August 10th 2024.
A therapist in Houston has been facing charges of assault after getting aggressive with a client who also happened to be his extramarital lover. The incident occurred on April 29, and according to court documents, Thaddeus Tolbert was romantically involved with Jhyah Scales at the time. This information was reported by ABC 13.
The charges against Tolbert include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and burglary. As stated in court documents, Tolbert and Scales met in October 2023 when she started seeking therapy from him. As time passed, they grew closer and even started exchanging hugs after their sessions. They also began sending each other good morning texts. Eventually, in March, the two of them officially became romantically involved.
However, things took a turn in April when Scales discovered that Tolbert was already married and had children. She tried to end the relationship, but according to court documents, Tolbert reacted violently. He even drew out a gun and started screaming at her not to leave him.
Scales recalled the incident, saying, "We were having a conversation in his office, and I told him that I didn't want to continue our relationship. That's when he snapped." It wasn't until another patient knocked on the door that Tolbert let Scales go.
Later that day, when Scales returned home with her child from school, she found Tolbert waiting for her in the driveway of her apartment complex. He blocked her car with his own and followed her inside her home. Despite her pleas, Tolbert refused to leave and allegedly became physically violent. Scales claims he forcefully kissed her, choked her, and even hit her.
She explained, "He pulled out his gun and pointed it at my head. Then he hit me with it when I tried to move away. I begged him to leave, but he kept saying he was going to kill us both." Scales also mentioned that Tolbert pulled out his gun multiple times during the altercation, even hitting her in the face with it before finally leaving.
Scales suffered severe injuries, and she expressed her shock at the situation, stating, "I never thought someone like him, a mental health professional, a therapist, and someone active in the community, could do something like this." She also added that she felt embarrassed but knew she had to speak up as she and her child could have been killed.
Looking back on their relationship, Scales believes that Tolbert had been manipulating her from the start. She shared, "I had just gotten out of a toxic and traumatic relationship, which I had opened up to him about as my therapist. I feel like he used everything I told him against me."
Tolbert's defense attorney maintains his client's innocence, and Tolbert himself has been working as a therapist at Discerning Minds Consulting for eight years. This incident has raised concerns about therapists' conduct, with reports of therapists making money through popular social media platforms like TikTok.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
