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Kim Mi-seong (not her real name), a 17-year-old who is gay, contacted Help Call Youth Hotline 1388 last year for counseling on the Kakao Talk messaging service. At the time, she had dropped out of school, where she had been ostracized for her sexual orientation, and was undergoing psychological therapy for depression. The counselor wrote back that she should “get more counseling and choose not to live as a homosexual.”

“You’re still young, and I think you should get treatment [for homosexuality],” another message read.

Kim was left in tears for a full day over the shock and the feeling that no one understood her.

A conversation on the Kakao Talk messaging service between Kim Mi-seong (not her real name)

A recent study showed nearly 40% of LGBT people reporting experiences with homophobic statements and other human rights violations by counselors they turned to for psychological help. For an LGBT human rights forum at Yonsei University on Feb. 25, the Network to Eliminate Conversion Therapy, an organization of around 20 human rights groups, is announcing findings from a survey of the counseling experiences of 1,072 LGBT people conducted last December.

Among those surveyed, 791 had experiences with counseling, or 73.8%. These included counseling centers for middle and high school students, such as “wee class” and others (41.5%), psychiatrists and healthcare institutions (32.7%), and university counseling centers (24.3%) for counseling on psychological health, interpersonal relations, and sexual identity issues. 38.3% of respondents said the counselor “did not understand or sympathize” when he or she learned of the respondent’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The counselors’ unaccepting attitude toward LGBT people often leads to unprofessional counseling: 20.3% of respondents reported being told that “homosexual desires can be cured,” 18.6% that “women love other women because of bad experiences when they were children,” and 13.4% that homosexuality was “immoral.” Respondents also reported being asked whether “being gay is a trend these days” or recommended to undergo sex therapy. The statements were made by counselors (22.3%), religious workers (18.6%), physicians (15.1%), and psychological counselors (13.1%).

“Most of the academic societies that train psychological counselors and ensure their expertise do not provide education for LGBT counseling, and the result is unprofessional counseling that depends on the counselor’s personal capabilities,” said Mimyo, a counselor with the Byeoruibyeol Counseling Center who took part in the survey.

“When LGBT people experience hatred and discrimination even in the counseling that they turn to when they are psychologically isolated, their depression can worsen,” Mimyo said.

By Ko Han-sol, staff reporter

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