One of the state’s largest LGBT groups is compiling a directory of counselors who say they won’t discriminate against potential patients. This follows Governor Bill Haslam’s decision to sign a law letting therapists reject clients for moral reasons.
The Tennessee Equality Project advocated against the bill in the General Assembly, but CEO Chris Sanders says he was prepared for any outcome, and “Counseling Unconditionally” was already in the works. That’s
an
online directory of counselors and therapists who claim they will not use religion to rationalize refusing clients.
Sanders says, “It allows us to identify practitioners who are inclusive; practitioners who will not simply turn someone away because of a worldview difference, or a philosophical or values difference.”
Sanders believes his geographically-specific directory will be a valuable resource for LGBT individuals, and says it will allow professionals across the state to organize. Martha Stanojevich, one of the first to sign up,
says therapy is all about personal relationships, so patients sometimes do need secondary referrals.
“But,” she says, “just on the basis of saying, ‘Well, that person’s gay. And that violates my religious beliefs, so I’m not going to see them.’ You know, that’s not appropriate.”
“When you become a licensed marital and family therapist especially, our professional organization—the AMFT—states very clearly in our code of ethics that we are not to discriminate, and I don’t think they’re playing games with that. I think that’s across the board,” says McKinney.
And like many therapists, she says she doesn’t want to be mistakenly associated with Tennessee’s new law.
Another therapist on the list, who declined to be named, says she’s leaving a church-based counseling group and returning to independent work. Many faith-based counselors did lobby against the legislation. Still, she says she doesn’t want anyone to think she might use the law to justify discrimination.
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