A former University of Iowa therapist has pleaded guilty to ‘sexual misconduct’ with a trio of patients across a four-year span.
James Burkhalter, 46, agreed to plead guilty to three felony counts of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist.
Burkhalter was initially charged with nine counts of sexual exploitation in 2023 after allegedly engaging in “sex acts” with a patient during an appointment where he was supposed to provide “mental health services.” These encounters occurred on the University of Iowa Health Care campus between March 2019 and January 2022.
Burkhalter was later charged with two additional sexual exploitation counts after allegedly placing his hand on the breast of a patient on two separate occasions in June and November 2022.
In 2025, Burkhalter was charged with three counts of sexual exploitation for engaging in “sex acts” between November 2019 and March 2020 at the UI Health Medical Center on the university campus.
A University of Iowa event posting in 2019 describes Burkhalter as the director of Dialectic Behavior Therapy, a type of therapy for people who “experience emotions very intensely,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Burkhalter’s license was suspended indefinitely by the Iowa Board of Social Work in 2023.
Burkhalter admits to ‘sexual conduct’ with patients in guilty plea
In his guilty plea, filed days before a Feb. 10 trial on all 14 counts was scheduled to begin, Burkhalter admits broadly to engaging in a “pattern, practice or scheme of sexual conduct” with three patients, identified only by their initials.
Burkhalter agreed to maintain no-contact orders with the patients for five years, according to court documents.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Ex-UI therapist admits to ‘sexual conduct’ at campus facilities
Reporting by Ryan Hansen, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
