Combining my clinical & ethical expertise creates a stronger defense for faster & better outcomes

I got my letter and thought I could just call, talk to them, and get this misunderstanding sorted out. I was so naive. I had no idea that the person I was speaking with didn’t have a mental health counseling license, and everything that I sent and told them was ultimately going to be used against me. I can’t believe they even filed charges. I thought surely when I met with the board to discuss this issue, they would see that I had done nothing wrong. They didn’t believe me at all, even though I had an attorney helping me throughout the process, even before I replied to the letter. I had to go to an administrative law proceeding. At the first meeting, even the administrative law judge thought I was guilty. I hired Dr. Burns as my ethics consultant right before my absolute last administrative law court proceeding. My attorney and I clearly didn’t know what to say to prove I was innocent because we never got our message across at any time in the process up to that point. She did a deep dive into my case file and provided literal proof, through the ACA Code of Ethics and state law, that I was completely innocent. She was the one the administrative law judge listened to and cited continually in his final ruling that my case be completely dismissed. Thankfully, the board upheld that decision, and I totally won. I only wish I had hired her from the beginning. It’s taken several years and many thousands of dollars. If I had hired her and known how to prove my innocence from the start, I could have saved significant time and money beyond my insurance coverage limits. My only other recommendation is to maximize your State Licensing Board Defense Coverage. Having only the minimum protection was a costly mistake. – AM