Someone Filed a Complaint, Now What?

Let me tell you the cold, hard truth about complaints - anyone can file a complaint, at any time, for any reason. That’s the bad news. We can behave in the most ethical manner and yet someone may still file a complaint. Do not panic. (Easier said than done, I know.)

Once a complaint has been filed, an investigator is assigned to the complaint. The role of the investigator is to gather information about the complaint to present to the licensing board. Hear me. I am not an attorney, nor have I played one on TV – yet. (I’m still open y’all!) Failure to comply with the investigation is a violation of statute (law).

So, how do you respond? Again, let me point out that I am not an attorney. I am a fellow therapist who wants to see the professional well-represented. We have important work to do; we need competent people doing the work. An attorney may suggest you respond with caution as to not implicate yourself. That’s their job, to defend you. I see the complaint as an opportunity, an opportunity to review your practice, your decisions, and your conduct. As you respond to the complaint, you may realize that you let something slip, that you didn’t act with integrity. We all make mistakes. Own them. My sincere hope is that you may have already identified a behavior you needed to change and had done so prior to the investigator reaching out to you. Engaging in self-analysis, reviewing our practice, and questioning our decisions are part of the learning process.

While taking responsibility is not a “get out of jail free” Monopoly card (the licensing board does NOT jail people, by the way!), demonstrating to the investigator and the licensing board that you see where you slipped and what you will do differently going forward can have a positive impact.

If you have experienced a therapeutic rupture, you hopefully can relate. When a

therapeutic rupture occurs, the therapist must work to regain the trust of the client. Likewise, with complaints, the therapist needs to demonstrate they are working at regaining the trust of the public. The role of the licensing board is public protection. Show how you get that. Demonstrate how you have learned from the situation and how you will conduct yourself and your practice differently going forward.

With so many issues we are all facing, we need you. We need you to be ethical. Learn and grow. Engage in opportunities to analyze your behavior as a critical element in maintaining strong ethical behavior.