Roanoke counselors license suspended after inappropriate patient relationship

ROANOKE, Va. A family is seeking justice for their daughter after they believe her life could have been saved had it not been for an inappropriate relationship a Roanoke counselor had with her.

Lynn Nolan said her daughter, Amber Nolan, killed herself after a counselor had an inappropriate relationship with her.

Amber had moved to Star City as a child and eventually returned as an adult. He would even end up getting married in Roanoke.

I convinced her to come back here. She was depressed and missing her horses, she had three horses here. This is where I wanted to be and I convinced her to come back here. I said that’s fine, you’ll see Mego do what you like. She did come back here, now I regret it, Nolan said.

However, Amber had a long history of dealing with mental health issues. His mother says the family has long struggled with mental health issues.

Amber began attending Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare in October 2019 with a history of suicidal thoughts, according to a statement of allegations from the Virginia Counseling Board.

Amber started seeing a counselor named Erica Chuch.

At first, it was clear to Nolan that something didn’t seem right with Amber.

Amber, like I said, walked away from everyone. Her sister, her brother, myself, Leslieshe went there every day with her godsons and she loved being there. He knows the woman he was with, he’s getting away from everyone, Nolan said.

Amber and Ericas relationship would go from a therapeutic one to something more romantic and sexual.

Then start a relationship with her, a sexual relationship with my daughter, where on April 22, he moved her to his house, Nolan said.

Ms. Church had a dual relationship that turned into a romantic and sexual relationship with Client A that resulted in harm to Client A, according to the report of allegations.

Church responded to inquiries from the Virginia Department of Health Professions, telling investigators that she and Client A became friends in April 2022.

Ms Church provided Client A with her personal mobile phone number in late March 2022 with frequent and often lengthy phone calls thereafter, according to the allegations. In April 2022, Client A started staying at Ms. Churchs and, when Client A awoke from the nightmares, Ms. Church talked to Client A about his nightmares.

Church resigned from Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare in May 2022, according to documents in the case.

By her own admission, Ms Church’s relationship with Client A turned romantic and sexual, according to the allegations. Client A left her spouse and initially moved in with Ms Church and her family, but later moved into separate residences.

The romantic relationship continued until October 1, 2022, when the two got into an argument that led to Amber Nolans death by suicide, according to the allegations.

Amber left her and went home, texted her I want to talk to you, what’s going on?. Erica, the therapist in charge of my daughters mental health and her life, tells my daughter I’m tired of being hurt, Nolan said. Instead of being the professional, service provider she should have been, she contributed to the symptoms and problems that drove her to the edge.

The Virginia Board of Counseling revoked a professional counselor license for Erica Church in a Jan. 5 order.

Nolan said revoking a counselors license is not enough in a case like this. In fact, Church could get his license back after three years if he can prove to the advisory board that he is no longer a danger to society.

What is the way to change this law. There should be something in place, there should be something in the law for anyone who is dealing with a provider who has done an act so egregious that it caused permanent harm, Nolan said.

Blue Ridge Behavioral Healths Clinical Director Leigh Frazier sent a statement to 10 News.

In response to your request, the employee you referenced terminated his employment with Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare on May 4, 2022.

Reflecting on her daughter’s life, Lynn Nolan believes Amber might still be alive today if she hadn’t met Erica.

He deserved to get the help he was looking for, which surprised me. She is so stubborn. It’s a lot like me where I’m surprised I went to get help, I can do it, I don’t need help, Noland said. The fact that she did and ended up with the person she ended up with. Instead of helping her and giving her something that could have benefited her in the way she was looking for, he took his own life.