Mental Health Counselor Suspended for Professional Boundary Violation

Health officials suspended the credential of King County mental health counselor Anca Maria Boudreaux, the Washington State Department of Health reported on Monday.

Boudreaux allegedly committed unprofessional conduct when she crossed professional boundaries with a married patient whom she began a sexual relationship with, DOH investigators found.

The relationship began in December of 2019, the department reports, when she was counseling the patient and their spouse. She continued counseling the patient in question through May 2022 and even gave their spouse a personal loan of $4,500.

The patient was eventually admitted to a mental health facility amid a crisis that, according to DOH investigators, was spurred by their relationship with Boudreaux.

Since then, Boudreaux admitted to having an "inappropriate relationship," which included attending birthday parties at the patient's home and providing meals to their family, the DOH report found.

Boudreaux cannot practice in Washington until the charges against her credential are resolved, according to the DOH. She has 20 days to respond to the charges and to ask for a hearing, the department reports further.