ERIC Number: ED313619
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1989-Aug-14
Pages: 22
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Improving the Complaint Process for Sexuality Exploited Clients.
Spitalny, Gloria
Four sexually exploited clients shared their experiences in invoking the complaint process against their former therapists. They wanted to stop the therapist from practicing and harming others, to receive some acknowledgement that they had been harmed, and to obtain some kind of recompense. If the therapist was unable to admit his or her error, make restitution, or stop injuring others, they expected the ethics committee, the licensing board, or the court to ensure this result. Two of the clients initiated their complaints through the ethics committee of their therapist's professional association. One client began with the licensing board, and one started with a lawyer and a malpractice suit. They all had suggestions on how to improve the complaint process for others: (1) have an advocate who can discuss possible options in pursuing a complaint; (2) expedite the process of ethics committees, licensing boards, and legal action; (3) pay members who sit on ethics committees and licensing boards; (4) explain the procedures of ethics committees and licensing boards, give estimates on the length of time involved, and directly communicate the results; (5) establish mandatory reporting by other professionals; (6) establish a criminal law; (7) keep data banks on abusive therapists; and (8) extend the statute of limitations. Many of these recommendations are supported in the literature. Professionals need to come together to review these recommendations, put them in an acceptable form, and implement them in order to protect the public welfare. (Author/NB)
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association (97th, New Orleans, LA, August 11-15, 1989).