Hawaii Behavioral health Complaint Route

Authority and scope

Check the license and concern

RICO is the complaint entry for DCCA-regulated psychology, mental-health counseling, marriage/family therapy, social-work (including LCSW) and behavior-analyst licenses. These are distinct boards or licensing programs. ADAD separately certifies substance-abuse counselors, clinical supervisors, prevention specialists, criminal-justice professionals and substance-abuse program administrators. Its concerns form accepts concerns about persons or organizations; identify the credential or program involved.

Supporting guidance: PVL boards and programs ↗Hawaii Social Worker Licensing Program ↗ADAD counselor certification ↗ADAD Reporting Concerns form ↗

Match the route to the credential

Use the license listed in the practitioner's records or official license lookup. A psychiatrist is a physician; psychiatric nurses have nursing credentials. Some psychologists have prescribing authority, so medication alone does not identify the licensing board.

Choose the right licensing authority

Psychologists

Psychology Board license concerns through RICO.

Open this official route ↗

Mental-health counselors and marriage/family therapists

Distinct DCCA licensing programs using RICO.

Open this official route ↗

Social workers and behavior analysts

Distinct DCCA licensing programs using RICO.

Open this official route ↗

ADAD substance-use and prevention credentials

Separate ADAD reporting form; RICO requirements do not automatically apply.

Open this official route ↗

Submission

How the official source says to file

RICO: follow “File a Complaint.” Its FAQ calls for a signed, dated complaint and a signed health-records release for a healthcare-provider complaint. Include the respondent’s identity, dates, facts and supporting copies; a representative may complain.
ADAD: complete the Reporting Concerns form with the person or organization, incident dates, witnesses and factual account. Select its identity-disclosure option, sign and date, then print and send to Quality Assurance Improvement Office, ADAD, 601 Kamokila Boulevard, Room 360, Kapolei, HI 96707.
For ADAD assistance call 808-692-7506. A RICO health-records release should not be assumed to satisfy any separate ADAD authorization requirement.

Supporting guidance: RICO complaint entry ↗RICO complaint FAQ ↗ADAD Reporting Concerns form ↗ADAD counselor certification ↗

Limits

What this route may not provide

RICO enforces licensing law and does not act as your private attorney. Billing, contract or personality disputes may fall outside its authority. Neither a RICO filing nor an ADAD report guarantees compensation. ADAD’s specific refund powers were not established.

Supporting guidance: RICO complaint FAQ ↗

Anonymity

Do not guess about confidentiality

RICO discloses identity and allegations to the respondent. It accepts anonymous complaints, but cannot give an anonymous filer updates; supporting records generally remain nonpublic unless law or enforcement requires disclosure. ADAD offers permission to disclose your name, a request not to disclose it to named parties, or anonymity. Its form warns necessary disclosure may still occur and restrictions may impede investigation.

Supporting guidance: RICO complaint FAQ ↗ADAD Reporting Concerns form ↗

Complaint timing

Ask promptly about filing time limits

A filing deadline was not established by this check; ask promptly. RICO says cases can take months to a year or longer; ADAD completion timing was not established.

Supporting guidance: RICO complaint FAQ ↗

Process

What may happen after filing

RICO first evaluates jurisdiction through its Consumer Resource Center; suitable cases may move to field investigation and legal review. The ADAD form does not establish a comparable disciplinary sequence or promise a particular outcome.

Supporting guidance: RICO complaint FAQ ↗

Evidence

Prepare a reviewable submission

State the concern you want reviewed, give a short chronology and factual consequences, and explain your request. Keep supporting records and follow the receiving authority’s instructions before attaching or sending them.