State of Washington issues charges against social worker Brian O. Cobb

December 18, 2012

On August 2, 2012, the Washington Department of Health (DoH) issued a statement of charges against independent clinical social worker and sex offender treatment provider Brian O. Cobb.

Between approximately 2006 and 2012, Cobb owned and operated Evergreen Community Treatment Associates in Olympia Washington, a facility providing treatment to sex offenders.

In June 2006, he entered into a one-year contract to provide supervision to a Sex Offender Treatment Affiliate. On approximately October 6, 2008, Cobb sent a letter to the DoH terminating the contract with the affiliate. The DoH’s document states that during the time that he was supervising the affiliate, Cobb failed to adequately supervise the affiliate by, among other things, failing to maintain full documentation of the work done by the affiliate and supervision he provided the affiliate and failing to either correct problems of the affiliate or to end the supervision contract if the affiliate’s work did not protect the interests of the clients and community.

Additionally, between January 2004 and June 2008, Cobb conducted group treatment sessions from a client’s garage, without compensation to the client; required the client to provide housing to another client; required the client to remove a bra from a mannequin and noted how long it took him; allowed visitors to attend group sessions without telling the client who they were or who their presence might affect the confidentiality of clients’ statements and failed to provide the client with a bill for treatment until after the client has completed more than two years of treatment, among other things. The document duplicates many of the same complaints with regard to another client. It also lists out other charges regarding treatment related violations including violations involving his treatment of nine other specific clients.