About Us

Mission Statement

AdvocateWeb is a nonprofit organization providing information and resources to promote awareness and understanding of the issues involved in the exploitation of persons by trusted helping professionals. We are attempting to be a helpful resource for victims/survivors, their family and friends, the general public, and for victim advocates and professionals.

If you believe in our mission, please Donate Now. We need your support in order to keep these services available.

Our History

AdvocateWeb has existed as a web site since January 1998 and since that time, we have aggressively worked to provide free public information resources on the web for people who have been emotionally/sexually exploited or abused by someone in a "trusted helping profession." On September 27, 1999, AdvocateWeb was incorporated as a Texas nonprofit corporation, we then changed our Internet address from advocateweb.com to advocateweb.org, and on December 27, 1999, the IRS classified AdvocateWeb as a charitable tax-exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Our Concern

Exploitation of patients/clients by "helping professionals" is an alarmingly common societal problem. Professionals in mental health-related services, psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, therapists, psychiatric nurses, ministers, as well as medical professionals, doctors, nurses, home-health-care nurses, attorneys, professors, teachers, educators, social workers, emergency/crisis counselors, drug abuse counselors, victim services, and law enforcement officers are entrusted and empowered by society to have authority and power in people's lives. When this power is abused, tremendous damage can result for the victims and their families.

This is not a gender-specific problem. Victims can be male or female. Perpetrators can be male or female. The issue is not really about sex. It is about the misuse of power by a professional to exploit a client's trust, vulnerability, and need for the professional's help, to meet the professional's own personal desires at the expense of the client.

The "cost" to the victim is immeasurable. The shattered lives and families are the greatest toll of this abuse of trust. Secondarily, there is a cost to society. Sexual exploitation by professionals has been recognized as a problem of great magnitude, and an increasing number of states are criminalizing this abuse as a serious felony offense.