Mental Health Practitioners’ Knowledge of LGBTQA+ Conversion Practices and Their Perceptions of Impacts on Survivors

Abstract:

The aims of this study were to identify Australian mental health practitioners’ knowledge of what LGBTQA+ conversion practices are and their perceptions of impacts on survivors. We interviewed 18 mental health workers from a range of clinical modalities who were practicing in Australia. We used reflexive thematic analytic techniques to identify themes that characterized Australian mental health practitioners’ knowledge of LGBTQA+ conversion practices and perceptions of the impacts of such practices on survivors. Practitioners’ understandings of what constitutes LGBTQA+ conversion practices were varied and derived from a range of sources, and practitioners’ perceptions of the impacts that conversion practices had on survivors ranged from undeveloped to nuanced. Generalist and specialist practitioners provided vastly different responses. We identified the following four themes: (1) inexperienced practitioners’ understandings were limited and reliant on stereotypes about conversion practices; (2) specialist practitioners’ understandings were refined and match experiences reported by survivors; (3) generalist practitioners emphasized specific and undeveloped negative impacts; (4) specialist practitioners were aware of deeper harms and the need for sustained support. These themes may be translated into strategies to facilitate improved services offered by practitioners, which may assist survivors in managing and coping with the trauma associated with exposure to these practices.