Editing Deprogramming (section)

==Exit counseling==
Proponents of "Exit counseling" distinguish it from coercive forms of deprogramming. The fundamental difference is that involuntary deprogramming involves forced confinement of the individual whereas in exit counseling they are free to leave at any time. The absence of physical coercion is thought to increase the likelihood of establishing a rapport and of not alienating, enraging or terrifying the subject. Exit counsellors are typically brought in during a "family [[Intervention (counseling)|Intervention]]", where they explain their role and seek to change the subject's attitude to their religious group through reasoning and persuasion.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Langone |first=Michael D. |title=Recovery from Cults: Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual Abuse |publisher=[[W. W. Norton]] |year=1995 |isbn=9780393313215 |location=New York |pages=166, 171–4}}</ref>

Langone, writing in 1993, estimated that deprogramming costs typically rise to at least [[United States dollar|US$]]10,000 (roughly ${{Inflation|index=US|value=10000|start_year=1993|r=-3|fmt=c}} after accounting for inflation), compared to exit counseling which typically costs US$2,000 to US$4,000 (roughly ${{Inflation|index=US|value=2000|start_year=1993|r=-3|fmt=c}} to $8,000 after accounting for inflation), although cases requiring extensive research of little-known groups can cost much more. Deprogramming, especially when it fails, also entails considerable legal risk and psychological risk (for example, a permanent alienation of the subject from their family). 

In exit counseling, these psychological and legal risks are reduced. Although deprogrammers prepare family members (other than the subject) for the process, exit counselors tend to work with such family members directly, expecting those requesting the intervention to contribute to the process. Exit counseling requires that families establish a reasonable and respectful level of communication with their loved one before the program itself can begin. Because deprogramming relies on coercion (which is illegal except in the case of [[conservatorship]] and is generally viewed as unethical) deprogrammers' critiques of the religious organization tend to be less credible to the subject than the arguments of exit counselors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/cri/cri-jrnl/web/crj0121a.html|title=Deprogramming, Exit Counseling, and Ethics - Clarifying the Confusion|last=Langone|first=Michael D. and Paul R. Martin|date=1993|website=www.iclnet.org|access-date=2019-04-07}}</ref>