An experienced psychologist specializing in post-traumatic stress disorder has been banned from practicing for four years for having a sexual relationship with a patient.
Douglas Brewer had been a registered psychologist for almost two decades when he met the 26-year-old woman who was admitted as an inpatient at Hollywood Private Hospital in the Perth suburb of Nedlands in January 2021.
The woman was reportedly at high risk of suicide and self-harm and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
After being discharged in February 2021, she began weekly therapy sessions with Dr. Brewer at his private practice, which is also located in Nedlands.
The State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) of Western Australia found he began allowing her to study for exams in his office and sometimes took her home after work.
In May 2021, the couple went to an Indian restaurant before Dr. Brewer took her home. The following month they also met for coffee.
An experienced psychologist who specializes in post-traumatic stress disorder is banned from practicing for four years for having a sexual relationship with a patient (stock image)
In June 2021, they kissed in his office with the SAT and discovered that Dr. Brewer and the woman had sex four times over the next five months, three times at his office and once at the woman’s home.
Dr. Brewer hired the woman as an office assistant for three months, paying her about $700 a week.
The woman’s employment ended in October 2021, with Dr Brewer telling her in September that he was in love with her.
The relationship ended in November.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) contacted Dr Brewer in December 2021 seeking his response to allegations that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with the woman.
He denied they had a sexual relationship and described the woman as a former friend and employee with whom he had a close personal relationship.
The SAT found that his response had not provided the full details of his relationship with the client and that he could have misled the board about their interactions.
In January 2022, the Psychology Board of Australia placed a limit on where Dr Brewer could practice and determined that his sessions with clients were supervised.
Two months later he surrendered his registration.
The SAT found Dr Brewer guilty of professional misconduct and breached the Australian Psychological Society’s code of ethics.
He was banned from applying for re-registration for four years and ordered to pay $4,000 in costs to the Psychology Board of Australia.
The woman was reportedly at high risk of suicide and self-harm and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety (stock image)