Panel hearing summary 2020.0897

Decision of the Psychology Board of Australia

Performance and professional standards panel 

Jurisdiction: Victoria
Date of Decision: 5 January 2021

Classification of Notification

Boundary violation - Inappropriate sexual comments

Summary

The Board referred allegations that the Practitioner engaged in multiple breaches of professional boundaries with a fellow student colleague via Facebook messenger.The Practitioner was a provisionally registered psychologist undertaking his masters of clinical psychology at university during the relevant period. The Practitioner is no longer registered and does not intend to practise psychology into the future.

The Panel found that the Practitioner had engaged in unprofessional conduct under section 191(1)(b)(ii) of the National Law and decided to caution the Practitioner. 
In making its decision, the Panel gave weight to the fact that the Practitioner was in his first year of postgraduate studies. The Panel was cautious to examine the standard of behaviour exhibited by the Practitioner as equivalent to a registered provisional psychologist with the same level of training and experience.