Local therapist faces hearing after licence revoked

Psychotherapist denies wrongdoing

A Windsor psychotherapist’s licence has been revoked and she is facing a disciplinary hearing over accusations she had sex with two clients and shared alcohol with a therapy group while she was intoxicated.

Elisabeth Haramic is also facing allegations of illegally using the title of doctor and communicating with a client in a “unprofessional, threatening or abusive manner.”

No date for a hearing date has been set by the College of Psychotherapists of Ontario, the regulatory body that revoked her licence when she applied to renew it in April because she didn’t disclose the complaints.

“It has not been scheduled, but we are moving forward on this,” said Mark Pioro, director of professional conduct for the college. “We will not be making any further comment on this until that time.”

Haramic’s licence was revoked April 20 for making “false and misleading statements” on her licence renewal application to the college.

She has hired Windsor lawyer Michael Gordner, who said Monday he will ask the Ontario Divisional Court to overturn the college’s decision to revoke Haramic’s licence.

“We are bringing an application that will include a number of affidavits from people on her behalf,” he said.

“The (college’s) decision was made without a hearing. We will be asking the revocation be stayed until she has her hearing.”

Haramic denies any professional wrongdoing, Gordner said.

“These are only allegations with not a lot of evidence,” he said.

“She will vigorously defend against each one of the allegations. They won’t stand up to full scrutiny.”

There are no provincial regulations preventing Haramic from continuing to see clients, but she cannot use the title psychotherapist or present to clients that she holds a licence, Pioro said.

Gordner said his client is not practising as a result of the college revoking her licence. “She will respect the decision,” he said.

“But (a hearing) does take time. That’s why we are moving ahead with proceeding to have the (licence) decision overturned until there is a full hearing and we can state our case.”

In the college’s 11-page notice of hearing it is alleged Haramic began a sexual relationship with a client, listed as Person 1, that began in 2009 and continued until 2011. She maintained a personal or business relationship with the same person until 2016. She failed to disclose the relationship in her licence application, the statement said.

Haramic also is accused of “breaching boundaries” by having a sexual relationship with a client listed as Person 2 between 2012 and 2015, after treating that person’s children for two years.

The actions call into question her ability to practise “safely and professionally,” said the college’s statement.

She is also accused of failing to note on her licence application a 2011 complaint against her that alleged she served alcohol to members of a therapy group while intoxicated and that she treated a complainant “inappropriately” which showed a lack of “professional judgment.”

She will vigorously defend against each one of the allegations. They won’t stand up to full scrutiny.