Therapist Sexual Abuse | Edwards Henderson

A therapist is supposed to be your guide as you grapple with past trauma and grief, learn coping mechanisms, or understand and break toxic patterns in your holding you back. A therapist-client relationship is meant to be sacrosanct where the therapist provides treatment and rehabilitation to help their client move past their hurdles, fears, and other limitations.

When a therapist misuses their position of power and sexually abuses their client, it can compound a survivor’s mental and emotional pain, further traumatizing a vulnerable person. If you or a loved one has experienced therapist sexual abuse and wants to learn more about how they may sue an abusive therapist, then you have come to the right place.

At Edwards Henderson, we understand how difficult it is to come to terms with therapist sexual abuse, and here to help in every way we can. Our sexual abuse attorneys have background and experience in handling sensitive cases such as yours and will be there for you throughout the process.

What is Sexual Abuse?

Sexual abuse involves nonconsensual sexual activities between two or more people. Sexual abuse is a crime that can happen to anyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, age, gender identity, cultural background, or race or ethnicity. It may take place in any setting, including a hospital, a church, a foster care, a nursing home, or a university.

While anyone may be the perpetrator of sexual abuse, it is common for sexual abusers to know survivors personally. Thus, an abuser may be a family member, friend, partner, acquaintance, or even a professional, like a therapist.

Sexual abuse need not involve any physical force – words and acts showing coercion, threat, or pressure are enough to constitute abuse. Many sexual abuse survivors make the mistake of assuming that since there was no violence involved, it is not abuse. This is not the case. If you engaged in any sexual activity – with or without penetration – that was conducted without your consent, it is likely to be sexual abuse. Since consent is the primary element of sexual activity, remember if someone has disrespected your boundaries or continued after you’ve withdrawn consent, you might be able to hold them liable for abuse. A sexual abuse lawyer can help you unpack what happened and explain your legal rights and options.

How Common is Therapist Sexual Abuse?

Therapist sexual abuse may be more common than people assume. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fast facts, over half of women and at least one in three men experience some form of sexual violence during their lifetimes. Therapist sexual abuse is not region-specific. This type of crime is reported across the country.

Considering how prevalent this crime is, it is important to know and understand the signs of sexual abuse so you can protect yourself and your loved ones.

New Hampshire Therapist Sexual Abuse

In New Hampshire, incarcerated inmates are legally allowed to change their names while they are in jail. This allows them to assume an entirely new identity once they are released from jail. While the person’s criminal record can be uncovered through a background check, the public cannot easily make the connection between such a person’s records and current identity.

Sadly, this has led to some former criminals rebranding themselves into trusted professionals, like therapists. In New Hampshire, Peter Stone, a former convict allegedly turned his life around to become a therapist. Years later, he was arrested on five counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault of a patient.

Utah Therapist Sexual Abuse

In Utah, David Hamblin and his former wife Roselle Stevenson were both arrested and accused of ritualistic child abuse while posing as therapists over several decades. Hamblin was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual abuse of a child and six felony charges related to rape of a child and sodomy between 1986 and 1992.

Back in 2012, the same man faced 18 felony charges related to sexual abuse, but those charges were all dismissed. He was re-arrested in 2022, and Stevenson was arrested in 2023.

In another case in Utah, a family therapist was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old child. Kayla Atkin was arrested in 2022 and charged with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, but she managed to get a plea deal allowing her to serve only six months in jail and keep her license to practice social work.

New Jersey Therapist Sexual Abuse

Recently, Jonathan Barrios, a 27-year-old New Jersey resident and former therapist, was charged with sexual assault after he endangered the welfare of a child by molesting them during a therapy session.

Minnesota Therapist Sexual Abuse

Minnesota resident Mandy Hyland was recently charged with felony third-degree sexual conduct within a prohibited occupational relationship.

Reports show that Hyland was employed as a licensed clinical social worker at a Rochester psychology office when she reportedly sexually assaulted a male client. She allegedly provided the client with illegal substances while he was seeing her as part of his drug court requirement. Despite her arrest and court orders prohibiting contact with the survivor, Hyland allegedly still attempted to contact him to initiate another relationship.

Am I Responsible for My Therapist Sexually Abusing Me?

No, sexual abuse is not your fault. Sexual abuse has very little to do with pleasure and a lot more to do with power dynamics, control, and a regressive mindset. Your therapist is a professional who is responsible for ensuring your mental, emotional, and physical safety during your care. Any type of sexual contact or advances made by a licensed social worker is against their professional code of conduct as well as a crime.

Unfortunately, media portrayals, rape culture, and lack of sex education often confuse survivors and lead them to falsely believe that the abuse inflicted on them was justified. This is incorrect. Your therapist is required to maintain professional boundaries and decency at all times, and should not breach such boundaries under any circumstances, even to initiate any friendship or romantic relationship.

If you are a therapist sexual abuse survivor, you should understand that it is common for clients to develop certain feelings for their therapists. However, a therapist-client interaction is largely one-sided since one relies on a therapist for mental health services. This power dynamic may lead clients to feel that their therapist’s sexual advances or attention are in their best interests; however, this is rarely the case, if at all.

How Does Therapist Sexual Abuse Affect Survivors?

Sexual abuse is traumatic for survivors of any age or background. Due to the invasive nature of the crime, therapist sexual abuse survivors often feel unsafe and unsure of whom to trust, and may even blame themselves for the perpetrator’s actions. Without support and healing, survivors can experience a wave of negative emotions that can spiral into physical, mental, and emotional suffering.

Physical Injuries

Sexual assault can be physically debilitating, with some of the common injuries being:

• Bruises
• Soreness
• Bleeding
• Broken or dislocated bones
• Sexually transmitted infections or diseases
• Unwanted pregnancy
• Difficulty walking

Due to the seriousness of the attack, it is best to get medical attention as soon as possible after experiencing sexual assault. You can request your healthcare provider for a rape kit to preserve evidence of the abuse in a secure location.

Mental and Emotional Distress

Needless to say, sexual abuse causes a great deal of pain and trauma. Therapist sexual abuse may exacerbate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in survivors due to the complicated and sensitive nature of the therapist-client relationship. Almost all sexual abuse survivors experience PTSD, causing them to re-live the abuse through flashbacks, nightmares, and recurring memories. In many cases, emotional distress manifests itself physically as well in the form of heart palpitations, sweating, insomnia, shortness of breath, stomach pain, headaches, and more.

Mental Health Struggles

Many sexual abuse survivors suffer from mental health issues in the months or decades following the abuse. A therapist sexual abuse survivor may take up unhealthy coping mechanisms such as addiction or eating disorders to deal with the pain and trauma of the incident. Several survivors may also face relationship issues, succumb to unhealthy behavioral patterns, and deny any mental health treatment due to mistrust toward all therapists.

Who is Responsible for Therapist Sexual Abuse?

Therapists have a legal responsibility to obey a code of ethics, maintain professionalism, and care for the safety of their patients. When a therapist crosses a line and commits a criminal act, they can be held responsible for sexual abuse.

Depending on your circumstances, you may file a civil sexual abuse lawsuit against both the therapist as well as any third parties that enabled the abuse or failed to protect you. Such third parties may include a mental health center or institution, a rehabilitation center, a university, a psychiatric hospital, or a psychiatric treatment facility. For instance, if your child enrolled in a therapeutic boarding school was abused by an in-house therapist, you may be able to sue the boarding school for failing to care for your child’s safety and well-being.

How Do I Fight Therapist Sexual Abuse?

Sexual abuse cases can often be difficult to prove, which is why it is very important to pick the right attorney from the start. You should hire a lawyer who specializes in civil sexual abuse lawsuits and is well-equipped to take on the challenges associated with your case.

When you decide to fight therapist sexual abuse, you may be curious to learn more about the legal avenues so you may choose one that best suits your needs. Sexual abuse survivors can file either or both criminal and civil cases against the abuser. While criminal cases require a higher burden of proof as they are specifically designed to punish the offender, a civil sexual abuse lawsuit allows you the option to sue the abuser and any enabling third party for compensation. In other words, a civil lawsuit can help you seek the compensation you need to access resources to move forward in your life.

What if My Therapist Denies Sexually Abusing Me?

Many therapist sexual abuse survivors do not come forward with their stories because they are worried about not being believed. Having said that, remember that sexual abuse is a crime and therefore, it is likely the abuser will deny the truth and avoid all accountability at all costs. Whether they attempt to gaslight you or lie about the incident to someone else, you do not have to rely on their word. This is understandably harder in the case of therapist abuse because your therapist knows your vulnerable points and has enjoyed your trust in the past. But once you own your truth, no one can hold it against you.

Instead, your next step after understanding that you might have been sexually abused is to contact a well-reputed attorney in your area. A top sexual abuse lawyer will be your trusted legal advisor who will help gather the right evidence that can solidify your case.

When Should I File a Therapist Sexual Abuse Lawsuit?

Each state has a statute of limitations which is a legal time limit within which you must file a lawsuit. In most states, survivors have about one to three years to file a claim.

Since sexual abuse lawsuits may be complicated, it is best to contact an attorney as soon as possible to get started on your case. However, there are exceptions to the statute of limitations, so you can file a therapist sexual abuse lawsuit even if the abuse happened years ago. Contact a therapist sexual abuse attorney to fully understand your legal options.

We Believe You: Contact a Therapist Sexual Abuse Lawyer Today

When you schedule an appointment with a therapist, you expect a certain level of professionalism. Your therapist has a legal duty to provide for your care and safety as a patient, so any type of sexual or physical contact is an egregious breach of such duty of care.

Here at Edwards Henderson, we understand how intimidating and unkind the world may seem right now. We are here to let you know that you are not alone and hope you can rely on us to help you pursue justice. Contact us today to discuss your situation in more detail with a sexual abuse attorney.