Enforcement, Complaints, and Disciplinary Procedures
Complaints and investigation
The Board receives complaints from clients, employers, agencies, and the public. It may open an investigation, request records, interview witnesses, and inspect the establishment. Licensees must cooperate; failing to respond to a Board inquiry can be a separate violation. The process must provide notice and an opportunity to be heard before discipline.
Discipline
Possible outcomes include dismissal, reprimand, probation, fines, additional CE, suspension, revocation, and restrictions. The Board may also seek cease-and-desist action against unlicensed practice. A criminal acquittal does not automatically end a licensing case because the standards and burdens differ.
Worked example
A therapist is accused of a boundary violation. She posts the client’s name and texts in a private Facebook group to clear my name. The post is a new confidentiality violation and may be evidence of unprofessional conduct, even if the original allegation is unproven. The correct path is to preserve records, respond through counsel or the Board process, and avoid public disclosure.
Traps
Do not assume a complaint is confidential if you are the licensee; comments to others can waive protections. Do not continue practicing during a suspension. Do not destroy records after a complaint. Do not treat a settlement as a no-record outcome if the Board reports it.