Look, I’m not here to defend the BBS (California’s Board of Behavioral Sciences) or any other licensing board. They’re not your friend. They require deeply flawed exams that even they know don’t work. Their disciplinary guidelines, especially around substance use issues, are unreasonably punitive. They are notoriously unresponsive. There are a lot of problems there. But it’s also true that most complaints about the BBS are based on flat-out falsehoods.
complaints
Should your treatment contract have an arbitration clause?
![By English: Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i0.wp.com/www.psychotherapynotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/256px-USMC-110310-M-5396M-008.jpg)
As I often tell my students, a client can sue their psychotherapist for anything. It doesn’t mean the client will win, but they can sue. Even if you as the therapist have done everything right, staring down a lawsuit can be incredibly stressful and time-consuming. It’s little wonder that health care professionals would want to find any way possible to avoid that risk.