OH- Therapist hired by diocese loses license
For immediate release: Monday, August 18, 2014
For more info: Judy Jones (636) 433-2511, [email protected], David Clohessy of St. Louis (314) 566-9790 cell, [email protected]
Therapist hired by diocese loses license
He counseled several clergy sex abuse victims
And he was used to evaluate prospective clerics
Board found “{he} acted inappropriately with a client”
SNAP says his recommendations are now “questionable”
Group wants bishop to let victims choose their own therapist
A psychologist who worked for the Youngstown diocese in two roles has lost his license for having an inappropriate and non-professional relationship with an adult client.
Psychologist D. Terence Heltzel, in a four page “consent agreement” with the State Board of Psychology, admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with one of his female clients.
According to the consent decree “The Board received a complaint from an adult female alleging that Dr. Heltzel acted inappropriately towards her during her during her final therapy session.”
“The Board and Dr. Heltzel agree that (he) established a professional psychological psychotherapy relationship with (this client) when (she) sought help following the deaths of two family members (and) entered into a non-professional relationship with (her),” the decree says.
“This psychologist dealt with possible victims and possible predators but is guilty of misconduct himself,” said David Clohessy, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “Now, already wounded victims have been hurt again because of the very poor choice by Youngstown Catholic officials to hire Heltzel.”
“We suspect that Heltzel has tested and evaluated dozens of prospective Youngstown area priests, seminarians and deacons and maybe lay employees over years and years,” said Judy Jones of SNAP. “Now his judgments about those church staff – and their suitability for employment – are in serious doubt.”
“And from the victims' perspective, imagine the pain they feel when they bare their souls to a church-recommended and church-paid therapist, only to find out that he too engages in predatory behavior,” said Jones.
“Bishop Murry should reach out to anyone who was directed to Heltzel and encourage them to speak up if they were hurt,” said Clohessy. “It's inherently hurtful – and illegal – for mental health professionals to abuse their authority and power to sexually exploit clients.”
SNAP also noted that Bishop Murray has not responded to their letter requesting that he hold an open public meeting to discuss child molesting clerics in the diocese, including Deacon Ernest Formichelli who was exposed last week as an allege abuser. It was sent a week ago.
Heltzel was represented by Glennon Karr, a lawyer in Columbus ([email protected], 614-848-3100 ). Two others signed the consent decree are Assistant Attorney General Roger F. Carroll ( [email protected], 614-466-8600) and board member Dr. Suzanne Lesure (330- 722-4166).
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
Showing 6 comments
Both the predatory priests and psychologist have much in common. Both exploited power differentials to gain access to victims. They exploited the most basic human principal of trust. It is disheartening that there are no real consequences for this behavior. Many priests and this psychologist are allowed to surrender a license or get moved to a rectory “away from the children”. Unfortunately, the catholic church has deep pockets and may purchase pedophile protection at will. Most disturbing, is the clergy’s exemption from state reporting laws. If a bishop or other church official has knowledge of priest abusing children or others; the first call should be to the police. Failure to do this should be criminal as it is for teachers, counselors and all other state mandated reporters. In this case, the call likely went to a psychologist guilty of the same predatory types of behaviors. It took the psychologist’s victim nearly 20 years to come forward. Perhaps she has felt the way many of us have felt, that it was her fault, that no one would believe her. I commend her courage to come forward and expose this fraud. I encourage any other victims or former patients of Dr. Heltzel to come forward and report any issues experienced during their church sponsored care or as a client of Dr. Heltzel in other capacities. Predatory behavior NEVER happens just once. Bishop Murray’s lack of courage and conviction in transparent dealings with the issue of sexual abuse is sad and disgusting. He should be formally charged with a crime for his failure to report known crimes against children.