Cumberland River Comprehensive Care

Are you a student or the parent of a student who was “counseled” by an employee of Cumberland River Comprehensive Care (CRCC)?

Are you a former employee of CRCC?

CRCC (or “CompCare,” as it’s referred to by some people) is a provider of a broad range of mental health services and operates in an eight-county area in southeastern Kentucky.

Among the services they provide is “Child/Family Intervention.” This consists of a unlicensed counselor who is considered a “guest” at the school and who makes contact with certain students, supposedly because they  need mental health assistance.

While the CompCare employee manual probably describes their job in different terms, what they really do is target kids from low-income families and work up a file on them which is then used to justify putting the child under the care of CompCare, for which they can bill Medicaid (the federal health care program for lower income people).

Some people will say this is a good thing.

Some people know that it’s not because they’ve seen the harm that’s come to their kids when some counselor labels them with “ADHD” or “bipolar” and gets them started on drugs.

If you would like to report what occurred and find out what can be done about it, please e-mail me or leave a comment and I will contact you.

Regards,

Sue

Washington Dept. of Health charges counselor Dana Blyze with sex with client

On May 27, 2011, the Washington State Department of Health (DoH) issued a Statement of Charges against registered counselor affiliate Dana Blyzes, alleging unprofessional conduct and professional misconduct.

Specifically, sometime during November 2010, while employed as a counselor with Sunrise Community Mental Health (in Bothell, Washington), Blyzes engaged in sexual intercourse with a patient of the facility to whom she had provided treatment sessions to weekly, from September 24, 2010 to December 21, 2010.

Source: Statement of Charges in the Matter of Dana Blyzes, Credential No. CAAR. CG.60188702, No. M2011-619, State of Washington Department of Health.

 

Indiana mental health counselor Heather Richardson loses license for sex with client

On December 17, 2010, the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board suspended indefinitely mental health counseling Heather L. Richardson for no less than two years for having engaged in a sexual relationship with a client.

According to the Board’s Order, in May 2009, Richardson, who then worked at the Center for Mental Health (“the Center”), disclosed to a co-worker that she was involved in a sexual relationship with one of her clients.

Her supervisor and human resources director at the Center were made aware of this and she admitted the same to them.

She was advised to not see or contact the client in the future because her behavior could be therapeutically damaging to the client.  She agreed that this would be better for the client.

She was then discharged from her employment at the Center.

Center employees contacted the client, who confirmed the sexual relationship and also his intention to continue seeing Richardson.

The document states that Richardson is currently engaged to be married to the client.

Source: Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order, in the Matter of the License of Heather L. Richardson, M.H.C., License No. 39001802A, Before the Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board, Cause Number 2010 BHSB 013.

Mental health counselor Paul Cartone placed on probation for instances of fraud and misrepresentations

On November 4, 2010, the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners placed licensed professional counselor Paul Cartone on probation with terms and conditions for what constitutes numerous instances of fraud and misrepresentations.

Cardone owns A New Day Counseling Center (“ANDCC”), which has two locations in Arizona though  Cartone himself lives in New York and employs independently licensed behavioral health professionals to provide psychotherapy to ANDCC clients.

Due to his location, Cartone does not have routine access to client records though he oversees all ANDCC billing activities.  Two therapists provide a range of therapy services to ANDCC clients.  The Board’s document indicates that Cartone committed the following:

• Completed insurance billing documents for services delivered by the two therapists but acknowledged that he was not aware that different billing codes were to be used, depending on the type of service provided.

• Completed insurance document without reviewing client records or speaking either o the therapists to ensure their information provide the insurance companies was accurate.

• Failed to maintain any insurance claim forms.

• Signed insurance claims forms as if he had provided the services, though they were provide by the aforementioned therapists.

• Signed the names of the two therapists on claim forms without their permission and without noting that he was signing on their behalf.

• Failed to maintain billing documentation including the date of each claim, the service billed for, the diagnosis, payment source, etc.

• According to the Board’s document, in 2007, one of the therapists provided marital counseling to a client and his wife.  Cartone was aware that the client’s insurance did not provide reimbursement for marital counseling so instead of representing that they’d participated in marriage counseling, Cartone submitted individual therapy claims for their sessions.

The Board’s document contains other violations.

Terms of Cartone’s probation include 24 months clinical supervision and a practice audit.

Source: Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners Adverse Action Tracking Form, December 2010.

Mental health counselor Mary D. Hein charged with sexual exploitation of client, asking him to kill her husband

In October 2010, Wisconsin mental health counselor Mary D. Hein (a.k.a. Mary D. Duncan, who is listed by the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing as holding a professional counselor training license), was charged with three counts of sexual exploitation by a psychotherapist, one count of solicitation of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of obstructing an officer.

Specifically, she is accused of having sex with one of her clients and then asking him to kill her husband.

According to the criminal complaint filed against Hein, the client reported that Hein drugged him and had sex with him at his home in November 2009 and again in January and February 2010, during which time she requested he kill her husband.

The client, who had no intention of killing the husband, reported it to police.

Source: “Mary Hein charged with sexual exploitation,” WISN.com, October 12, 2010.

Arizona counselor William L. Riedel convicted of drugging and sexually molesting 11-year-old girl

A judge on sentenced a Mesa man to 20 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor and 15 years in prison for child molestation, attempted child molestation, attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and unlawful administration of drugs.

In addition to that prison time – the sentences will run back to back – William Lewis Riedel also got lifetime probation on two other charges.

Riedel, a former family counselor, was arrested in January 2008.

According to investigators, Riedel, who was 43 at the time, convinced his then girlfriend to give her 11-year-daughter sleeping pills – they told the child they were allergy pills – and then the couple took pictures as they molested her. This happened in 2006 and went on for three months.

It all came to light nearly two years later when the daughter of Riedel’s new fiance found the pictures on Riedel’s computer. She told her mother and the mother contacted the police.

Investigators confiscated the computer and found a variety of disturbing images or Riedel with the victim. They said the victim appeared to be drugged or unconscious in all of the pictures. Police said they also found other images depicting child pornography.

Riedel allegedly told investigators he “groomed” the victim’s mother, teaching her and encouraging her to take part in the molestation.

Riedel eventually pleaded guilty to the counts for which Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Paul McMurdie sentenced him.

Source: Catherine Holland, “Mesa man gets 35 years in child molestation case,” http://www.azfamily.com, February 11, 2011.

Kansas City mental health counselor accused of being pot dealer

On December 17, 2010, Kansas City (Kansas) licensed professional counselor Thomas Whiteford Scott was charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of felony drug paraphernalia, among other charges.

Source: “Psychotherapist accused of being marijuana dealer,” Kansas City Star,” December 17, 2010.

Prosecutors bring additional charges against therapist Thomas P. Jewell; already facing child porn charges

In December 2010, Contra Costa (California) County prosecutors amended the charges against marriage and family therapist Thomas P. Jewell.

Jewell had initially been arrested on child pornography charges last November, after police found a large amount of such material in his home.

Jewell had been employed for several years by the mental health division at Contra Costa County Health Services, assigned to Juvenile Hall.

Investigators found 13,000 images of child pornography on computers seized from Jewell’s home in November.

The complaint against Jewell was amended when one of the victims was identified in the images.

Jewell was additionally charged with 46 counts of child molestation, one count of posing a child for the purpose of pornography, one county of showing pornographic material to a child and one count of possession of child pornography.

His bail was increased from $1 million to $5.8 million in light of the molestation charges.

Source: Robert Salonga, “Contra Costa Juvenile Hall counselor arrested in child pornography case,” Contra Costa Times, 18 November 2010 and ”Youth counselor charged with porn, molestation,” Associated Press, December 6, 2010.

Mental health counselor Joshua Johnmeyer charged with Medicaid fraud

On December 7, 2010, the Missouri Attorney General announce that licensed professional counselor Joshua Johnmeyer was charged with four felony counts of Medicaid fraud, one count of obstruction and one count of stealing by deceit.

Johnmeyer is charged with submitting false claims for payment to Medicaid for mental health counseling services he did not perform and for supplying the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with false patient records with the intention to defraud the state.

He is further charged with billing the state for more than $3,600 in false claims from January to September 2009.

Source: Emily Rittman, “Missouri Attorney General: Springfield counselor faces six felony counts in Medicaid fraud case,” KSPR-33 (ABC-TV affiliate), December 7, 2010.

Mental health counselor guilty of fraud; saw patients and billed insurance despite revoked license

A former clinical counselor in the Finlay, Ohio-area has pled guilty to insurance fraud. Authorities say John Blain Frankenburg, also known as Blain J. Frankenburg, fraudulently billed two insurance companies more than $82,500.

Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson said a joint investigation by the Ohio Department of Insurance, the Findlay Police Department and the Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office led to the guilty plea.

Frankenburg is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 27, 2011, in Hancock County Common Pleas Court.

The department received a complaint in October 2009 that alleged Frankenburg was seeing patients and billing insurance companies for services he provided although he was no longer licensed to perform such services in the state.

In 2004, the State of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board suspended Frankenburg’s license for three years after it was alleged he had a sexual relationship with a patient. He voluntarily surrendered his license in 2007 after he failed to meet the terms of the consent agreement he signed in 2004.

Frankenburg pled guilty to one count of insurance fraud on December 6, 2010, for fraudulently billing the insurance companies from 2004 to 2009.

Source: “Former Ohio clinical counselor pleads guilty to insurance fraud,” Insurance Journal, December 15, 2010.