Psychologist suspended over inmate relationship

A former Corrections psychologist has been suspended for three years after admitting to being in a relationship with an inmate she was treating.

But it was her own poor mental health that led to her pursuing the relationship, the defendant, who has permanent name suppression, said.

The woman’s case was heard by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal yesterday, on recommendation from the Professional Conduct Committee of the New Zealand Psychologists Board, after the woman was convicted and sentenced to community work in 2018.

The clinical psychologist, who is no longer registered, had been found guilty of communicating with a prisoner, smuggling contraband into a prison and causing contraband to be smuggled in.

The tribunal heard the woman admitted her relationship with the inmate to her superiors in an email once she realised she reciprocated his feelings, and cooperated with a police investigation into the matter. She also cancelled her registration but continued the relationship once the inmate was released from jail.

Solicitor Andrea Lane, representing the Professional Conduct Committee, said the woman’s conduct was unacceptable and brought the reputation of the profession into disrepute.

Lane said the psychologist began seeing the inmate as a patient before beginning a personal relationship and tendering her resignation several months later. The woman failed to adhere to the New Zealand Psychologists Board’s code of ethics by not maintaining appropriate boundaries with her patient, she said. She also breached the principles that required psychologists to recognise the vulnerability of patients, Lane said.

The fact the charges for which she was convicted were punishable by imprisonment showed the seriousness of the woman’s misconduct, Lane said, noting another inmate she was treating had expressed concern through his barrister.

The woman said she was in a poor mental state at the time of offending, having separated from an abusive partner, and was dealing with progressively worsening anxiety. While she did not dispute that she had acted inappropriately, the woman told the tribunal that the inmate had actively pursued her, even suggesting he had used therapy to get close to her.

She had since undergone 14 months of therapy and while she believed she was a different person who would not make the same decisions today, she was still dealing with the consequences of those decisions in many aspects of her life, she said.

The tribunal acknowledged the woman’s co-operation with the police, the Professional Conduct Committee and the tribunal.

The woman may not apply for registration for three years, and re-registration will be subject to psychological assessments from two independent psychologists approved by the board.

She was censured and ordered to pay $5250 (15 per cent of the tribunal costs).