Licensed therapist asks California Board of Behavioral Sciences to end probation early; board takes matter into closed session

Jacqueline Susan Cooper asked the California Board of Behavioral Sciences on Feb. 19 for early termination of her probation tied to a 2022 DUI conviction, telling the board she has completed the requirements imposed on her registration and remains in active recovery and clinical work.

Judge Matt Block presided over the petition hearing and identified the matter as BBS case number 2002022002445 and Office of Administrative Hearings case number 2026010773. Deputy Attorney General Anahita Crawford summarized the department's presentation, saying Cooper's underlying conviction followed an April 5, 2022 arrest and that the accusation reported a blood alcohol content of 0.23%. Crawford said the petitioner's registration was placed on probation effective Sept. 28, 2023, under terms that projected a completion date of Sept. 27, 2028.

Cooper testified under oath and described her recovery timeline, supports and professional activities. She said she returned immediately to mutual-help meetings after the arrest, engaged in individual therapy, completed required continuing education and additional certifications (KDAC 1 and KDAC 2), and has worked at Alhambra Valley Retreat in residential treatment. Cooper said an expungement under the state's "clean slate law" was granted Sept. 12, 2024, and that she has complied with the Board's probation conditions, including negative drug- and alcohol-testing results across multiple modalities.

Cooper told the board, "It was a conscious act of disregard for human life, and I carry that with me every single day," and described ongoing supports including Recovery Dharma meetings, a therapist she meets with biweekly and workplace monitoring at Alhambra Valley Retreat. She also provided letters of support from colleagues and clinical supervisors and additional documentation, which the judge marked as an admitted exhibit.

Board members questioned Cooper about her history, employment transitions, the nature of testing while on probation, the scope of her private practice and how she would manage stressors in the future. Deputy Attorney General Crawford also asked about Cooper's pattern of recovery prior to the incident; Cooper said she had approximately four years of sobriety before the relapse tied to bereavement in 2022 and described steps she has taken since then to sustain recovery and strengthen clinical competence.

At the close of testimony, the judge admitted petitioner exhibit A and other materials, closed the evidentiary record and said the board would go into closed session for deliberations. "You won't get an answer on your petition today," the judge told Cooper, "but we'll be notified of that in the future." The matter was submitted and the board took the record off at 09:57; the panel did not announce a decision at the meeting.

What happens next: the board will deliberate in closed session and notify Cooper of its decision on a later date. The petition hearing record remains closed and will be part of the board's deliberations.