Counselor Laura Cawlo placed on probation for falsified billings

March 17, 2013

On March 15, 2013, the Maryland State Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists placed clinical counselor Laura Cawlo on probation for 18 months with terms and conditions. In May 2011, the Board received a complaint against Cawlo, filed by an administrator of the facility where she worked, stating that Cawlo’s supervisor noted that Cawlo was providing a higher volume of service to clients than other counselors employed at the facility. According to the complaint, the supervisor reviewed records and discovered that Cawlo documented that she was providing services to clients at times when the clients were not signed into the facility and/or not present at the facility; documented the start of some sessions as much as 15 prior to the actual start time and documented conducting a family session and an individual session, when only one session was provided during the indicated time slot. The Board’s own investigation confirmed the complaints. As a result of these falsifications in Cawlo’s billing records, the facility terminated her employment in February 2011.