Q: If a therapy practice as a whole will not accept registered sex offenders as clients. Do they need to make this known?

If a therapy practice has a policy that they do not see registered sex offenders as clients,

Should this information be made available to you, on their website, or as a screening question?

It wasn't made available to a friend of mine and he started therapy and was seen for 9 months before he opened up to his therapist about his trauma and what happened and told his therapist he is a registered SO because of this, he then finds out that his therapist has to terminate him as client because they have a policy against seeing sex offenders. (The therapist didn't even know about this policy)

So he wasted 9 months establishing a relationship and trust with a therapist.

Legally can anything be done about this?

We have looked on their website, on new patient paperwork and cannot find anything that says this is a policy, he was never asked or told about this upon intake.

(He is not legitimately a sex offender, just has the record that follows you around forever)

1 Lawyer Answer
Peter N. Munsing
Peter N. Munsing
Answered

A: I'm unaware of it. The practice should have asked. He can file a complaint with the licensing board but I dont see anything. However he should contact a member of the State of Washington Trial Lawyers Assn/Assn for Justice--they give free consults.

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