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Happy Birthday 65th Birthday Dad!
Today (September 18) is my father's 65th birthday! When I was young, I had a hard time relating with my dad. I was a sensitive, creative, and artistic boy; and he was...well...not! My father worked in the Pittsburgh steel mills until they closed in the early 1980's; after that, he continued to labor in the manufacturing blue collar industry for most of his career. As a child, I had very little in common with him, which made bonding very difficult.
Our personality differences also made it difficult to emotionally connect, and I believe this was one of the influences of my unwanted same-sex attractions as an adolescent. But over the years, we both changed. I healed from those early wounds and forgave him for not realizing what my needs were. He also came to understand himself more and his impact on me. Over the years, we have become much closer, and rarely a week goes by that I don't talk with him. I also feel blessed that he has invested in the lives of my children!
Truthfully, it's really easy to denigrate the role of the father and point out his shortcomings. Today, our culture has diminished men, and society takes every opportunity to diminsh their role as the leader of the family. But now that I have fathered five of my own children, I understand how difficult the job of parenting is, and, like most men, my father did the best with what was given to him and loved me as hard as he could.
In my work over the last ten years as a licensed psychotherapist, I have helped hundreds of men struggling with sexual and gender identity heal their father wounds and make peace with their pasts. I thank God that my father loved me through my own prodigal years and never gave up hope that our relationship would some day be restored.
So today, As my father Bill celebrates his 65th birthday, I want to congratulate and thank him for what he gave me: spiritual leadership and faith in God; a good role model for marriage with his faithfulness to my mother; persistence, commitment, and a good work ethic; a great sense of humor (most of the time); a teachable spirit and humble heart; and a love and appreciation for music.
To his credit, while we didn't always like the same music, my dad always took an interest in my choir, band, and musical performances and even attended a few concerts with me over the years. The photo below is from this summer's Dave Matthews Band concert in Virginia. Thanks for being there for me, dad. I love you, and happy birthday! |
| | | Key to Your Child's Heart Healing Weekend fathers with children who experience SSA
This weekend will give you the opportunity to connect with other fathers that are in the same position as you, and learn together how you can rise up and face the challenges that affect our families and children! You will gain great insight into your child’s needs by learning, growing, and taking part in group activities with each other during this interactive weekend! |
| | | Christopher Doyle to Give Lecture on The War on Psychotherapy at the Family Research Council
It is a simple fact that some people who have same-sex sexual attractions experience those feelings as something unwanted. Some of those people, in turn, seek the help of counsellors or professional psychotherapists to resist or overcome those unwanted feelings—what critics often call "conversion therapy."
Rather than respect the freedom and autonomy of those who choose not to embrace a "gay" identity, LGBT activists have chosen to perpetrate an elaborate hoax—on legislators, the media, and the American public. The victims of this hoax are drawn in by lurid tales of "aversive" treatments (like the use of electric shocks) in coercive environments (like "conversion therapy camps"). When challenged to document these horror stories, we then see the "bait and switch," with some activists insisting that "voluntary talk therapy is just as harmful." The result has been the passage of laws in 18 states to prohibit sexual orientation change efforts with minors by licensed mental health providers, as well as a push to further expand the scope of such bans.
In The War on Psychotherapy: When Sexual Politics, Gender Ideology, and Mental Health Collide, Christopher Doyle, a licensed psychotherapist, and leader in the #TherapyEquality movement with the National Task Force for Therapy Equality, describes in frightening detail this unprecedented attack upon core ethical and legal principles regarding psychotherapy, such as client autonomy, privacy, respect for religious convictions, and the free speech rights of therapists. He also presents decades of scientific research that demonstrates sexual attraction and gender identity are not fixed or innate, but are fluid and commonly change, with and without therapeutic intervention. Click here for more information. |
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| Institute for Healthy Families and Christopher Doyle in the Media |
| | Christopher Doyle Discusses Gender Ideology and Politics on AFR's Sandy Rios in the Morning
Listen to American Family Radio's Sandy Rios in the Morning as she discusses details on Planned Parenthood's withdraw from Title X and talks gender ideology and "conversion therapy" with Christopher Doyle. Click here to listen. |
| | Christopher Doyle to Deliver Keynote Address at Alliance Conference in Glendale, AZ
On September 27-28, the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity will hold their annual conference in Glendale, Arizona at Arizona Christian University. |
| On September 27, Christopher Doyle will present a workshop on his new book The War on Psychotherapy: When Sexual Politics, Gender Ideology, and Mental Health College. On September 28, he will present the keynote address to the conference on his recent work published in Issues in Law & Medicine and upcoming book Healing the Family.
For more information on Christopher's speaking engagements this fall and to learn how to bring him to your next conference, event, or church service, click here. |
| | Christopher Doyle Sues Maryland in Federal Court to Overturn "Conversion Therapy" Ban Law
GREENBELT, MD – Liberty Counsel is in federal district court today seeking
a preliminary and permanent injunction against Maryland's law which
prohibits minors from receiving voluntary counseling from licensed
professionals to reduce or eliminate unwanted same-sex attractions or
gender confusion.
In Doyle v. Hogan, Liberty Counsel represents Christopher Doyle, a licensed professional counselor in Virginia and Maryland. Doyle is challenging Maryland's SB 1028,
which was signed into law by Maryland governor Larry Hogan and went
into effect on October 1, 2018. Doyle is asking the Maryland federal
district court to declare SB 1028 unconstitutional and to impose a
preliminary and permanent injunction against its enforcement. |
| | In June 2018, the Supreme Court gutted two lower court decisions that
held similar therapy bans in California and New Jersey to be
constitutional regulations of professional conduct that did not violate
the First Amendment. Those cases, Pickup v. Brown and King v. Governor of New Jersey,
have been relied upon by numerous other states and cities that have
adopted similar bans. With the Supreme Court's rejection of Pickup and Brown, the therapy bans in California, New Jersey, and other jurisdictions are subject to constitutional challenge.
Liberty Counsel’s Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “This
Maryland counseling ban is an unconstitutional speech restriction that
violates the First Amendment and prevents minors from getting the help
they seek to eliminate or reduce their unwanted same-sex attractions or
gender confusion. The law is a gross intrusion into the fundamental
rights of counselors and clients. No government has the authority to
prohibit a form of counseling simply because it does not like the
religious or moral beliefs of a particular counselor or client,” said
Staver. Click here to read more.
Read More in the News:
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| | SPLC Targets, Shuts Down Faith-Based Crowdfunding Site
JERSEY CITY, N.J. ( ChurchMilitant.com)
- A non-profit is fighting back against a lawsuit from the far-left
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which has forced its closure and
shut down its crowdfunding platform.
He called SPLC a "bully organization" and said, "This case has always
been about a political organization that is targeting low-hanging fruit
— smaller organizations with little means to defend themselves." Click here to read more. |
| | McKrae Game is misguided in renouncing gay therapy ministry, ex-gay counselor says
A former homosexual and licensed professional counselor for those with unwanted same-sex attraction has responded to longtime conversion therapy practitioner, McKrae Game, renouncing sexual orientation change efforts therapy.
Christopher Doyle, a counselor and the executive director of the Institute for Healthy Families, told The Christian Post on Wednesday that he had once met Game and, while considering him a “nice man,” believed he was “emotionally unhealthy.”
“As McKrae lamented in his recent apology, he was operating in a pseudo-counseling role with Hope for Wholeness and not properly trained to deal with the mental health issues of clients that struggle with sexual and gender identity conflicts,” Doyle said. Click here to read more at The Christian Post.
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| | Janet Mefferd Interviews Christopher Doyle on His New Book The War on Psychotherapy
Janet Mefferd is the host of two nationally syndicated daily Christian talk shows: Janet Mefferd Today, airing on Bott Radio Network and other stations nationwide, and Janet Mefferd Live on American Family Radio, with a combined reach of more than 400 radio stations nationwide. A former news and religion reporter and editor for newspapers including The Dallas Morning News and the Daily Herald, Janet also has more than 25 years of Christian broadcasting experience.
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| | Christopher Doyle Interviewed on Dr. Brown's "The Line of Fire" Radio Show on New Book
Listen and watch Christopher Doyle's interview on Dr. Michael Brown's "Life of Fire" show on his new book: The War on Psychotherapy: When Sexual Politics, Gender Ideology, and Mental Health Collide.
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| | Institute for Healthy Families (IHF) specializes in counseling solutions for individuals, couples, families, therapists, and ministry leaders. IHF is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit therapeutic organization located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. As a Judeo-Christian organization, IHF believes that the family is the foundation for healthy individuals, relationships, communities, and places of worship. While IHF is non-sectarian, we believe that God reveals His truth in both the Bible and Creation and that we can use this wisdom to help facilitate healing. IHF believes that through this synthesis of science and faith, we can help our clients form and maintain healthy families that will be able to help their children become the best versions of themselves and fulfill God’s will for their lives. For more information, visit our website at: www.InstituteforHealthyFamilies.org.
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