Woman Charged with Felony for Treating Mental Health Patients

Woman Charged with Felony for Treating Mental Health Patients


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Randall Jeppesen, KSL Newsradio A woman who calls herself a "personal coach" is now being charged with a felony for treating people without a mental health counseling license.

The suspect, Donna Weighill, has written a book about dealing with depression. She's also given lectures about depression at BYU.

However, Utah County Prosecutor Guy Probert says the problem is she's been working with patients, and she doesn't have a mental health counseling license. "Describing herself as a coach and providing coaching in mental health areas," he explained.

Investigators say that's just a way to get around the law. "She calls it coaching, but as far as the state's concerned, what she's doing is providing professional counseling," Probert said.

So, the "personal coach" now has to appear in court to face five felony counts of unlawful practicing a profession without a license.

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