As reported by Dr. Warren Throckmorton, the self-proclaimed conversion therapist Richard Cohen has decided to stop counseling. According to Cohen’s website:
Richard Cohen has always practiced within the legal requirements of the state. Recently, he retired from counseling to focus on public speaking and training other professionals. His passion is to spread the word that no one is born with same-sex attraction (SSA), no one chooses to have SSA, and that people can choose to change and come out straight. He devotes much of his time to training therapists, coaches, clergy and ministry leaders about the process of sexual reorientation.
Cohen is not a licensed therapist. We were told by the licensing agencies in Maryland that the term “psychotherapist” was essentially meaningless. According to them, one can hang a sign out in that state claiming to do psychotherapy and be completely within the law as long as one does not diagnose and treat from the DSM. As noted above, however, Cohen is spreading his odd techniques via others by training them, presumably for a fee.
Cohen lost much of his remaining support after appearing on an episode of The Daily Show on Comedy Central. Before that he had been associated with PFOX and NARTH. Both organizations dropped any mention of him, without explanation or fanfare, a few weeks after the show aired.
There is a new video on Youtube promoting Cohen’s work. Stay tuned to find out if a line of bioenergetics tennis racquets are on the horizon.
Update: It appears that PFOX is backsliding a bit, again displaying a couple of references to Cohen, including this rather bizarre article of his which attempts to describe all the reasons that Rosie O’Donnell is gay.
[lifting eyes heaven-ward] There is a God, and there does exist justice in this world. The little guy can make a difference, and sometimes the Daily Show really can make a good, noticeable impact! It almost reads like a David/Goliath story. I’m very happy about this. It made my night. Thank you for reporting it, David. 😀
I was brought here due to the Glatze story. You guys are doing a hell of a job. If you need any help feel free to ask me!
Kevin
Thanks Kevin! We may just do that 😉
@Emily K
Your welcome!
Ex – gay – yeh, kid me not. He is just another one of the deniers, terrified because of the right wing churches modern version of Jim Crow, call “the closet”
Remember that MInister Ted Haggart – hated gays, finally got outed by his gay prostitute boy friend. Now he claims he is cured by Jesus or something. If he is it sounds like the same kind of religious terrorism mechanism is operating in him, as operates in suicided bombers etc – you can get someone to believe anything, no matter how ridiculous it is, because of “faith”. We really should be sympathetic to this poor soul, who every day with all his being is denying something he knows deep down he really is. Think of it – internal terrorism. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the poor guy commit suicide due to the very basic conflict between his emotional makeup, and the religious terrorism that has been drummed into his mental makeup.
And lets not forget the group of people from Exodus, who finally left, and admitted it was hogwash, or the guy who was that bigot, former segregationist who had to find a new group to hate when that went out of fashion due to the civil rights movement. Or the guy I met the other day, looking at his Bush-Bush-Bush and Jesus bumper stickers. He was with his wife. He is the same guy who comes into the store where I work part time, and is secretly photographing the highschool and college age kids who work there. Turns out one of the managers went to the same church he goes to, and they say he is a sex offender. All in the name of God, of course.
SteveMD2, I hope someone is taking action against this sex offender. Those high school and college age kids deserve to know they are being photographed without their consent.
Jesus cured my stomach ache, but he told me my gay had to stay. I was a little disappointed seeing as how I was looking forward to wanting vagina.
does anyone no where i can find a vid of him on the daily show?
So… it’s those who can, do; those who can’t, teach those who….. won’t be able to do worth a dang either?
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I don’t know about Cohen on the Daily Show, but here he is on CNN and Jimmy Kimmel Live.
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CNN – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQH6mrOvSGI
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JKL – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOTYFXZb_rE
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Oh wait, this could be this is Cohen on the Daily Show, gotta wait for it in the vid….
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLtF7baeouw
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I firmly agree with you that parents, sex abuse, and modern gender roles do not make someone gay. Only Satan can make someone gay.
Blessings,
Roberta
Whew! Good thing we Jews don’t believe in a rival god like the Devil or “Satan.” Guess HaShem made me gay after all.
thanks for the link it was hilarious
Why do people think that closing with the term ‘blessings’ covers the fact that they just cursed a whole group of people?
Shugs… where did all that come from…. she is looking to spread Jesis’s love to everyone, then condemns everyone to hell? Luckily, I do not use tampons….
Who is Jesis?
Some new Christian cult, I think, that have some serious problems with Ann Coulter’s dressing? Interesting blog title… even though I do not think she is willing to share any warm “Jesis” love if she ever meets me….
Before we get too upset, I’m pretty sure that’s a satirical website 😉
I’m pretty sure that’s a satirical website
I agree, but you can never be sure.
Well, we have been fooled before, lol.
Seems to me that Mr. Cohen is just following a trend in the ex-gay movement; that trend being a change of targeted audience. It’s so much easier for Mr. Cohen to interact with heterosexuals sympathetic to his point of view rather than dealing with homosexual clients who may bring up the uncomfortable notion that change is actually not possible. Even Exodus seems to be far more into, as I’ve often put it, ‘schmoozing with the religious right’ than interacting with people directly impacted by their ideology be they ex-gay or ex-gay survivor. Mr. Airhart’s conclusion that people are being treated as pawns in the culture war may apply equally here as well.
On a different note, Roberta’s website does have a Landover Baptist/Betty Bowers feel to it. 😀
Berach Hashem!
Cohen sure stepped in it….now, I guess money back guarantees are out of the question…
I concur, Regan – Baruch HaShem indeed.
Scary thing is, as a “Cohen,” Richard has biblical lineage to the Jewish priesthood.
Cohen mentioned of the hundreds of people he treated… and with 85% success rate. Looking back on the video with Jimmy Kimmel, I noticed even the ex-gay “Rob” is a mysterious identity….
So where are the hundreds now? There are only 8 stories on his website; none that is authoritive, carrying no weight, and neither with prominence nor existence of a real person with a serious testimony.
But the amount of real former ex-gays here on XGW shows that maybe it is hightime he retires. He is already the best testimony of the failures of reparative therapy, the ridiculous way out for people who are insecure with their sexuality, and the harm caused to untrained minds.
Anyway, I needed the re-runs of the Cohen circus because I am in a foul mood today. Thanks Lynn David! You made my night here!
Perhaps it is fitting that Roberta Shugs commented here. Shugs and Cohen should get married!
Hmm…”Jesis”…no “U,” only “I” perhaps?
Not really, as regards Cohen they just forgot the space between words. It’s “psycho therapist.”
I just don’t buy that this relatively recent repudiation/shunning of Cohen is due to his TV activities alone. I think that there is more to this story.