THERAPISTS AIR THEIR FEELINGS ABOUT WATCHDOGS : GROUP PROMPTS CHANGE IN WAY STATE REGULATORS INVESTIGATE CLAIMS.

Byline: Steve Geissinger Associated Press 

As therapists, Lynn Steinberg and Judith Sherven had heard many stories of abuse. Then, they say, it happened to them.

The abusers, as they saw it, were state regulators who oversee therapists. Steinberg was accused of allowing an assistant to have a personal relationship with a client, while Sherven was charged with using unorthodox methods, including sitting on a patient's lap.

Both women claim they were victimized by a quasi-legal system that relies on the testimony of mentally troubled patients and investigations conducted by law enforcement officers with little or no psychological expertise.

``I couldn't believe it was happening in America,'' Steinberg said. ``The more I learned, the more outraged I got.''

In response, Steinberg and Sherven helped organize the Professional Advocacy Network two years ago to watch the government watchdogs. Along with the California Psychological Association, PAN has helped bring about some changes in the way investigations are handled.

Therapists facing charges ``are so humiliated and depressed, they hide,'' Steinberg said. ``Those are the people whose lives are destroyed.''

Bruce Ebert, chairman of the state Board of Psychology, said he agrees some changes may be needed. But he warned: ``The board is a consumer protection entity. We are not in the business of promoting the guild interests of psychologists.''

An average of more than 500 therapists a year are accused of wrongdoing in California. The Board of Psychology opens investigations in about a third of the cases and takes actions that include revoking the licenses of about 40 psychologists each year.

Steinberg, a Los Angeles social worker, was never charged and denied knowledge of her assistant's relationship with a patient. But regulators told her the case would stay on her record and the case would remain open pending any new accusations.

Sherven, a Los Angeles psychologist, was accused of sexual misconduct with a client - primarily sitting on his lap. Sherven said she was using experimental therapy. The state ruled Sherven's methods outside accepted standards and placed her on probation.

Sherven said the stress of the inquiry forced her into therapy herself. She said that she suffered sleeplessness, some colleagues avoided her and she spent $75,000 on her defense and all but ceased her practice.

``I don't know if anyone ever fully recovers from this kind of shock and horrific unfairness,'' Sherven said.

Initially, many therapists dismissed Sherven and Steinberg as disgruntled wrongdoers. But as the number of therapists complaining about investigations grew, the California Psychological Association joined the fight against regulators.

The Board of Psychology responded to the calls for reform by encouraging more mediation between the person filing a complaint and the therapist, Ebert said. Greater emphasis is also being placed on counseling psychologists about accepted practices.

In addition, the rules on expert testimony have been tightened to help ensure accuracy.