State of Oregon revokes counselor Linda Simpson's license

September 12, 2011

On August 13, 2010, the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists revoked the license of professional counselor Linda L. Simpson for serious misconduct.

The Board’s final order states that Simpson attempted to develop a personal relationship with a client, admitting to the client that she loved him and giving him gifts (including a tin of mints bearing a graphic on the front of a woman with a long tongue sticking out with the caption “Have yourself a sweet, hot little suck.”)

Simpson admitted that within a month of the termination of the client-therapist relationship, she began a “romantic and/or sexual relationship” with the client. Further, Simpson failed to provide the services the client had come to her from.

The client, described as an artist, had sought therapy due to his self-doubts about his abilities and inability to work on his projects. Though he’d requested to focus their sessions on this issue and not past traumas, Simpson nonetheless focused more on past trauma and away from the client’s work concerns, to the point where the client began to have thoughts of suicide.

Lastly, Simpson encouraged the client to e-mail her whenever he felt overwhelmed but after the first e-mail she wrote back immediately and advised him to e-mail her every days so she would know how he was doing. When he didn’t do so, he would receive anxious messages from Simpson asking him to respond immediately—contrary to the service the client requested.

The Board’s order indicates that Simpson allowed her own personal problems to impair her counseling abilities and that she continued to provide services while she was adversely affected a serious personal crisis which she failed to seek appropriate professional assistance for. Simpson waived her right to a hearing.

Source: Final Order by Default Revoking License in the Matter of Linda L. Simpson, LPC, Agency Case No. 2009-029, Before the Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists for the State of Oregon.