Accusation of Sexual Misconduct: Assisting in the Complaint Process

In recent years, the number of complaints of sexual misconduct against psychologists has risen dramatically. Despite this increase, women still report great reluctance in filing complaints for disciplinary action against their therapists or trainers. In addition to ambivalent feelings about themselves, institutional barriers within the profession lead women to complain of feeling intimidated and deterred by imposing and labyrinthine complaint procedures. Unfortunately, there is no organizational structure within the profession designed to assist women throughout the complaint process. In this article, the need is established for such a structure, and it is recommended that state and provincial psychological associations reach out to these women and actively offer assistance through the complaint process.