My counselor made romantic/sexual moves on me, what should I do?

Question

I saw a therapist-psychologist, for several years, from my university. Sometimes I got advice through email. On several occasions he made sexual remarks, and romantic suggestions re. me and him? I already reported him to liscensing but there was not enough proof. What should I do now? I am so upset, and at a loss. I know I must appeal. I still have nightmares of him advancing at me sexually, it is disgusting.

note: I called the director of the clinic he works at to make a complaint at school, she referred to me to a special unit that handles serious complaints as this.

By the way everyone, I am way overage..in my 30s, I have stopped seeing him and wll resume counseling with another therapist, thankfully I was seeing another female counselor concurrently while seeing him, call THAT intuition.

Considering I was in the United States Army as a Military Police person for 5 years, I would like to let some know NO I am not mentally unstable, LOL.

*** One other thing, I am handling it so so but the thing that concerns me greatly is this disgusting predator put himself in the perfect pervert paradise, a university working with young pretty girls. I want to stop him from further abuse, I am strong.. and capable, another young woman may not be.

Answer 1

Print all the e-mails that were suggestive and send them to the state agency that licenses counselors. And find another therapist. The second therapist may know what you need to do to proceed against the first one.

Answer 2

I have been dealing with Mental Health abuse and Rights violations as a Consumer/Advocate and former Staff person in Michigan that have taken me all over the place including to the US Justice Dept. You could not have asked a better or more experienced person than I. It is next to impossible to hold a Mental Health care professional accountable for anything. They virtually have a free hand. There exists in most states a phony baloney Recipient Rights Process but it is usually established and underwritten by the state which also funds the clinics, hospitals and service providers and pays the very individuals who both investigate and are being investigated. You really have no recourse whatsoever as no attorney will ever even look at a Mental Health cases. Find an integruos therapist. I might look at it if you are in Michigan.

Answer 3

You did the right thing in reporting him and I agree that you really should appeal. If you are an adult you may also want to call a lawyer to get some advice on how best to pursue this. This is somthing very serious and the therapist had no right to do this. I understand that this can be upsetting and it may have triggered anxiety that you were already feeling. But taking the proper legal steps can help you feel a little more in control. Just keep in mind that it wasn't in any way your fault.

Take care

Answer 4

well i suggest approaching him, make sure your not alone. or maybe, this sounds devious, but set him up. I know some answers people give on here are out of reach of the person asking the question, so im not saying anything drastic, all i suggest is that you maybe "put the FAKE moves on" and have a REAL tape recorder in your pocket. see if he brings anythign up. if it fails oyu can always discard the tape. im just saying you need to get some solid proof. authorities should be acting different than this, they should be more on top of things as such, so i suggest making this bigger than it needs to be on his part. maybe say all the things on your mind, all the ways he scares you, you know? really make them feel as if you are so innocent and afraid (which in fact; sounds like you are) hope this helps hun. feel free to email me if you need anymore advice. i should get back soon if you do. again; best of luck. =]

Answer 5

If you're not satisfied with the "special unit", call a lawyer. The therapist's behavior was inappropriate. This person was supposed to help you and did exactly the opposite. People like this need to be stopped.

Answer 6

Well, without any proof, such as what he wrote in e-mails that was sexually explicit, you don't really have a case. That's a very serious offense that could lead to him losing his license to practice. The board can't just take your word for it. Besides, so he made some remarks that you found offensive. Big deal. Discuss it with your new therapist.

Answer 7

If this psychologist behaved romantically or sexually to you this may be a serious violation of ethics and illegal as well. You trusted this individual and he took advantage of that trust to indulge himself. It is quite likely you are not the first one he has done this to. An incredible number of healthare practitioners are reprimanded and/or lose their licenses due to sexual misconduct with patients. You have reported him to his licensing agency; you have reported him to his supervisor. It is imperative that you find a new counselor. Share this experience with him/her. What happened is not your fault, and you are not at fault for reporting it. A note: in many states, you can search for "[state] board of medical license and supervision" and see just which practitioners have been reprimanded, suspended, and have had their licenses revoked.

Answer 8

Get a new psychologist and follow-up with the special unit. Most people would just move on with their lives, but you must be in a mentally fragile state.

Answer 9

Your doing the right thing. Turn him in and press charges if you can. He took advantage of his authority over you, or at least he tried. I'm sorry for your situation but I am glad you did the right thing. You are a strong and capable woman.

Answer 10

Get another counselour. Completely shut this douschebag out of yoru life. I understand how you feel. There are plenty of perverted jackasses out there, but you just need to forget them. They're not worth your time. Change your email, pray to God that he'll get some help, and move on.