Bernadine Fox

ReThreading Madness, January 3, 2023Radio/Podcast

URL: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/is-the-mental-health-system-serving-you--52222748

In 2019, Bernadine Fox with cohost, Glen Grigg, sat down with Bethany Lindsay, a CBC reporter, to discuss the Cayton Report & the ways which Regulatory Colleges in BC are letting mental health consumers down. The question asked & left unanswered: “Who is protecting the mental health consumer?” One might think that the state of registering therapists and counsellors in BC to protect clients from unethical ones would have happened here already. It has not. In Oct 2022, BC did introduce the Health Professions and Occupations Act based on the Cayton Report. And while it appears to be comprehensive it continues to leave out the thousands of professionals who work in our mental health field and call themselves therapists or counsellors. Here in BC Canada, anyone, trained or not, can still hang up a shingle call themselves a counsellor and start working with clients.

The BC Government has assured us that now that Bill 36 - the Health Professions and Occupations Act - is complete they will turn their attention to regulating the 1000s of others who operate as therapists in this field. However, this is not the first time this has been promised. In the meantime, BC clients continue to be hurt by untrained and unethical therapists with no recourse and no means of holding them accountable here in BC.

Currently, associations and societies in BC provide professional memberships for counsellors. All have something like a Code of Conduct to which their membership must make a commitment. The Colleges that regulate our Drs, psychiatrists, and psychologists are both now covered under Bill 36. While the Act, in my opinion, has vague descriptions around the issue of exploitation, the Colleges have their own Standards of Practice – they have a zero tolerance for any type of sexual contact or behaviour with clients. Why? Because the dramatic imbalance of power in therapy resembles that which is found in a parent and child relationship. With the vulnerable client is in the “child” position - making full and informed consent is impossible. However, some of these other associations allow therapists to enter into a sexual relationship with their client IF 2 years has passed AND other criteria around the depth and scope of the therapy is not present in the relationship. If they are eventually included under Bill 36, will they be allowed to maintain this different standard of practice? Or will they be required to provide further assurances for client safety?

In my opinion, and I must say I am not sure if my co-host agrees with this or not, there is no means by which any association or society can filter out the unethical therapist on their roster and unfortunately, those unethical therapists have easily manipulated around those variables in the code to make it appear as if they are doing no wrong. In addition, the bylaws of the association give control around any enquiry into a therapist’s inappropriate behaviour to the unethical therapist themselves! After a complaint is lodged, simply resigning their membership closes any investigation into their inappropriate and at times criminal behaviour - leaving the client with no recourse and allowing the unethical counsellor to remain unaccountable. Of note, resigning a membership does not disallow the unethical counsellor from continuing their therapy practice. As mentioned, any person with or without training can hang up a shingle, call themselves a therapist in BC and begin seeing clients. All in all, it is a system that fraught with pitfalls for clients.

(music used "It's Alright by Shari Ulrich)

ReThreading Madness, November 21, 2022Radio/Podcast

URL: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/ethical-boundaries-in-therapy-social-situations--51870233

Bernadine chats with Amy Lyn Johnson, private practice therapist and TELL Responder, about ethical boundaries in therapy and in this short episode we talk about what are the rules around running into your therapist in a social situation like an AA meeting. Amy provides a good framework about how an ethical therapist would handle this.

(music used "It's Alright by Shari Ulrich)

ReThreading Madness, November 22, 2022Radio/Podcast

URL: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/transgressions-and-grooming-in-therapy-abuse-with-amy-lyn-johnson--51868825

Bernadine chats with Amy Lyn Johnson, private practice therapist and TELL Responder, about therapy abuse: what it looks like, boundary transgressions, impact on client. In this podcast, the listener will gain a good preliminary understanding of therapy abuse.

(music used "It's Alright by Shari Ulrich)

ReThreading Madness, December 22, 2022Radio/Podcast

URL: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/finances-issues-in-therapy-abuse-with-analie-shepherd--52222747

Analie Shepherd, author of the Mending the Shattered Mirror: A Journey of Recovery from Abusive Therapy, talks with Bernadine about how an abusive therapist may use finances to further their exploitation. While we most often think of therapist abuse in terms of sexual contact, it is not uncommon to have it include other forms of exploitation one of which is financial. What does that look like? It could be increasing numbers of sessions not because the client needs it but because they can afford it. It could be entering into business arrangements with their clients utilizing their victim's money. It could be allowing a bill to accumulate until it is overwhelming leaving the client vulnerable to other forms of exploitation.

Listeners can get access to further resources at

TELL @ therapyabuse.org

Coming to Voice @ comingtovoice.weebly.com

(music used "It's Alright by Shari Ulrich)

ReThreading Madness, October 4, 2022Radio/Podcast

URL: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/therapy-abuse-a-problem-that-is-increasing-at-an-alarming-rate--51438571

WARNING: Talking about Abuse of Clients by Therapist. Some of this material may be triggering to folks who have experienced this.”

Therapist Abuse is emerging from the shadows and with it recognition of the profound ways it impacts on clients. Bernadine, who has survived therapist abuse with Amy Avalon, a retired private practice therapist and a passionate advocate for survivor of sexual and emotional abuse by therapists and Carolyn Clement, is an award winning family photographer, mother of two, and a survivor of therapy, child, and sibling abuse, offer a candid conversation of their experiences and coping strategies. These conversations are important because as Amy said, “There is wide-spread unethical conduct happening in the psychotherapy field that leaves clients in a worse place than when they started.”

Do you know what ethical boundaries your therapist must adhere to? Are you aware of the damages to you if a therapist transgresses those boundaries? This podcast is a part of a series that examines this area. If you are interested more, follow this podcast so you are informed when the others are published.

(music used "It's Alright by Shari Ulrich)

ReThreading Madness, October 7, 2022Radio/Podcast

URL: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/three-consequences-of-therapy-abuse-unhealthy-dependence-betrayal-and-extreme-ambivalence--51707167

WARNING: Talking about Abuse of Clients by Therapist. Some of this material may be triggering to folks who have experienced this.”

Three Consequences of Therapy Abuse: Unhealthy Dependence, Betrayal, and Extreme Ambivalence. Amy Avalon, a retired private practice therapist and a passionate advocate for suvivor of sexual and emotional abuse by their therapist and Carolyn Clement, an award winning family photographer, mother of two, and a survivor of therapy, child, and sibling abuse, join Bernadine again to discuss the ways in which unethical therapists develop a profound dependence in their client, followed by a deep all-encompassing betrayal which leaves the client in an ambivalent place of Love vs Hate. If you are struggling to frame what happened to you in an unhealthy therapeutic relationship, this series of podcast will offer some insight and guidance.

(music used "It's Alright by Shari Ulrich)

ReThreading Madness, March 4, 2023Radio/Podcast

URL: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/surviving-therapist-abuse-with-author-amy-nordhues--53142725

Trigger Warning: talks about therapy abuse

Amy Nordhues, author of Prayed Upon: Breaking Free from Therapist Abuse, chats with Bernadine about her experience of abuse at the hands of a clergy/therapist in her church. Therapy abuse is getting more and more attention as professionals are beginning to understand the dramatic and profoundly damaging consequences to a client with their therapist transgresses boundaries and exploits them either financially, emotionally, physically, or sexually.

music by Shari Ulrich

ReThreading Madness, March 3, 2023Radio/Podcast

URL: https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53316714/download.mp3

Trigger Warning:
This program deals with the issue of therapy abuse and as such it may have material that folks find triggering of abuse.

Bernadine chats with past guest, Carolyn Clement (award-winning photographer and survivor of sibling, child, and therapy abuse) on her experience of making a complaint with her State Licensing Board around the abuse experienced at the hands of her predatory therapist. She was successful in ensuring this therapist had to relinquish his license to practice. We also discuss the type of harassment she experienced after placing the complaint from him and, shockingly, his wife.

Afterwards, Bernadine outlines some of the ways predatory therapists harass their victims but also what to do about it and how to preserve that harassment as evidence.

Therapy abuse is financial, physical, emotional, and sexual exploitation of a client by a therapist.

music by Shari Ulrich

ReThreading Madness, August 8, 2023Radio/Podcast

URL: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/interview-with-linda-pevac-author-of-a-fire-is-coming-a-memoir-about-therapy-abuse--56406096

Includes a Trigger Warning

Bernadine speaks with Linda Peavac (also known as Emma Stevens) who spoke with us recently about the experience of being an adopted child. Today we are talking about her experience of being exploited by her therapist and her memoir which describes this experience A Fire Is Coming.

Therapy Abuse is an under-acknowledged traumatic issue in our society. There may be folks listening to this program who are not aware that they themselves are in an exploitive relationship with their therapist. And while that may sound extreme and wholly impossible – it is unfortunately not. You see therapists have been given the power in our society to define what is true for their clients… and exploitative therapist will ensure that they are reframing their actions always as good and right and any negative reactions a client has to them as neurotic and crazy. You see clients are all told to go see a therapist and trust that they have their best interest at heart and do what they say. Bernadine also went through a checklist of types of therapist transgressions not to see if this was true for her – but to prove to herself that her relationship with her therapist was the unique and special one that she had been led to believe. To this day, she vividly recalls sitting in front of that computer screen trying to cope with the cognitive dissonance having marked off nearly every one of the 100 or so types of transgressions that were there. So we ask any of you who have seen or are seeing a therapist, to consider that this program may be triggering and to do what you need to do to take care of yourself during this hour.

Music by Shari Ulrich

ReThreading Madness, December 18, 2023Radio/Podcast

URL: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/consent-its-misuse-as-a-weapon-and-a-shield-in-therapy-abuse--58063080

Consent: Its Misuse as a Weapon and a Shield in Therapy Abuse

TRIGGER WARNING: Talk about Therapy Abuse, Sexual assault, and what is consent. Some of this material may be very difficult and we ask that you do what you need to take care of yourself in this hours.

Bernadine discusses consent between adults around therapy abuse where and, in particular, when is a “yes” not a “yes”? It feels like we just got it settled that “no means no”. In this program we ask that you to stretch your cognitive thinking to consider when a yes is not a yes. It may seem too much to ask – but it will make sense by the end of this program why it is important for us to do this. We also discuss BCs new Health Professional and Occupation act regulating our Drs and other health professionals and it’s last revision which seems to provide some protection for victims of therapy abuse but still is questionable along with the problems that can occur with the 2-3 year interval between termination and initiating an intimate relationship with a former client that has been adopted by several association and societies offering professional memberships to therapists.

ReThreading Madness, June 23, 2024Radio/Podcast

URL: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-it-is-a-therapist-who-experiences-therapy-abuse-and-exploitation--60481755

When it is a Therapist who Experiences Therapy Abuse and Exploitation

She came on RTM to talk about her own experience of therapy abuse and exploitation at the hands of her psychologist.  But she is unable yet to do so using her name.  Why?  Because she is also a psychologist who fears retribution for speaking out.  She chats with Bernadine about her experience of therapy abuse, how her husband sought retribution for the 'affair', how she was treated by the tribunal that processed the complaint against her abuser, and how they put her and her child's safety with their actions.  

In the penalty imposed on her psychologist the board stated " Dr. X, you are here today in front of this panel of the (redacted) Discipline Committee to be reprimanded on your conduct as a Psychologist with respect to the allegations to which you have pleaded guilty today. We trust that you understand the severity of your behaviours. You failed to maintain the standards of the profession and engaged in a romantic and sexual relationship with a former client. Dr. X, we hope that you understand the impact that your behaviour has had on the trust and respect placed in our profession by members of the public. In working with a vulnerable person who had not had time to separate from the therapeutic relationship, your actions crossed the boundary between the personal and professional. Your behaviour was disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional."  He lost his license to practice for 12 months, had to take two ethics programs and write essays to prove that he understood what he did was wrong, and pay a penalty.  

After the interview, the woman said that "I think the findings would have looked different had I been more capable of seeing what he did to me. Instead I was in full self-blame mode and didn’t want to ruin his life. I defended him and told the (redacted) I was in love with him and we had a relationship. I tried to claim that as I psychologist I knew what I was doing…I did not. I was unaware at that time of all the havoc his actions created and continued to create in my life. Very sad."

CFRO Vancouver Coop Radio 100.5FMRadio/Podcast

ReThreading Madness is a syndicated radio program which is available on podcast formats after airing across Canada. RTM has been on air for five years and focuses on mental health issues but from an innovative perspective. As opposed to interviewing therapists or professionals about DSM diagnoses, we hand the mics to those with lived experiences and give them agency and voice to define what is true for them in their mental health challenges. Info at www.rethreadingmadness.ca and https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rethreading-madness--5675300

People First RadioRadio/Podcast

URL: https://vancouverislandmentalhealthsociety.org/podcast/re-threading-madness-to-change-the-conversation-around-mental-health/