting a very specific view of how people should live their lives, which is as the gender they were assigned at birth." –Slate article, 2023
Spread the word. Gender “Exploratory” Therapy sounds innocent enough, but is far from it. Dr. Jack Turban, a resident physician in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, lead-authored the “first study to show that gender identity conversion efforts are associated with adverse mental health outcomes, including suicide attempts” published in 2019. Study co-author Dr. Alex Keuroghlian, director of the National LGBT Health Education Center at The Fenway Institute and the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Gender Identity Program added, “What this new study shows is that transgender people who are exposed to conversion efforts anytime in their lives have more than double the odds of attempting suicide compared with those who have never experienced efforts by professionals to convert their gender identity.” See the whole article on NBC.
It is my hope that people who need the care of a real gender-affirming therapist will not fall into the trap of conversion therapy, branded by another name.