The College joined the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) and the Psychological Society of Ireland to launch a Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy today, 12 July, at Trinity College Dublin. Read the full MoU document here.
Conversion therapy is the term for therapy that assumes certain sexual orientations or gender identities are inferior to others and seeks to change or suppress them on that basis. This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Conversion Therapy on the Island of Ireland makes it clear that conversion therapy in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation (including asexuality) is unethical, potentially harmful and is not supported by evidence.
It is very important to emphasise that this MoU does not seek to deny, discourage or exclude those with uncertain feelings around sexuality or gender identity from seeking qualified and appropriate help. The MoU explicitly supports healthcare providers to provide appropriately informed and ethical practice when working with clients who wish to explore, experience conflict with, or are in distress regarding their sexual orientation or gender identity.
This MoU is our public commitment to renounce such practices and to advocate for the LGBTI+ community. We are deeply indebted to our colleagues in the United Kingdom, who have produced an initial MoU in 2015 and an updated version in 2022. Given our geographic and professional closeness, we have modelled the All Ireland MoU on the UK MoU and are very grateful for their work in this area.
It is our hope that the All Ireland MoU will:
● Inform the public about the risks of conversion therapy.
● Ensure healthcare professionals and psychological therapists are aware of the ethical issues
relating to conversion therapy.
● Ensure new and existing psychological therapists are appropriately trained.
● Ensure that evidence into conversion therapy is kept under regular review.
● Ensure professionals from across the health, care and psychological professions work together
to achieve the above goals.
