State allegations: Roanoke counselor's improper patient relationship led to suicide (2024)

A family wants what it believes would be justice for their daughter as a Roanoke Valley counselor’s license to practice is already suspended and a hearing on an alleged improper relationship is pending.

Lynn Nolan said her daughter, Amber Nolan, died by suicide after a counselor engaged in an inappropriate relationship with her.

“Myself and her siblings feel there needs to be some awareness brought to this,” Nolan said. “This is just unacceptable.”

A 27-year old client came to Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare in October 2019, with a history of suicidal thoughts, according to a statement of allegations brought against Erica Church by the Virginia Board of Counseling.

The client was Amber Nolan, her mother said.

“Amber just loved Virginia and everything it encompassed,” Nolan said. “Horses were her life … she just had a way with them, like it was what she was supposed to do.”

Amber Nolan started weekly therapy sessions with Church at the clinic in late 2019, according to the statement. Nolan was diagnosed with major depressive order and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“At all times relevant hereto, Erica Faith Church, L.P.C., was licensed to practice professional counseling in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” the allegations read. “Ms. Church engaged in a dual relationship that developed into a romantic and sexual relationship with Client A that resulted in harm to Client A.”

According to the allegations, Church responded to inquiries from the Virginia Department of Health Professions, telling investigators that “she and Client A started to be friends in April 2022.”

“Ms. Church provided Client A with her personal cell phone number in late March 2022 … with frequent and often lengthy phone calls after,” according to the allegations. “In April 2022, Client A began staying at Ms. Church’s home, and when Client A woke from nightmares, Ms. Church talked Client A through her nightmares.”

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

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

The romantic relationship continued through Oct. 1, 2022, when the two got into an argument that led to Amber Nolan’s death by suicide, according to the allegations.

“Client A’s spouse found suicide letters addressed to Ms. Church,” the allegations read. “Client A’s spouse told the Investigator that she believed Ms. Church played with Client A’s emotions.”

The state board of counseling has suspended Church’s license to practice pending a hearing scheduled for Feb. 2 at the Virginia Department of Health Professions center in Henrico. The board could take action afterward, up to revoking Church’s license.

Church could not be reached for comment. The Virginia Board of Counseling does not have contact information available to share for that practitioner, a spokesperson said in an email.

“The licensee has not provided the board with public contact information,” the email said.

Other attempts to seek out Church through former employers and other means were unsuccessful.

In the allegations by the board of counseling, Church responded to department of health investigators to acknowledge that her relationship with Amber Nolan was wrong.

“Ms. Church told the DHP Investigator that she did not believe her relationship with Client A was a contributing factor in Client A’s suicide,” according to the allegations. “Instead, Ms. Church asserted that, if not for their relationship, Client A would have committed suicide sooner than she did.”

Amber Nolan’s mother said the family wants Church charged for criminal wrongdoing, not just reprimanded by health regulators.

“She could be charged with criminal negligence due to where she was in Amber’s life,” Nolan said. “We’re talking about someone who was charged with the care of her because she was suicidal.”

Lynn Nolan, of Wisconsin, said she took painstaking steps to gather phone and health records that contributed to the allegations against Church. The family put all the pieces together only after Amber Nolan’s death, Nolan said.

“The circ*mstances I find to be absolutely obscene,” Nolan said. “It needs to be told.”

The board of counseling accuses Church of violating several Virginia health care regulations, including falsifying medical records.

The allegations represent behaviors and work performance that would not be tolerated by Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, Leigh Frazer, its chief clinical officer, wrote in an email to The Roanoke Times.

“Any form of association in which the staff enters into a non-therapeutic relationship with a client is prohibited and would be subject to progressive discipline or termination,” Frazer said. “Our therapists and counselors are held to the highest standards for practicing in a manner that is in the best interest of the clients we serve.”

Church worked for Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare from September 2019 to May 2022.

“At Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, the expectation is that all staff act in a professional and therapeutic manner,” Frazer said. “Our agency adheres to the applicable laws and regulations of the Virginia Department of Health Professions.”

There are resources and support available for anyone feeling depressed, anxious, and or suicidal, Frazer said. Call 988 for support, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.