Lori Gato, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and hospice professional in Maine. She also works in private practice supporting women, teens and families.

I had a good childhood. I grew up feeling safe, respected and encouraged to use my voice. I didn’t know until I entered the workforce that not everyone receives that same sense of safety — especially not in the helping professions, where we assume compassion will naturally extend to employees.

In 2022, I worked for a mental health agency here in Maine providing case management services for adults with serious mental illnesses. I entered the job hopeful and eager to help. What I didn’t expect was the level of intimidation, unethical behavior and fear that staff quietly navigated every day.

Nothing in my training prepared me for a workplace where people felt afraid to speak up. I later learned that many before me had experienced the same thing — long hours, unclear expectations, disrespect and threats disguised as “policy.” The pressure often fell hardest on women and younger staff, who worried that advocating for themselves might cost them their jobs or their licenses.

Recently, someone sent me a video clip about unethical practices occurring in another agency in our state. It stopped me in my tracks. Not because it was surprising, but because it echoed behavior I had already seen up close. The man in that story wasn’t connected to the company I worked for, but the themes were eerily familiar: power imbalances, fear-based management and workers who felt disposable.

The truth is, unethical leadership in mental health doesn’t always look extreme. Sometimes it’s subtle. Sometimes it’s a slow erosion of boundaries and respect. But the impact is the same — clients suffer, and the staff meant to support them burn out, shut down or walk away from the field entirely.

I’m writing this because I want to protect other workers, especially women in my profession who often minimize their own discomfort to “be a team player.” We shouldn’t have to. No one entering the mental health field should ever fear retaliation for raising concerns or advocating for ethical care.

Maine depends on social workers, case managers and mental health professionals — and we depend on workplaces that uphold the very values we teach our clients: safety, respect, transparency and accountability.

There are so many good agencies in our state doing this work the right way. But when a workplace crosses the line, workers need somewhere safe to turn, and clients deserve systems that protect them.

My hope in sharing this is simple: We can do better. We must do better. The people we serve — and the people doing the serving — deserve nothing less.