All This

July 29, 2023 is the 3rd anniversary of receiving a terse email response (“I’ll pass.”) from a former therapist when I requested a virtual appointment after he offered to meet me in-person during the COVID-19 epidemic. Those two words were the final straw which gave me the push I needed to file a formal complaint for the years of inappropriate behavior I endured during “treatment.”  I wrote these lyrics in February 2022 based on an Ani DiFranco song, “Untouchable Face.” In this revised version, I have removed a lot of the lines I stole from her beautiful song so it’s more my own.

In the 18 months since I wrote this, there finally was an informal hearing on
February 24 about the allegations which lasted 4 hours and 25 minutes. Unfortunately, the decision by the two-panel board to put certain terms and conditions on his license was appealed in April which means this now must go to a formal hearing. Almost four months have passed since that appeal was filed and no date has been set. I have no clue if or when one ever will be. The last time I went to the license lookup page, his license had expired so at least there’s that small victory in helping to protect others because he is no longer practicing.  

I had one goal in all this: To have a public record of what happened to me in an attempt to warn and protect others. Eventually, the 9 page notice detailing the allegations and findings as well as the final order with the ruling of the board, will be available via license lookup. This will be part of the permanent public record even if he’s no longer practicing. Sadly, until that happens I worry I will not have full closure. Justice shouldn’t take this long. The rights of victims who have the courage to speak up should be protected.