psychologist – Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Colorado

Colorado Springs Psychologist Settles With U.S. Attorney’s Office Over Allegations of Improper Insurance Billing

A Colorado Springs psychologist has agreed to pay $86,675.68 to settle allegations that he wrongly billed TRICARE, the United States military health insurance program, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado also entered a consent judgment against the doctor, David Hatfield, age 48, and his company, Development Behavioral Health, Inc. (DBH) in the amount of $1,283,027.04 based on this conduct. If Dr. Hatfield does not make the payments based on the settlement agreement, the government can enforce the consent judgment, which would result in Dr. Hatfield having to pay the entire $1.283 million judgment.

TRICARE is the United States military health insurance program. It pays for, among other things, therapy services to developmentally disabled children who are children of military members. While TRICARE pays for this type of therapy, it does not pay for administrative services.

While Dr. Hatfield billed the TRICARE program for therapy services provided to developmentally disabled children, the United States alleged that from 2008 through 2013, Dr. Hatfield and DBH also improperly submitted hundreds of claims to the TRICARE program for administrative services. In particular, Dr. Hatfield and DBH improperly collected substantial payments from TRICARE on claims for such things as time spent filling out timesheets, time spent for cancelled appointments where no therapy was provided, or time or money spent on supplies or food.

If you know about any improper billing by a mental health professional or mental health facility, we want to talk to you. You can contact us privately by clicking here or by calling 303-789-5225. All information will be kept in the strictest confidence. We welcome your comments on this article below.

Colorado Springs Psychologist Arrested For Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Her Military Client

A licensed psychologist in Colorado Springs was arrested December 31 and charged with sexually assaulting a client who is a combat veteran.

Dr. Janice Husted is accused of having a sexual relationship with a young man assigned to her to receive counseling related to his combat deployments.

Husted states in her online Healthcare Professions Profile that she is employed by the U.S. Department of Defense at Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson.

The victim told investigators that when sexual relations started, Husted told him to keep it a secret.

In Colorado, sexual assault on a client by a psychotherapist is a class 4 felony. Colorado law prohibits psychologists from any sexual contact with a client during the period of therapy and for two years following (Colorado Revised Statutes 12-43-222).

Sexual contact between therapists and patients appears to be far more widespread than reported. In a 1993 British study of therapist-patient sexual contact, one in four (25%) psychologists reported they had treated a patient who had been sexually involved with a previous therapist.

If you have been sexually assaulted by a psychiatrist, psychologist, or therapist, file a complaint with the police. Provide a copy of the complaint to your nearest CCHR chapter, which can assist you in getting your complaint investigated and prosecuted. (For the location of the nearest CCHR chapter, click here.)

You can contact us privately by clicking here or by calling 303-789-5225. All information will be kept in the strictest confidence. We welcome your comments on this article below.

Pueblo City Schools To Correct Non-Compliance With State Law Safeguarding Children

Two months after the Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Colorado (CCHR) first contacted the office of the Superintendent of Pueblo City Schools, the school district will begin to take action on adopting policy to safeguard schoolchildren that has been required by state law since 2003.

(See “Pueblo School District Fails To Explicitly Prohibit Teachers From Pushing Psychiatric Drugs.”)

C.R.S. 22-32-109(1)(ee) requires school district Boards of Education to adopt policy that explicitly “prohibit[s] school personnel from recommending or requiring the use of a psychotropic drug for any student.” The law further mandates that behavioral testing of students requires prior written permission from the parents and prior written disclosure to the parent of what will be done with the test results.

The response from the office of Superintendent Maggie Lopez to CCHR’s initial public records request was slow and vague. CCHR then sent a complaint to the president of the district’s Board of Education, in keeping with guidelines set by the Colorado Department of Education. A complete response was received from the school district today.

The first reading of policy revisions containing the required statutory language will occur at the August 4 Board meeting, according to Greg Sinn in the district’s public relations office. The third and final reading necessary for adoption is expected in September.

Psychotropic (mind-altering) drugs carry dangerous, even life-threatening side effects, especially for children. (Adverse reactions to psychiatric drugs, as detailed in research studies, warnings from international regulatory authorities and reports to the FDA, can be accessed through CCHR International’s psychiatric drug side effect search engine.)

Psychiatric drugs also do not address the real, underlying problem(s) the child is experiencing, which may be a lack of additional instructional help, poor nutrition, or an undiagnosed physical condition.

Due to CCHR’s efforts, Pueblo City Schools becomes the twenty-first Colorado school district to date taking steps to remedy a long-standing non-compliance with this state law.

If you or someone you know has been pressured by school personnel to put a child on psychiatric drugs, we want to talk to you. You can contact us privately by clicking here or by calling 303-789-5225. All information will be kept in the strictest confidence. We welcome your comments on this article below.

First-Person Story: Aurora Public Schools as a Feeder Line to the Psychiatric Drugging of Children

Children are continually “under the microscope” of the school psychologist

This mother’s story illustrates how psychologists and psychiatrists have turned schools from places of learning into psychiatric clinics, “diagnosing” millions of schoolchildren with ADHD and other “mental disorders” that have no valid scientific basis, then pressuring parents to drug their children. For more information, read “Child Drugging: Psychiatry Destroying Lives”. For information on the dangers of ADHD and other psychiatric drugs, click here.

My 7-year-old son attended an elementary school in the Aurora public school system last year. A couple of weeks after my son started school, he began to experience some problems in keeping up with the schoolwork.

I volunteered to help in my child’s classroom a few hours per week. I observed that the teacher was pushing ahead with the subject matter before many children had a chance to fully grasp it, and that words were being used that the children did not understand. I understood why my son was becoming inattentive and unwilling to do his schoolwork in class.

I also witnessed the extent to which a school psychologist was present in the classroom. Almost every time I spent time in that classroom, a psychologist came in and took notes while watching these kids. I realized that this monitoring of the children was constant – that they were all being “put under the microscope” to find “abnormal” behavior. I know that there were at least a few children in the classroom who were already considered to be “behavior problems.”

At the parent-teacher conferences for my son, I was surprised that two school psychologists also attended. They discussed how my child’s behavior was the problem. I told them the real cause was educational issues and that an educational approach was needed.

The teacher suggested a problem-solving team (“PST”) meeting about my son with a group of teachers who worked together to find solutions for students who needed help. At the PST meeting, a school psychologist was again in attendance. The words “hyper” and “attention” were used numerous times. The school psychologist took over the conversation. She wanted my son in one of her behavioral groups, and although “ADHD” was not mentioned outright, it was quite obvious that was what she had concluded about my child. I knew that I would be pressured to put my child on an ADHD drug next. I had already heard the classroom teacher praising another mother for putting her child on an ADHD drug.

I did not consent to my son being in this behavioral group. I had actually put a good amount of time learning about “ADHD” and was aware of the fact that there was no scientific evidence of its existence. I said I would take the matter into my own hands and work with my child on his educational needs. The school psychologist then responded that if she observed “symptoms” in a child, she was “required to report it.” I felt she was subtly threatening me. I felt that under pressure from the school psychologist, the school would continue to push for labeling my son with a mental disorder and putting him on drugs.

I removed my son from the school district, deciding instead to home-school him with the Applied Scholastics Online program. It has allowed me to assess exactly what was previously missed in my child’s education and to zero in on any areas that need extra work. Best of all, he is having a blast and is learning like a thirsty sponge!

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If you have experienced pressure from school personnel to have your child labeled with a mental disorder and drugged, and you want to talk about it, we want to talk to you. Email us or call 303-789-5225. All inquiries and communication will be handled in strictest confidence. We will take action.