Counselor’s license suspended after accusations of sexual misconduct at embattled Daybreak Youth Services

A counselor at Daybreak Youth Services, the now-closed youth mental health treatment facility in Spokane, had her license suspended Tuesday after allegations of sexual misconduct at the facility dating back to 2021.

Madison Kay Taber’s credential as an agency-affiliated counselor was suspended after the Washington State Department of Health found the 25-year-old practiced below the standard of care in her treatment of clients, according to a news release sent by the agency.

Taber also crossed professional boundaries with several clients, including having sexual contact, according to the Department of Health.

In a statement of charges, the Department of Health alleges Taber dated a teenage patient for years until the 17-year-old’s overdose death in February.

Taber has 20 days to contest the charges against her from the Department of Health. During that time, Taber cannot practice counseling in Washington.

As of Wednesday, no criminal charges have been filed related to the relationship.

Daybreak, founded in 1978, offered trauma-focused addiction and mental health treatment for patients ages 12 to 18. The Spokane inpatient facility, at 628 S. Cowley St., could treat up to 36 girls at a time. The Vancouver area clinic, called Brush Prairie, treated boys. Daybreak also offered outpatient coed clinics and counseling in Spokane Valley. Daybreak’s facilities in Spokane and Brush Prairie were shut down in June after the Department of Health revoked the nonprofit’s license, when company officials refused to cooperate with ongoing investigations into patient safety.

Employees at both facilities have been accused of sexual harassment or contact with patients.

When the company refused to shut down the facilities last month, arguing the Health Department acted unlawfully, a judge fined Daybreak at least $10,000 for flouting a court order. A legal battle over the closure is ongoing.

The Department of Health did not respond to request for comment.

New allegations

Taber began working at Daybreak in late August 2021 as a skills coach, according to the statement of charges from the Health Department.

Almost immediately, she began crossing boundaries with multiple patients including dating one patient, according the documents.

One former Daybreak patient told the Department of Health that Taber would buy the 17-year-old alcohol and marijuana.

Taber dated the patient for almost three years until the girl died from a fentanyl overdose in February 2023. The extent of Taber and the 17-year-old’s inappropriate relationship was reported to the Health Department by her family following her death.

According to a Health Department investigation, Taber’s co-workers and management at Daybreak were aware of her relationship with the patient and other instances of sexual harassment as soon as one month after Taber’s hiring.

On Nov. 2, 2021, Sandra Skok, director of mental health at Daybreak, submitted a report detailing allegations Taber was dating the now-deceased patient and writing her love letters.

In her report, Skok noted Taber had a pattern of inappropriate boundaries with numerous patients, according to DOH documents.

At the end of November, a staff member saw Taber spending time in the patient’s room at midnight after her shift ended. Other staff members had to tell Taber to leave the facility after her shift had ended on multiple occasions.

On Dec. 19, 2021, the patient’s roommate told a staff member more details of Taber and the patient’s relationship, including that the patient called Taber the “love of her life.”

Taber expressed desire to have sexual contact with the patient, the roommate reported.

The inappropriate behavior wasn’t limited to the patient Taber dated, according to documents.

In February, Taber told co-workers that she had gotten a tattoo of a drawing done by a different patient. She followed multiple patients on social media.

A fourth patient reported to staff in April 2022 that Taber often made her feel uncomfortable, telling her she loved her and rubbing her back.

Staff reported Taber also asked at least one patient for nude photos, among a slew of other allegations.

Taber left employment with Daybreak in May 2022, and it’s unclear under what circumstances. Daybreak did not respond to a request for comment.

After leaving Daybreak, Taber continued to date the 17-year-old patient, staying over at relatives’ homes and presenting themselves as a couple, family members of the patient told the Health Department.

Taber has 20 days to appeal the suspension.