State of Washington charges counselor for sex with patient, unlicensed practice

May 12, 2008

The Washington State Department of Health registered counselor program charged registered counselor Flenn Chrestman with unprofessional conduct and sexual misconduct. According to the Department of Health’s document, Chrestman had, in or around January 2007 been providing services as “Seattle Retrain Your Brain” and “Seattle Functional Health.” The document states that in February 2007, he developed a personal relationship with a client with whom e-mailed personal notes and went on dates. The document states that between February and May 2007, Mr. Chrestman engaged in sexual contact with the client. In approximately July 2007, the Department of Health’s Unlicensed Practice Unit received a complaint alleging that Chrestman might be practicing counseling without a credential. After the Department of Health began investigating the complaint, he applied for a credential to practice as a registered counselor.¹

¹ Statement of Charges, RE: Flenn Chrestman, Case No. M2008-117292, State of Washington Department of Health, 9 May 2008.