Your second sentence had me ready to say pretty much what you said in the third. I can't remember at the moment where I read it or saw it, but I recall learning about a sort of conversion therapy camp a few years ago, and one of the treatment activities was for the men to get in their underwear and progressively go into closer physical touch situations, basically eventually spooning. I wish I was kidding.
I also wish I could be kidding when I say that I've encountered many who fail to see how these are different than exposure therapies. Granted, many of these folks have been students, but that's more troubling to me, at least when I think from the perspective of hoping this mindset is antiquated.
What has fired me up most about both the president's "statement" and the subsequent media coverage since is the complete failure to make the distinction between
legitimate mental health providers and those who too colloquially get included in that definition.
The APA has expressly stated that anyone who wants to keep their license/career had better not even mention, recommend, or practice conversion therapy (see
http://www.apa.org/about/policy/sexual-orientation.pdf for a brief summary; there are several more sources in the references list). This could be a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone by illustrating the trouble that comes of believing mental healthcare to be something that could ever be relegated to anyone but a certified professionals AND emphasizing that seeking guidance from a pastor or the like is NOT the same as therapy.
EDIT: And, though comments sections are generally nothing but quicksand, if you want to get a handle on where the general populace is REALLY at, read some of the comments on any given website or article about this. It's the first time in a while I've read through many, many comments on many different sites and failed to find anything in which I can find any sort of merit, much less hope.