Counselor sanctioned after refusing intoxication test at child advocacy center
The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing administers the state's Board of Nursing and Board of Behavioral Health Professionals as well as other licensing boards. (Main photo by Getty Images; logo courtesy State of Iowa)
A Quad-City social worker who was fired after refusing to be tested for intoxication at work has been sanctioned by state regulators.
The Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals recently charged social worker Jaime L. Roggenbauer of Bettendorf with knowingly making misleading or untrue statements in the practice of social work, or engaging in unethical conduct harmful to the public, by attempting to practice social work while intoxicated. The board also accused her of interfering with her previous employer's information technology systems.
According to the board, Roggenbauer had provided counseling services at a children's advocacy center located in Rock Island, Illinois, since January 2022. She was fired on March 19, 2024, the day her co-workers reported that she appeared chatty, animated and unsteady — a departure from her typical demeanor.
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The board alleges that Roggenbauer was fired after she refused a chemical test for intoxication. According to the board, she then changed the password to the center's therapy documentation system, which locked other part-time providers out of the center's database.
Roggenbauer denied the allegations, but to resolve the case she recently agreed to a settlement that entails her license being placed on probation for two years, during which time she will work with a practice monitor.
Court records show that in 2022, Roggenbauer was convicted of first-offense drunken driving.
Other Iowans recently sanctioned by the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals include:
— Kelly Sachau of Sioux City, who is alleged to have maintained a relationship with a patient from April 2021 to the present. According to the board, the patient received therapy services from Sachau while the two maintained a personal relationship. In October 2022, Sachau ended her relationship with the practice group where she worked and took the patient's therapy records and notes with her to her new practice without the patient's written consent. She was charged with failing to comply with ethics guidelines related to patient boundaries and records.
Sachau denied having a dual relationship with the patient and denied improper handling of client records and information. To settle the case, she agreed to pay a $750 civil penalty and have her license placed on probation for two years during which time she will work with a practice monitor and complete training on ethics, clinical documentation and professional boundaries.
— Trisha Tonelli of Des Moines, who allegedly disclosed confidential information related to the care of a client. She was charged with failing to comply with ethics guidelines on confidentiality, and was issued a warning that similar conduct in the future could result in further disciplinary action. As part of her settlement agreement with the board, Tonelli agreed to complete six hours of ethics training.
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