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Iowa board’s decision makes no reference to allegations in California
Iowa regulators have awarded a marital-therapy license to a man who had sex with a female client while providing her and her husband with marriage counseling.
According to the California Board of Behavior Science, Gary Bell, a marriage counselor and family therapist, was providing marriage counseling to a couple, B.L. and his wife S.L., in 2017. On Dec. 12, 2017, after three counseling sessions over six weeks, Bell and S.L. agreed to meet privately in his office where they kissed and hugged, the board alleges.
The next day, the two met again at Bell’s office and they engaged in sex, according to the board. Three days later, on Dec. 15, they again had sex in Bell’s office, the board says, after which Bell wrote in his notes that he intended to meet again with S.L. and her husband to “finish therapy.”
On Dec. 16, Bell allegedly met with S.L. and her husband, B.L., for another session of marriage therapy. Bell then went on vacation with his wife and family, during which he and S.L. “exchanged hundreds of text messages and emails,” the board alleges.
In his messages to S.L., Bell allegedly indicated he wanted to be “friends” with S.L. and remain married to his wife. S.L. allegedly responded by expressing feelings of abandonment, the board alleges.
According to the board, after Bell returned from vacation, S.L. visited him in his office and watched him record an episode of “Dr. Gary Bell’s Absurd Psychology,” his podcast and internet radio program. Days later, in January 2018, Bell’s wife found her husband’s text messages to S.L., called S.L., and the two women spoke at length. A few days later, the board says, S.L. appeared at Bell’s home, leading to a confrontation.
The board alleges S.L. then filed a criminal complaint against Bell, after which Bell sought a restraining order against S.L. and, in the process, “misrepresented the nature of his relationship with S.L.,” characterizing her as a stalker who had made unwelcome advances toward him. By the end of February 2018, B.L. had filed for divorce.
According to the board, Bell was criminally charged with sexual exploitation of a client and, for his statements in seeking a restraining order, felony perjury. In November 2018, both charges were dismissed.
The California board charged Bell with unprofessional conduct through gross negligence or incompetence for having sex with a client and for sharing personal information with a client. He was also charged with intentionally or recklessly causing harm to a client and with engaging in dishonest, corrupt or fraudulent acts.
In April 2020, the board voted to revoke Bell’s California license but agreed to stay that revocation and place the license on probation for seven years, during which time Bell would submit to a psychological evaluation and therapy. Bell agreed to pay the board $14,000 to offset the cost of its investigation and prosecution of the case.
In its recent, published decision to grant Bell an Iowa license to practice marital and family therapy, the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals made no mention of any of the allegations against Bell, noting only that he had been subject to some sort of settlement agreement and disciplinary order issued by the California board.
Bell’s Iowa license will be subject to one year of probation, during which time his practice will be subject to monitoring by another Iowa-licensed marital and family therapist.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Bell for comment.
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Editor's note: He also has a podcast
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Nursing isn’t just a license—it’s a discipline. I spent over a decade in the field and hold a Master of Science in Nursing, with experience caring for patients and supporting families through complex medical situations. What I saw firsthand is that patient safety depends on far more than paperwork, compliance checklists, or administrative oversight.
What’s concerning is the inconsistency in how accountability is applied. In some cases, professionals whose actions directly impact patient safety are given opportunities to continue practicing with minimal consequence. In other cases, individuals with strong records of safe, competent care face significant barriers that seem disconnected from actual risk to the public.
That raises an uncomfortable but necessary question: are these systems truly designed around patient safety, or have they become overly focused on rigid processes that don’t always reflect real-world outcomes?
Strong oversight matters.
Accountability matters.
But so do fairness, proportionality, and the ability to evaluate people based on their actual performance and impact—not just their position within a system.
If we want to maintain public trust, we need licensing structures that are transparent, consistent, and grounded in evidence—not just procedure.