Does this ban actually stop conversion therapy happening?

It is a significant step, but not by itself. The formal practices everyone recognises are now clearly prohibited, which matters. The challenge is that many harmful approaches continue under clinical or supportive language, framed as exploration or care rather than conversion. These are harder to name and harder to regulate. Have you come across therapy that felt like it was steering you, even if it was not called conversion therapy?

What kinds of therapy are still allowed but might be harmful?

Some practitioners frame their work as helping clients explore uncertainty or underlying trauma, when the real aim is to discourage a trans or queer identity. It can look like standard therapy on the surface. The difference is in the intent and the pattern, not always the words used. If you have been in therapy that felt like this, what made you notice something was off?

Conversion practices are banned. Are we safe yet?

Substack 9 February 2026

Council of Europe bans conversion practices. What comes next?

The Council of Europe's vote to ban conversion practices is genuinely welcome, and it sends a clear message that attempting to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity is harmful and has no place in healthcare. The real work begins now, because many practices that amount to conversion therapy continue under different names, often invisible to regulators and the public alike.

The Council of Europe's vote to ban conversion practices marks genuine progress. It sends a clear message that attempting to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity through psychological intervention is harmful and has no place in healthcare or elsewhere.

Yet the real work begins now. Many practices that amount to conversion therapy continue under different names and within different settings, often invisible to regulators and the public. Some are framed as exploration or support, others as standard clinical care. They share a common thread: the underlying aim to steer people away from their authentic identity.

Read the full article to explore which practices we need to scrutinise, and what a truly protective regulatory framework might look like.

In response to: Exploration or Conversion Therapy? Why the Ban Must Go Deeper (Substack)