State files charges against counselor Sue Whitmore Batson

December 26, 2012

On September 4, 2012, the Washington State Department of Health (DoH) issued a Statement of Charges against counselor and sex offender treatment provider Sue Whitmore Batson.

The DoH’s document states that Batson provided sex offender treatment to a 17-year-old client beginning in April 2007. Batson’s co-facilitator at that time was the client’s probation officer.

Batson’s disclosure agreement described the co-facilitator as a Master’s student completing a degree in counseling; it did not indicate that the co-facilitator was a probation officer or that the co-facilitator’s role was as a probation officer. This created a dual relationship which harmed or created an unreasonable risk of harm to Batson’s clients.

The co-facilitator obtained information about the client during sex offender group sessions and shared the information with the client’s parents during the course of his probation duties. He also had information concerning the client which the client had not shared with his treatment group.

During a group session, the co-facilitator indicated that the client should share the information with the group but the client refused. The co-facilitator grabbed the client by the shirt and directed him out of the room, threatening to have him locked up.

Batson failed to provide her co-facilitator supervision or guidance on how to handle such events in the future and failed as well to handle the incident with the client. Additionally, Batson’s records for the client were deficient in several areas and her record keeping for all clients of a particular program were deficient and unprofessional.