VENTURA : Therapist Testifies About Relationship

A prominent Ventura psychologist accused of unprofessional conduct for having sex with a patient took responsibility on Wednesday for what happened and said he cannot forgive himself because he does not understand why he got involved with the woman.

In a full day of testimony before an administrative law judge, Jerome R. Evans, 52, also insisted that he had no romantic feelings for the 45-year-old woman until at least one day after they terminated their patient-therapist relationship on Aug. 20, 1987.

Evans’ testimony came in a non-criminal proceeding to determine if he acted unprofessionally when he pursued a nine-month sexual relationship with the woman, who is not named in legal documents. The judge’s ruling will be forwarded to the state Board of Psychology, which could suspend or revoke Evans’ license.

Evans, during cross-examination by Deputy Atty. Gen. Elisa B. Wolfe, said the woman was “seductive and manipulative” during some of her therapy sessions with him between March and August of 1987. Each time she told Evans she wanted to see him outside the office, and they finally terminated the therapy when she said she was no longer interested in that aspect of their relationship, Evans testified.

He said the two met the next day and had a lengthy discussion about the ramifications of the relationship. Evans and the woman had a sexual liaison in San Francisco a few days later, and the sexual relationship continued until June, 1989, when Evans was told to break it off by the woman’s new therapist, according to testimony.

Evans said he is in therapy now and wants someday to understand why things happened the way they did.

“Down deeply I don’t think I can forgive myself until I do know what the whole reasons were,” Evans testified.