Morgan Fox at Queer Action Network has given us an update on the State of Tennessee’s inspection of Love In Action/Refuge. Coverage prior to this date has been somewhat confusing and there seemed to be no clear answer as to whether Tennessee found LIA/R to be outside compliance with state law.
News reports seemed to agree that the drug counseling aspect of LIA/R would be discontinued but it was uncertain whether LIA/R could restrict itself to its ex-gay conversion efforts.
However, it now appears possible that the issue related to “mental health supportive living facilities” which, at least to me, sounds as though it could include ex-gay counseling.
From the Governor’s office:
DMHDD staff met with Mr. John Smid, Executive Director of Love In Action, on August 19, 2005. Based on the meeting, it was determined that Love In Action is operating two unlicensed mental health supportive living facilities in Memphis.
The end result may be a cease and desist order for LIA/R:
If Mr. Smid does not respond by September 15th, licensure staff will revisit Love In Action, to determine if the agency is still operating the two homes. If the homes are still operating, licensure will recommend to the Department’s Commissioner that a cease and desist order be issued to Love In Action, in accordance with DMHDD Licensure Law.
We’ll be watching to see if Mr. Smid will be forced to cease his psychobabble and more truthfully sell his conversion process as “faith healing”. I don’t object to Mr. Smid leading a house of prayer – or even a cult, if he wishes – but when he assumes the mantle of psychology, at least in Tennessee, it may be that he must conform to the conventions of psychology, including licensing.
Conversely, he may find some way of complying with state law. I suspect, however, that involves having trained staff with some amount of education in the field of mental health.
Have you considered that since the “Cease and Desist” is for “two unlicensed mental health supportive living facilities”, it means that by issuing the order the State of Tennessee will implicitly recognise homosexuality as a mental health issue.
Peter, you’re reading too much into it. It depends on what LIA/R advertises itself as, and what the relevant statutes of TN are.
I pondered the same issue you have brought to the dicussion, Peter. Here are some things to consider: (1) the state department is not saying homosexuality is a mental problem; the issue at stake are men who are in mental duress (depression, suicidal thoughts and tendencies, etc.) who can’t reconcile their faith with their sexuality; (2) these men are taking medications for these emotional problems which are regulated and sometimes initiated by the program officials; (3) the residential living facilities for the program are located in residential areas of Memphis not zoned for mental health occupants; (4) more than four unrelated persons are living together in a group home in a geographical area zoned single-family; and (5) the Meyers-Briggs psychologicial profile is given to every person who walks through the door.
I’m certain there are other breaches in code, but as you can see, the state department’s order has little to do with the mental state of a gay person and much more to do with the mental state of the program’s clients.
I am a former client (and graduate) as well as a former staff member who is eager to see the pain imposed by this organization come to a stop.
Bob P
“I am a former client (and graduate) as well as a former staff member who is eager to see the pain imposed by this organization come to a stop.”
I’d like to hear more about your story if you ever feel like sharing it.
Hi, Timothy…
I’d like to chat with you sometime.
First, I need to make a correction to my earlier post.
It is not the Meyers-Briggs that is the questionable psychological profile in use at LiA: it’s the MMPI–Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. The MMPI is a “test of adult psychopathology.” It is used mostly to assist clinicians in analyzing mental disorders and then in developing treatment plans.
LiA now claims that they do not perform any counseling, which may be true (but I find totally unfathomable) as of late. But I still have every treatment plan I was assigned.
What else would you like to know Timothy? Is it best for us to discuss this in person or at least via e-mail?
They’re giving out medication and they aren’t licensed??!! Are you sure? Cause that’s like… a biiiiiiiggggg no-no.
As a former house manager, I was required to keep medication in my room and dispense it to clients as needed.
Did you receive any formal training and was the facility licensed to dispense medication? And what kind of medication are we talking about? (Cause um… I’m not sure about the laws in Tennessee, but you may have committed a felony)
BOB…
Where are you currently based? We are creating a documentary on LIA, Refuge and the recent protests, and you would be a wonderful person to speak with.
Boo, you may be right, but I cannot allow my fear of being jailed turn into a justification for not speaking the truth.
I dispensed all kinds of medications (whatever the client was taking), and, no, I had no formal training.
Morgan,
According to Boo, you might have to visit me in prison.
As of now, I still live in Memphis.
Whoa!
Now, I remember postings regarding LIA and information that LIA engaged in deprivation and structured sessions involving restricted types of touching and denouncment exercises.
As for dispensing medications.
As far as anyone could see: Zach was a normal, healthy teen.
He wasn’t on medications even for ADD.
So if medications are dispensed, is it from the client’s OWN supply brought from home, and in safe keeping?…In that case there wouldn’t be a need for medications dispensed at the camp site.
A person on prescriptions could get enough of a supply from their doctor as they would for a long trip.
If ex gay ministries and camps like this have disclaimers that they are no substitute for licensed therapy…
Then what’s THEIR purpose for being?
If a person has a clinical problem, they can see a doctor.
If they need spiritual guidance, there is church.
If this is a free country, and religion is a freely accessible thing…why the away camp and deprivation from parental supervision?
Why does a teen, NOT on drugs, NOT promiscuous, NOT with a clinical problem such as depression need any help at all that young?
His being gay obviously isn’t a PROBLEM for him, it’s a problem to his parents.
I’m REALLY, REALLY hoping they are shut down.
They have no reason for existing.
Why are there no laws against exploiting the fears of a parent AGAINST a kid who isn’t a PROBLEM?!
Regan,
I’m not saying Zach was on medication or placed on medication while in the program.
There are some clients who are on medications when they arrive at the program, and some–due to depression–are referred to a physician while in the program for new meds.
Meds are kept with the house managers for several reasons: the client himself might become suicidal and desire to overdose; other clients might have suicidal tendencies and choose to steal fellow clients’ meds; some people in the program are drug addicts and might feel inclined to take the medication for a fix.
I don’t think it was wrong for me to keep the clients’ prescription meds while I was a house manager. In fact, there was a suicide attempt shortly before I came into the program using regular Tylenol so I think controlling the dispensing of medicine is vital to a program that houses men with addiction and/or emotional issues. The bigger picture is that my employer was not licensed to house such people, and I did not know this until recently.
Would you place your child into a group home where either he or his peers or both needed medications but the staff of the home were not licensed–not even the executive director?
From Regan:
“Now, I remember postings regarding LIA and information that LIA engaged in deprivation and structured sessions involving restricted types of touching and denouncment exercises.”
Huh? Is this true?
From Bob:
“According to Boo, you might have to visit me in prison.
As of now, I still live in Memphis.”
Ha. So glad to see you have a great sense of humor still intact after what you’ve been through! 😀
BobP, what you appear to be telling us is that you had the authority to dole out psychotropic drugs, in an unlicensed facility, on what you believed to be an “as needed” basis. I’m sorry, but that strains credulity. Aspirin? Maybe (although my brother is allergic to aspirin). LSD? No. Prozak? No. I could go through an entire list, but you get the idea. No.
Raj,
No, I did not have authority to dispense medications (although I did not know this at the time).
But I did have a duty to do so. My employer told me this was one of my job requirements, and I obliged. Right or wrong, I did what I considered right at the time for the benefit of the men I oversaw and loved.
Ignorance is not an excuse, but I feel certain I am not the only person who has ever obeyed authority and discovered later that his superiors were misguided.
That was my point, Bob.
If a client was already on a prescription, as an adult-and in charge of taking their meds on their own, they are already in charge of their own schedule.
In the context of a place like LIA/R, some of the clients are not necessarily in need or already on medications.
Zach was not.
But this is a facility that’s put itself in charge of diagnosing his homosexuality as a problem when it is not.
By deprivation, I meant that he was not allowed to listen to certain music, or associate with certain people (except for those acceptable by LIA in their environment) or wear certain kinds of clothing.
He was restricted from touching, unless in a manner prescribed by the camp counselors.
Again, Zach didn’t have any clinical problems.
His ‘treatment’ and deprivation were completely made up by this camp and not a part of any therapies acknowledged or validated by legitimate psychiatric bodies.
He was also MIXED in with people who DID have clinical issues like depression and/or substance addictions.
This makes a camp like LIA/R very dangerous.
1. By trying tonvince a MINOR child he’s ill, or bad, when he’s not.
2. Aligning him along clinical cases with a blanket therapy or severe restrictions from the music, clothing or non sexual intimacy that’s actually healthy for a boy like him.
When it comes to mental and emotional health, this is a very delicate issue with the best of professionals.
A group that sees no difference between a clinical condition and one that’s matter of religious subjectivity is creating a problem where none exists.
Cults thrive on the insecurities and fragile emotions of the people they attract.
LIA/R is exhibiting the tendencies most cults have.
And this aspect of isolation and total control of clients has proven dangerous in many cases.
Religious influence even more so.
And this wasn’t Zach’s choice to be there.
A place like this shouldn’t even have an involuntary aspect.
That in itself is a serious contradiction of what they sell as completely the opposite.
Regan,
I agree with your statements.
As an adult man, it was my choice to enter LiA. Zach had no choice.
My prayer is that he was not exposed to the adult men in the program who deal with major issues such as rape, prostitution, pedophilia, etc. When I was in the program, we were required to write episodes on paper and read them to the group. I’ve heard this practice has been cleaned up a great deal, but what can an adolescent with minimal sexual experience have in common with men who have spent years in sexual perversion? I recall many times being stimulated by the stories of other gay men while we were in these therapy sessions.
Love In Action survivor Peterson Toscano comments on this news.
Today is the last for the deadline.
I’m hoping that the state is steadfast in it’s commitment and doesn’t wimp out and give Smid more time to cover his ass.
There are MINORS involved here.
MINORS who are not a problem to themselves or their families, save for the heterosexual arrogance of the adults around them.
The ‘homosexual problem’ is literally in the heads of the beholders and I still maintain that the paranoia and schizophrenia of the ex gay movement is the sickness and it’s contagiousness is dangerous to gays and lesbians and taxes society considerably, not those who host a homosexual self.
The historical context around cults and mass hysteria certainly apply to the ex gay movement and it’s supporters.
“Ignorance is not an excuse, but I feel certain I am not the only person who has ever obeyed authority and discovered later that his superiors were misguided.”
Bob, what a beautiful example of understatement. I’m still laughing.
For years mental health care advocates utilized the courts so that those WITHOUT dangerous or untreatable disorders couldn’t arbitrarily be committed into institutions for the mentally ill.
Women, the elderly and gay men were especiallly vulnerable.
This is why those the psychiatric community had to be VERY careful and unbiased in their diagnosis where FUNCTIONALITY was examined.
Adjustment and function might have mitigating factors such as abuse, and abuse stem FROM being female or homosexual-but it’s the ABUSE that contributes to emotional disorder, NOT one’s sexual orientation.
In any case, the abuse of those PERCEIVED to have a problem, a boy like Zach for example, was a SERIOUS infraction on his rights to free association. He was committed against his will.
Depsite the fact that he functioned normally like a teen, he was a good student with normal interests, friends and structure at home, there was nothing in his situation to require ANY disciplines that LIA/R requires UNTIL his orientation was revealed to his parents.
Now, this BIGOTRY is an indictment of the treatment of gay kids and adults as well as the stigma of mental illness or addiction.
Where NO distinctions can be made regarding socially acceptable and supportive FUNCTION in one’s community, a place like LIA/R MUST go!
And every other place LIKE them.
There are specialists in this world who are there for each and every problem a human being is confronted with.
But phony practitioners who can’t recognize a NON problem is a dangerous quack.
They took Zach, regardless that he was a normal kid.
What does that say?
Bob P. at September 14, 2005 09:47 AM
Just to let you know, you were probably committing a crime if you were dispensing psychotropic drugs without a prescription. Your after-the-fact excuse–that your boss told you to–isn’t very satisfying. I’m surprised that you didn’t seek legal counsel to help you determine your rights on the issue. I’m also surprised that you didn’t call the prosecutor.
Yes, I am intentionally being harsh.
UPDATE ON THE INVESTIGATION
A lawyer for Love In Action contacted the State of TN late yesterday(Wed) claiming to have recieved their letter that day, and thereby requested to still recieve the one week time span in order to apply for licensing, or cease operation. It appears that information will be made available about their decision next friday.
raj:
“Your after-the-fact excuse–that your boss told you to–isn’t very satisfying. I’m surprised that you didn’t seek legal counsel to help you determine your rights on the issue. I’m also surprised that you didn’t call the prosecutor.”
Hey raj, if you need help getting down off your high horse, I’m sure we can find you a step-ladder.