Historical Background In the 1970-1980’s survivors of sexual abuse by therapists brought the devastating malpractice into the national spotlight when they challenged abusive therapists in a hostile legal environment, and won ground-breaking awards. The first three memoirs listed below tell the behind- the- scene stories of these remarkable pioneer women.
Why read them? Survivors may gain insight into their own physical and psychological experiences. Also the #Me Too benefit.
Survivor Stories
Betrayal by Lucy Freeman and Julie Roy
Stein and Day Publishers, 1976
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For 14 months Dr. Hartogs, a prominent New York psychiatrist, engaged in sex with Julie Roy in the guise of providing therapy. In the civil action that followed, a jury awarded Julie punitive and compensatory damages.
Therapist by Ellen Plasil
St. Martin’s/Marek Publishers, 1985
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Ellen Plasil candidly and vividly details how her unscrupulous therapist manipulate her self-doubts, depression, and desire to be healed for his own ends. In a cult-like environment centered around Dr. Lonnie Leonard, Ellen is just one of many who are led into sexually exploitative behavior by her analyst. Convinced that she is crazy and sexually unhealthy she follows his directives without question over a period of five years. Until Greg assures her she is not.
The Killing Cure by Evelyn Walker and Perry Deane Young, 1986
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In a collaborative effort between a survivor and a reporter, the authors first narrate Walker’s treatment by Dr. Zane Parzen, a highly respected psychoanalyst in LaJolla. Evelyn and other patients suffer greatly at the hands of an unscrupulous, disturbed psychiatrist who seduces and abuses them. After Parzen abandons Walker, a lengthy legal drama unfolds. Her first-hand account is interspersed with court records, physicians’ notes, and well-researched historical background about the main actors. In a two-part trial in a California civil court, the jury is instructed to first determine if the case can even be heard given that a malpractice suit must be filed within one year of the date the malpractice occurs. In the second part of the trial, the jury must determine what damages are to be awarded. This is a much more complicated book to follow, but may be attractive to those who appreciate legal drama.
Professional works. With growing alarm at the number of reported cases beginning to surface, mental health professionals took a closer look at a problem that was not only giving them a bad name but was also leading insurers to drop or reduce malpractice coverage for any lawsuits brought against abusive therapists.
Sexual Intimacy Between Therapists & Patients by Kenneth S. Pope and Jacqueline C. Bouhoutsos, Praeger Publishers, 1986
If Becky Starr had had access to this book when she first pursued her case, she might have won. The book is a well-researched composite of contemporary information available at the time of its publication. Drawing from professional ethic statements, surveys of mental health professionals, follow-up therapy with formerly abused clients, and extensive experience on national and local ethics committees, the two authors provide real life direction for patients who have been abused, for therapists, and for lawyers representing those clients who elect to pursue legal action against abusive therapists. They also raise issues related about what can be done to prevent future abuse.
Sex in the Forbidden Zone: When men in power – therapists, doctors, clergy, teachers and others- betray women’s trust by Peter Rutter, M.D., Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.,1989
Bringing his background as a psychiatrist in private practice, an educator and a member of the ethics committee of the Carl C. Jung Institute, Rutter explores the interpersonal dynamics that lead men in positions of power to take advantage of the women they serve. He then counsels women on how to recognize and avoid succumbing to their destructive seduction.
Sex in the Therapy Hour: A Case of Professional Incest by Carolyn M. Bates and Annette M. Brodsky, Guildford Press, 1989
This combines a survivor’s story with a professional analysis of the case. It is more clinical in nature and would appeal to those with a background in mental health training or service delivery.
Untold stories.But what about those barred by a statute of limitations from taking legal action? No staggering civil awards in the millions for them. For most, not even a day in court. The novel A Statute with Limitations fills that void.