H&L provides safe, ethical, affirming, and supportive services to all LGBTQ+ clients.
Conversion therapy for minors is banned in both the cities of Allentown and Bethlehem.
Conversion therapy is a harmful and unethical practice that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to reduce or eliminate sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender.
The City of Allentown passed Article 15382 in 2017 and the City of Bethlehem passed Article 1122 in 2018. These Appropriate Mental Health Services ordinances are to protect the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth caused by conversion therapy. Both Articles prohibit mental health providers from engaging in conversion therapy with a minor.
Any complaints regarding the use of conversion therapy with minors should be forwarded to the city health director.
Bethlehem Health Director 610-865-7083
Allentown Health Director 610-437-7708
Conversion therapy for minors is opposed by five Pennsylvania professional state boards.
Five state boards adopted new Statements of Policy in 2024 that oppose the use of conversion therapy on minors in Pennsylvania. These include Nursing, Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Psychology, and Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors. The policies notify licensees that all five Boards consider the use of conversion therapy to be unprofessional, harmful conduct that may subject any licensee engaging in it to administrative discipline. Sometimes referred to as reparative therapy, sexuality counseling, or sexual orientation/gender identity change efforts, conversion therapy refers to any practice that seeks or purports to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Any complaints regarding a licensed professional engaging in unprofessional or harmful conduct like conversion therapy can be filed via the Department of State website.
