Therapist Abuse

Note: I changed the content of this page in October 2016. To access the previous content of this page, click here: Complaint Overview which contains a transcript of the complaint I submitted to the therapist's licensing board in September 2010. 
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In July 2008, after spending decades in an authoritarian religious organization, I hired a licensed mental health therapist who specialized in spiritual abuse and cult recovery. I was his client for two years through July 2010.

In September 2010, due to boundary violations (none were sexual), I filed an official complaint with the therapist's state licensing board. The state opened an investigation in December 2010.

Filing that complaint was one of the hardest decisions of my life, and I had no idea the can of worms I had opened. Almost a year after I filed the complaint, the therapist tried to smear my character with vicious verbal assaults filled with false accusations in twelve different online rants and articles. (Click here and scroll down for a detailed timeline of events with corresponding links which contain some of the ex-therapist's own words as he unraveled in August and September 2011. Click here to read My statements addressing John M. Knapp's allegations & accusations posted 8/28/11.)

A few months after his online unraveling, I learned that I wasn't the only client whom he had harmed. I came to believe (and still lean in the direction) that the ex-therapist is on the high end of the scale for sociopathic tendencies, if not an outright sociopath. I do not use that description lightly. 
 The abuse I experienced was psychological, verbal, and emotional; not physical. Because there are no visible physical wounds or scars from psychological abuse, it is sometimes hard to admit, recognize, and believe that "real" abuse took place. That said, it can manifest in the physical via autoimmune diseases, mental illness, and suicide.

Can the trauma be healed? I want to believe it can. I think that even though the imprint is probably forever, the impact can fade over time. The trauma not only affects the victim-survivor, but also his or her family and friends, and thus society.

What are the stages one goes through after such trauma? There are probably an abundance of books and articles written about those stages, or phases. Maybe someday I'll try to put into my own words the phases I myself have gone through. It's complex, to say the least, and is still a work in progress.

How would one know when they've healed from such trauma? I think one sign is when the person doesn't think about it every single day throughout the day. I think another indicator is when the individual can trust themselves once again, or maybe for the first time. More thoughts come to mind which may come out in future blog posts.

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Fortunately, my ex-therapist can no longer prey in the guise of a professional offering "healing for spiritual and cultic abuse." In January 2014, his license was revoked. He was found guilty of professional misconduct along with negligence, incompetence on more than one occasion, and unprofessional conduct.






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Below is a list of a few links which I found helpful when I was trying to come to terms with what happened. Unfortunately, quite a few of the links have since gone defunct.

Ethical Framework for the Use of Social Media by Mental Health Professionals by Online Therapy Institute
Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers 
TELL: Therapy Exploitation Link Line
Speak Out Loud by Clare Murphy
When You Need to File a Complaint Against a Mental Health Care Provider or Facility by Mental Health Association in New York State

Cyber Abuse Awareness by Monica Pignotti
Defamation: Legal Guide by Citizen Media Law Project
State Cyberstalking, Cyberharassment Laws
Stalking Behavior

Potentially Harmful & Other Questionable Therapies by Monica Pignotti
Questioning Dissociative Identity Disorder & Multiple Personalities by Jeanette Bartha
National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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(Last update, October, 2020)