B.C.'s lack of oversight for counselling therapists leaves no recourse, says patient

A Vancouver artist and writer is raising concerns over the lack of a provincialoversight body for counselling therapists in B.C.

BernadineFox claims she documented and reported her own former therapist's inappropriate behaviour for years, but the counsellorfaced no legal repercussionsand was able to continue treating clients.

"As a therapist you're put in a position of absolute trust," Fox toldCBC'sB.C. Almanac host GloriaMackarenko.

"It was her job to keep those boundaries in check and that's not what was happening."

Fox describes a therapist-client relationship that slowly became romantic. She claims her counsellor who she is choosing not to name gave her medical power of attorney and discussed sessions with other clients.

"She was betraying the confidence of other clients, and ultimately I would find out that she betrayed my confidence as well with those people," said Fox.

Membership not mandatory

She reported her counsellor to the BCAssociation of ClinicalCounsellors(BCACC), and the therapist resigned her membership.But membership in theBCACCis voluntaryand isnot a requirement in orderto charge clients forcounsellingservices.

On top of that,like other organizations of its kind, theBCACChas no ability to punish its members, aside from revoking their membership.

"No matter how much the associations do to set standards and enforce standards, they lack the authority to really make it stick when it counts," Federation of Associations forCounsellingTherapistsin B.C. chair Glenn Grigg toldMackarenko.

The groupcomprises 12 professional associations similar to and includingtheBCACC, represents over 5,000 therapists andhas been advocating for a provincial oversight body for decades.

Grigg says the rigorousregistration processes, qualityassurance programsand client complaint protocols that many member associationsalready have in place need to be made legally binding, possibly under the Health Professions Act, or withthe creation of a B.C. college of therapistsor similar government body.

Unavoidable accountability

"If a college is in place, there's no way to avoid accountability short of going on the lam and moving to the north pole," he said.

Grigg has been collaborating with what he calls senior government officials to make such a college a reality, saying B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake is supportive of the initiative.

"We've seen nothing but diligence, understanding and good will from them. They're working hard on this file," Grigg said.

"Our duty as counsellors is to keep this collaboration alive, to bring it out to the public, because in the past we've gone back and we've found that we've dropped off the to-do list."