Board disciplines mental health counselor Charles Lunden, relative to treatment of patient who committed suicide

December 23, 2011

On July 12, 2011, the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE) suspended licensed professional counselor Charles Lunden, but stayed the suspension and required him to complete 11 total hours of continuing education addressing comprehensive mental health assessment and risk assessments.

Lunden provided three sessions of therapy between 12/21/07 and 1/22/08 to a client who committed suicide on 2/1/08. It was found that Lunden had performed neither a complete behavioral health assessment nor a sufficient risk assessment.

Lunden’s consent for treatment forms did not include all the required elements for consent and he did not sign his progress notes. Further, he did not maintain an organized records management system and initially unable to locate the patient’s records when contacted by an attorney representing the bereaved family.

Source: Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners, disciplinary action report, 2011.