Elliot Olsen, an attorney with Pritzker Ruohonen & Associates in Minneapolis, recently settled a claim on behalf of a victim of sexual abuse by her male psychologist. The victim is a young woman in her early 20's who began seeing the therapist to help her deal with the emotional aftermath of an amicable yet painful divorce. Almost immediately, the therapy sessions turned flirtatious, with the therapist quickly confessing his emotional and physical attraction to the woman. Over the ensuing months, the relationship became more involved, with the parties exchanging poetry, photographs, gifts, and other tokens.

After several more months, the therapist terminated the counseling relationship but continued to see the woman outside of his office. Eventually, the therapist had sexual intercourse with her. When the relationship became even more intense, the therapist agreed to leave his wife but later backed out. The relationship then began to deteriorate, and the woman eventually came to realize that her relationship with the therapist was wrong.

The case was recently settled for a confidential, yet substantial sum. Commenting on these types of cases, Olsen said, "It is very common for a victim to avoid bringing a claim against a therapist, or even reporting the therapist, because of the victim's powerful belief that they were a willing participant in the relationship." Nothing could be further from the truth, in Olsen's view, in light of the inherent imbalance of power in the relationship.

"The typical victim comes to the therapist for help and it is 'a given' in these cases that the victim is emotionally vulnerable," explained Olsen. Because of the vulnerability of the victim, according to Olsen, the law in almost every state protects the victim and makes such contact actionable in a court of law for money damages. Furthermore, the law recognizes that the victim is deemed incapable of consenting to the relationship. The damage rendered by such a therapist is often severe, with the victim requiring more intensive counseling and with collateral damage to the victim's marriage or job.

Olsen hopes that cases such as this will help women realize that they are not willing participants in their sexual relationships with the church priest, psychiatrist, or therapist and that they have valid legal recourse.