Frances Amaroux therapy clients share their story

A Coffs Coast couple have told of an inappropriate comment and gesture that left them shocked and angered after visiting a Bellingen-based counsellor. Read their story.

A young couple who had a disastrous experience with banned “love coach” Frances Amaroux say there were “a few alarm bells” before they were left shocked and angered.

Jai Stephens and Sandra Shlemon took the bold step of contacting the Bellingen-based counsellor late last year.

“We’re both students, so it was a fair bit for us and we had to go without certain things, but we were trying to do the right thing and not just walk away,” Jai said.

“We love each other so we thought ‘let’s sort it out’.”

He said they spent just over $500 in three joint sessions and two individual sessions, but it was not about the money for him.

“There were a few alarm bells - she spoke about dark entities and things like that but the first few sessions were pretty tame,” Mr Stephens said.

But it was an inappropriate comment and subsequent gesture that left them shocked and angered.

“She said something about my partner being smarter than me and it wasn’t going to work; and that she might meet somebody smarter,” he said.

He said Ms Amaroux then made an inappropriate comment “and then she kind of looked down at herself and kind of gestured”.

Mr Stephens said it wasn’t until later after the shock of the incident passed and anger set in that he tried to contact Ms Amaroux to complain.

“She said I would have to come back and make another appointment but that would be like complaining about a ride at Movie World but you have to go back and pay to go on the ride again to make a complaint,” he said.

Ms Amaroux’s website says she offers a range of coaching programs including conscious dating and couples retreats and also specialises in working with people from alternative communities including “poly, kink and tantra”.

Ms Amaroux was contacted for comment.

Mr Stephens and Ms Shlemon, who are still together, said they were distressed, but not surprised, to learn Ms Amaroux had recently been fined and ordered to stop operating for eight weeks.

The self-styled “love coach” was prosecuted for failing to respond to formal requests for information and documents required by the Health Care Complaints Commission during its management of a complaint about her treatment and conduct.

The commission requires that any health practitioner should assist its inquiries unless they have a reasonable excuse not to do so.

There are significant penalties for any practitioners, registered or unregistered, who fail to co-operate.

The maximum penalty for each occasion of a failure to comply is 200 penalty units or $22,000.

The commission found Ms Amaroux indicated a clear intention not to respond and had no reasonable excuse not to.

She failed to respond on four separate occasions.

On October 26 she was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for each offence – a total penalty of $40,000.

The commission has also placed an interim prohibition on Ms Amaroux that she must not, under any circumstances provide, or cause to be provided, any health services, either in paid employment or voluntarily, to any member of the public.

The interim order remains in force for eight weeks from October 8.

Mr Stephens and Ms Shlemon’s last session with Ms Amaroux was in early January.

“We are OK,” Mr Stephens said.

“We were sceptical about going to a counsellor anyway.

“It’s caused a few arguments between us but we don’t want to go back and see anyone.”

They urged others to do their research properly and not to rely on online reviews when looking for a therapist.