Christian Psychologist in Brazil Threatened After Expressing Faith
A Brazilian psychologist is being threatened with having her license to practice therapy revoked after she publicly affirmed her Christian beliefs on her blog and Twitter accounts, which is in conflict with the countries Federal Council of Psychology's (CFP) code of ethics.
Marisa Lobo is a widely respected psychologist and evangelical who routinely comments on psychological issues affecting society today. She posts messages to her Twitter account as well as to her website under the title "Christian Psychology."
Lobo's posts often deal with denunciations of homosexual adoption, and her support for sexual orientation change therapy, which routinely differ from the progressive left in Brazil and the CFP.
The CFP recently sent a letter to Lobo warning her that her actions were in direct violation of their code of ethics because they deemed her to be unethically influencing her patients.
The CFP forbids and psychologist to "influence in favor of political, philosophical, moral, ideological, or religious convictions, those regarding sexual orientation, or any type of prejudice, when they are engaged in the exercise of their professional functions."
The CFP also added that it is unethical to "give services or link the title of psychologists to services of psychological care whose procedures, techniques, and means are not regulated or recognized by the profession."
For her defense Lobo responded by writing a letter to the CFP stating that she has never acted in an unethical manner adding that she views the code as is "unconstitutional."
"I declare to this council of psychology, that I am not going to comply with this decision. I am not going to remove from my blog, and/or my twitter, nor from my site, absolutely anything that links me to psychology and to my faith," Lobo stated.
"To the contrary, I want my patients to have the right to choose me as a therapist because they know that I, Marisa Lobo, am a psychologist, a professional who believes in almighty God," she added.