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Mental Health Experts Urge Senate To Ban Conversion Therapy

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New York's mental health leaders are uniting to condemn psychological treatments designed to alter the sexual orientation of a minor.

The New York State Psychiatric Association, the New York State Psychological Association and National Association of Social Workers' New York chapters on Tuesday urged lawmakers to outlaw conversion therapy, in which a counselor or psychologist attempts to change a minor's sexuality.

Under pending legislation, any licensed mental health practitioner who performs conversion therapy could be cited for unprofessional conduct.

Similar bills have passed the Assembly for several years but have been blocked by the Republican-led Senate.

Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo last year barred insurance coverage for the therapy for minors and prohibited state mental health facilities from offering it. Six states and Washington D.C. have similar laws.

© 2017 AP

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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