Should Conversion Therapy Be Protected Speech? What Chiles v. Salazar Means for Conversion Therapy Bans and the Future of the Profession
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of the Supreme Court ruling in Chiles v. Salazar on conversion therapy bans and the future of therapy for LGBTQ+ clients.
Should Conversion Therapy Be Protected Speech? What Chiles v. Salazar Means for Conversion Therapy Bans and the Future of the Profession In Chiles v. Salazar, the Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1 that a therapist's talk therapy is protected speech, putting state conversion therapy bans at risk. Curt Widhalm, LMFT, and Katie Vernoy, LMFT break down what the March 31, 2026 decision actually says, what it does not say, and what it means for therapists who work with LGBTQ+ clients. The Court did not call conversion therapy safe, effective, or ethical, and it did not make the practice mandatory. It treated talk therapy as speech rather than regulable conduct, and sent Colorado's ban back to the lower courts for stricter First Amendment review. Curt and Katie walk through the strict scrutiny test at the center of the case, the Kagan and Sotomayor concurrence, and Justice Jackson's dissent, then sit with the harder question: what happens to the profession when the state can no longer set a guardrail on harmful practice before harm has occurred. Released during Pride Month, this is a candid, values-forward conversation about protecting LGBTQ+ clients and practicing affirming…
More episodes of The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy
- When Clients Bring AI to Therapy: Working with ChatGPT, Sycophancy, and the New Third Wheel in the Room
- Why AI Mental Health Chatbots Fail When It Matters Most: The Hidden Vulnerabilities Stress-Testing Reveals – An Interview with Shirali and Arul Nigam of Circuit Breaker Labs
- AI Ethics Codes for Therapists: What CAMFT, APA, NASW, and AAMFT Now Require
- Supporting Conversion Therapy Survivors After Chiles v. Salazar: SOGIECE, Clinical Care, and Community Response – An Interview with Samuel Nieves
- Good Enough, Safe Enough: Affirming LGBTQ+ Clients When You're Not a Specialist
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy podcast page.