Aracely Schutters, a 45-year-old 45 counselor, was arrested after she allegedly engaged in unwanted kissing and touching with a female adult patient in a hot tub at her home on Dec. 4 in Bettendorf, Iowa. (Scott County Jail)
An Iowa therapist was accused Monday of sexually exploiting a female patient after she allegedly kissed and touched her in a hot tub last month.
Aracely Schutters, a 45-year-old social worker, invited a patient to her home in Bettendorf under the pretext of a counseling session the night of Dec. 4, KWQC-TV reported.
Schutters had the woman enter into a hot tub with the intent of discussing her problems, but then allegedly tried to get the woman to drink alcohol and “engaged in unwanted kissing and touching of the victim’s inner thigh, breast and groin,” the station reported.
An affidavit stated that after inappropriately touching the woman, Schutters said, “this is so wrong, I can’t be your counselor anymore.”
The woman reportedly left the house.
Schutters later texted and called the woman to apologize for the hot tub incident, police said.
The patient had been seeing Schutters for emotional health counseling for about 18 months. The two had never met outside of the office before, WQAD reported.
Schutters, who has more than 15 years of experience in the psychiatric field, admitted in interviews to kissing the woman in the hot tub, police said.
She was charged Monday with exploitation by a counselor and was released Tuesday after posting the $5,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 2.
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