Legal Issues and Resources
I highly recommend that anyone considering filing a complaint against their therapist—whether it’s a civil complaint, criminal complaint or licensing complaint—first consult with an attorney who specializes in handling therapist abuse cases.
These complaints can significantly impact each other. For example, pursuing a licensing complaint or a criminal complaint can, under certain circumstances, have a negative effect on a patient’s ability to recover damages in a civil case. (For more information on this, please read John Winer’s article about therapist abuse and therapist malpractice cases. See below for the link.)
Many attorneys offer free consultation, so do not hesitate to call for information. The attorneys listed on this page all handle therapist and/or clergy abuse cases.
Legal Issues
Boundary Violations and Malpractice Litigation: Understanding Litigation from the Plaintiff’s Side – Stanley J. Spero, JD and Philip L. Cohen, JD
This article is available on the SJ Spero and Associates website (see below) and was published in Psychiatric Times Vol. 25 No. 4, April 1, 2008.
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Lawyers who Specialize in Therapist and/or Clergy Abuse
Law Offices of Joseph C. George
Law Offices of S J Spero & Associates
~ FAQ Page
Samuel Rogatinsky – The Rogatinsky Firm
www.sexabuseattorney.org
www.clergyabuse.org
www.sexualabuseattorney.org
* If you have a lawyer you would like to recommend, please comment or use the form on the Contact page to send me a private email.
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My firm has represented victims of therapy abuse and clergy abuse since 1985. With Linda Jorgenson, my partner and now Of Counsel to my firm, we have published numerous articles, law reviews and have been cited in newspapers, journals, magazines and texts. On our home page, you can observe the numerous publications.
I have worked with Advocate Web for close to a decade and sit on their Board of Directors. Attorneys Joseph George and John Winer have also been involved with Advocate Web
If you are of the opinion that my office is compatible with the goals of your site, I would ask you to consider adding us to your site and link to our site.
Thank you, Stan Spero
Hi Stan. Thanks so much for checking out the blog. I’ll be happy to add your information to my legal page. Please let me know if there are any publications, articles, or links you think would be particularly helpful to victims of therapy and clergy abuse. ~Kristi
I have a very informative article in psychiatric times. They did a special section with information from Tom Gutheil, Glen Gabbard , Celenza and myself as it relates to Boundary Crossings. It is indexed on my firm’s home page.
Also in my FAQ section I have links to a lecture given by Gary Schoener. This is a video you can watch.
Thanks so much! I’ve added a link to your article “Boundary Violations and Malpractice Litigation” on my Legal page. (I assume that’s the article to which you’re referring?) I also have a link to the Gary Schoener video on my Websites and Links page.
Hi Kristi,
In my case, the therapist made it a point to beat me to the punch. She destroyed my credibilty. It has been a nightmare. I can’t tell you how violated I feel.
The Board let her off the hook. My new therapist was shocked.
Diana, I’m so sorry for what’s happened to you. Have you discussed this with an attorney? It’s possible you could file a civil or criminal complaint.
Kristi, is it possible to email you? I need someone to talk to about all of this.
Absolutely. You can contact me privately through the Contact form on the site.
Dear Kristi:
I recently learned about your site from a new client. I handle both sexual abuse cases that involve mental health professionals and clergy abuse cases. I have been developing informational sites and I have three that can be useful to your readers.
The first is http://www.sexabuseattorney.org This site discusses various types of sexual abuse. The second is http://www.clergyabuse.org and the third is http://www.sexualabuseattorney.org
I would be happy to talk to you about my practice and the types of cases I am handling. I can be reached at 954.925.1630
Thanks again for this excellent site.
Sam Rogatinsky
Hi Sam,
Thanks so much for the information! I’ll be happy to add you to my list of resources.