ACT NOW: Christian counsellor expelled from Association of Christian Counsellors:

Lesley Pilkington

Dr Mike Davidson

The Association of Christian Counsellors (ACC) has bowed to pressure from a government statutory body to expel a long-serving member and to deny an accreditation pathway to another, for offering therapeutic support to people with unwanted same-sex attraction. It is now unclear whether organisational members offering professional support in this area are welcome as ACC affiliates.

Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of Christian Legal Centre, commented: "It appears that the ACC has succumbed to pressure from the State. This is highly disturbing."

The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA), which supports the campaign by homosexual activist groups to ban the therapy has asked the ACC to remove accreditation from Lesley Pilkington and Core Issues Trust, a Christian counselling charity headed by Dr Mike Davidson.  The ACC is seeking registration from the PSA in line with other professional bodies such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the UK Council for Therapy (UKCP).

BACP and UKCP have refused to sanction this therapy and banned Lesley Pilkington and Mike Davidson from membership and accreditation.  These bodies have alleged, without providing any peer-reviewed scientific evidence, that therapeutic support for clients with unwanted homosexual feelings is harmful practice.

Lesley Pilkington, a Christian Legal Centre client, came to public attention when a homosexual activist posing as a genuine client and struggling as a ‘gay Christian', asked for counselling because he wanted to move away from homosexual practice.  At their second counselling session, the man, Patrick Strudwick, revealed he was an undercover reporter with a mission to expose such counselling as harmful, to ruin her career and get such therapy banned. His account was published in the Guardian newspaper. The professional bodies have since banned their members from offering change therapy. Lesley was urged by the BACP to recognise Patrick Strudwick as a genuine client and when she refused she was stripped of accreditation despite two decades of unblemished service.

Core Issues Trust has also been targeted by the PSA for its role as an organisation which represents the interests of people with unwanted same-sex attraction. It's Director, Mike Davidson, was last year stripped of professional status with the British Psychodrama Association which was forced to act against him by UKCP. He is also being represented by the Christian Legal Centre.

Please write to Tony Ruddle, Chairman of the Association of Christian Counsellors: ask him why he and the organisation he represents, a Christian organisation, have not protected and defended Christian counsellors, Lesley and Mike but have bowed to State and secular pressure.  

You can write to him at the following three addresses: anthonyruddle@ntlworld.com, chair@acc-uk.org and counselling@acc-uk.org

You may wish to make the following points of objection:

• Ask why a Christian organisation would expel professional members when pressured to do so by a State body, instead of protecting them.
• Ask Tony Ruddle to provide the scientific evidence on which his decision to expel Lesley and block Mike's accreditation was based.
• Ask him why, after giving his personal assurance to Lesley that she would remain a member of the association, he suddenly changed his position following the intervention of the PSA. 
• Ask him why he has failed to respond to a letter from the President of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), Dr Christopher Rossik, who expressed concern that the ACC had changed its policy on support for people with unwanted same-sex attraction.

Please help the Christian Legal Centre, to keep our doors open to support people like Lesley and Mike by making a donation.