The following are summaries of some recent decisions of the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee, reflecting three different dispositions. They are provided for educational purposes. Information in these summaries has been altered to protect the privacy of both members and complainants, and to protect the confidentiality of the investigation process. The relevant substance of the allegations and outcomes remain unchanged.
Length of Assessment Interview: Decision: Take No Further Action
The College received a complaint from an individual who underwent a psychological assessment at the request of an insurance company. The complainant alleged that the member had only met with them personally for five minutes and didn’t obtain sufficient information to assess them appropriately. The member responded that in addition to participating in psychometric testing, the client participated in an interview with her for a little over two hours.
The panel of the ICRC considering this matter did not believe it was in a position to resolve the different accounts of the length of the interview. The panel did believe that regardless of the interview’s length, the member appeared to have obtained sufficient and appropriate information to arrive at her conclusions. This included information from other health care providers, psychometric testing, and information obtained directly from the client. The panel therefore decided to Take No Further Action with respect to the complaint.
Consultation Outside of Ontario: Decision: Advice
The complainant alleged that a member not authorized to practice in her province inappropriately provided consultation and feedback on an assessment. In his response, the member indicated that he had not provided an opinion. Rather, in order to avoid delays when the assessing psychologist was unavailable, he had reviewed the assessment with the client and provided feedback. The member also indicated that, in hindsight, he believes he made an error in providing this feedback and would not do so out of province in the future.
The panel of the ICRC considering this matter did believe that providing feedback to a client is a psychological service, and the member did not appear authorized to do so in this particular province. However, the panel also noted that the member appeared to recognize the risks of practicing in a jurisdiction in which they are not authorized, and did not intend to do so again. The panel therefore decided that it would be appropriate and in the public interest to provide the member with Adviceto practice only with clients in jurisdictions in which they are licensed to practice.
Use of Diagnostic Terms: Decision: Undertaking
A client made various allegations about a member she saw in couples’ therapy. One of the allegations was that the member said her behaviours towards her spouse were “abusive,” and that she was “probably bipolar.” The member responded that this was a misinterpretation of her comment that bipolar disorders can sometimes be at play in abusive relationships.
The panel of the ICRC considering this matter noted that while the member did not appear to diagnose the client, the use of diagnostic terms may not have been appropriate and may have led to confusion. The panel therefore thought it would be appropriate and in the public interest to ask the member to enter into an Undertaking with the College to address this and other concerns identified.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Take no Further Action | A panel may take no further action if it believes there is no risk to the public. |
| Advice | A panel may give advice if it identifies low risks. Advice is meant to help the member avoid future risks. |
| Undertaking | An undertaking is a binding and enforceable agreement made by a member with the College that sets out one or more obligations or restrictions on the member. A member may enter into an undertaking with the ICRC or Registration Committee. Entering into an undertaking is not an admission of misconduct or incompetence. The public register must contain a notation and summary of any undertaking, while that undertaking is in effect. Once the undertaking is completed, the notation is removed from the public register. |