The Signal from Santa Clarita, California • 21

Sunday, May 17, 1987 Newhall Signal Saugus Enterprise 21 An Abuse Of Power Dealing With Sex Between Therapists And Patients By Hob Stein wanted to make their cases public. If so, that would add credence to the case. Gartrell's group also made a series of recommendations aimed at ensuring committees that investigate such charges act appropriately. Those include having equal representation by female and male psychiatrists and background checks of candidates to see if they have had any history of sexual contact with patients. In addition, ethics committee disciplinary actions would be published in newsletters and state licensing boards would be notified of such decisions.

The latest study, published in the April issue of the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, said 2,760 of the patients who had sex with former therapists were female and 271 were male. In 1,316 of the cases, the former therapist was a psychiatrist, 752 were psychologists, 198 were social workers, 250 were clergy, 157 were lay therapists and 74 were unspecified. In an earlier study, Gartrell had found that 6.4 percent of psychiatrists admitted to having had sexual contact with a patient. Her second report found 98 percent of psychiatrists believed such contact was inappropriate. "Our concern is that the offenders are contining to be offenders and are continuing to abuse other patients," said Gartrell.

"That's a serious problem." United Press International "My gut response is that it's a great idea," said Dr. Carolyn B. Kobinowitz, deputy medical director of the American Psychiatric Association. "But we have considered this and realized there are problems protecting patients' confidentiality." If a patient is willing to come forward publicly to complain about a therapist, the association has procedures in place to investigate and take disciplinary action if the accusation proves true, she said. But if patients do not wish to come forward publicly, requiring their psychiatrist to report the case would violate their right to keep that information confidential, she said.

"Confidentiality and trust are very important," said Robinowitz. Dr. Carol Nadelson, a former president of the association who is a professor of psychiatry at the Tufts University Medical School, said the issue raises complex legal issues that would not be solved by mandatory reporting. "There's absolutely no question about the seriousness of this," said Nadelson. "I think it's a criminal act myself.

But we have to recognize that this is a serious problem for all the helping professions, not just psychiatry." She said states should take steps individually to establish procedures that would protect the reporting psychiatrists from being sued by the accused therapist. But Gartrell said a reporting mechanism could be set up that would protect patients' confidentiality. If patients do not wish to come forward, psychiatrists should still be required to report that they were aware of a potential case of misconduct by a particular psychiatrist. They would name the psychiatrist but not the patient. No action would be taken against the accused psychiatrist until a patient was willing to come forward publicly.

At that time, the psychiatrists who had made previous reports would be contacted to see if those patients now such sexual relationships were harmful to the patient, only about 8 percent reported the cases to the American Psychiatric Association or to a legal authority such as a state licensing board. The APA bars psychiatrists from becoming sexually involved with patients because such relationships take advantage of patients and interfere with their treatment. Based on the findings, Gartrell and her colleagues recommended that the association require psychiatrists to report such cases to its ethics committees. "We would like to see that made into a national effort so that when psychiatrists learn about sexual abuse by a colleague they are required to report the name of the psychiatrist," said Gartrell. While agreeing sex betweeen therapists and patients is wrong and a problem, other psychiatrists disagreed with requiring mandatory reporting.

Such reporting could violate patients confidentiality, they said. Boston A new study has rekindled debate over what should be done to identify and punish therapists who have sex with their patients. "The bottom line is that this is a serious problem in the mental health professions," said Dr. Nanette Gartrell, a researcher from the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston who headed the study. "It represents an abuse of power by a therapist, who is supposed to be in a helping role.

The therapist is seeking to satisfy his own needs rather than taking care of the needs of the patient," she said. In the third in a series of studies, Gartrell and colleagues at Harvard University found that 65 percent of 1,423 psychiatrists who were surveyed said they had treated patients who said they had been sexually involved with former therapists. While 87 percent of the surveyed psychiatrists said i)y believed 1 JV" i 1 I 1 I At -1 LIPP PSYCHOLOGIST- AGGRESSIVE Fruga! Newsstand Operator Leaves Being assertive and being sensitive go in hand. Before you move from one to the next, you assess how the person has reacted to the previous You may need to explain your at length, for example, before other person is ready to hear what happened. DR.

JAYNE ASSERTIVE IS NOT Being assertive is not th-. same as being aggressive, which is often a form of angry behavior, fyptcoil motivated by a desire to seem powerful. Assertiveness is motivated, rather, by a desire for effective action and a decision to define exactly what you want or do not want from someone else. It involves a clear plan for attaining the goal you desire and understanding how others will act in the process. Think about assertiveness as a three-step process as you plan your approach.

Your first step is to tell the other person, This is how I feel." Then you say, "This is what has happened." Your third step is to ask, "What can we do about it?" hand stop other one. feelings the has Sacramento, Calif. A frugal newsstand operator who died at age 76 left $67,504.80 in cash, most of it in a paper sack on the floor by his bed in his $150-a-month downtown hotel room. "I knew he never spent anything," said Ray Turner, manager of the Glendale Federal Savings branch on the corner at 10th and streets, where Charles Scheel sold newspapers seven days a week, including Christmas and New Year's. "If you sell papers for more than 20 years and live as frugally as he did, it seems possible that he $67,000 when he was not selling papers, Scheel was known for always having a pleasant greeting for customers.

He was easily recognizable in customary brown shirt and brown pants. He was to be buried on Saturday in a navy blue suit, said a director of the funeral home. "He's going to wear a good quality burial suit that goes for about $88 retail," the director said. "He's going to have a nice service." United Press International mam Lot in UJBTH THE. GREAT il LiJ if could have accumulated that over time." Sacramento County officers inspected Scheel's modest room at the Golden Hotel following his death last week.

Scheel, who will be buried Saturday, failed to show up for work May 8, and was found dead in his room. An autopsy showed he died of heart disease. Several hundred dollars were found in his wallet and in the pockets of his shirt and trousers. There also were $100 and $50 bills stuffed in a white paper McDonald's sack on the floor next aJ li ml 15 Gal. FRUIT TREE YOU ANY QUANTiTY Lrun I ImmJl VmhhJ IuiiiumiJ This Weekly Column Is Presented By Dr.

Jayne LIpp Psychologist Valencia Medical Center 25880 Tournament Ste. 107 259-8833 tt-i to his bed, Ramona Nunes of the public administrator's office said Thursday. Scheel left no known heirs, so his money may end up in the state treasurer's Bureau of Unclaimed Property, she said. "If the family is located, the money will be turned over to his heirs. But so far, we haven't been able to find any relatives," Nunes said.

She said her office arranged for an open casket service in a funeral home Saturday morning, with the $1,865 cost to be deducted from his estate. A loner who kept to himself BUYI HUGE SELECTIONSI NO HEALTHY i A must lo build up your soil. Gil Iht bsstl $rp 68 1 4 CU I I FOOT lrL ot i wuirstii TgSjPTtfll: FIRST COME! FIRST SERVE! 1 nf i Mi i i i 1 1 1 t-i 1 i mwm wm if Jj i it JlijvLJ Yew i iftfoto. LJ wm Mm Mk ANY BOX THEE YOU BUYI LAHlic SKtUIIYltN iHttSI jm I HODSE FROM prSSANY QUANTITY -NO LIMIT jTgl A Coupon expires May 24, 1987 A A. FIRST COME! FIRST SERVE! -LA -jfOAfc.

1 Coupon expires May 24, 1987 FIRST COME! FIRST SERVE! SPECIMEN ras. FULL BODIED CTRA LARGE i. urn 111 Ctl Zj 1 I 1 1 0O's and 1 0O's OF TREES FOR IBER OF TREVES i STOCK YOU TO CHOOSE FROM! ''fiT SANDS! Smil, 'JlCfV4rjBf; a mmwrm mm a ft! l.r.ii','J& w3 VARIETIES TO CHOOSE FROM! IIIJ T.M1.T.V1.T.MIJ i i i r'l ipulif It "MM (TTT Some choice selections Include: Apple, Cherry, Pear, Peach, Nectarine, Apricot, Plum, Almond, Walnut, Asian Apple Pears, Pomegranite many morel White Birch. 7 QIUIIIIH T(iS? hi laiuwmt. tfiuuvvi, .1 ird Pul Cirrotwood, Cilll.

OM iitf miny moril HUGE. HEALTHY 16 QUART FLATS and COLOR PACKS! Bandini FINEST QUALITY! SOB FREE Delivery with 1000 Sq. Ft. Min. F00ThVtr1 AillfAT nniAFA mm Li.

ifumtnon mm 2TL2 a 0 iliac Pit S( Ft Iw By BIim Pk Fl Ik tin NEW luwwi rmuca rfliJA net 1 BAGS VXL 189 AVE NOW) lyTw A rich, organic tnrmyi ttr III I typos of planting selection ol colorful low so iii' trpustgirw bedding i plants AVAILABLE IN ROLLS DMg.lP 1 Vi ITU v0 ITh 011 01.