Frances Keogh

In a professional discipline hearing, the member admitted allegations arising from prolonged misuse of the titles "Doctor", "Dr.", "psychotherapist", and "registered psychotherapist" while providing or advertising healthcare services.

The Panel found professional misconduct proved on a balance of probabilities under the governing statute, regulation, and standards of practice, including misrepresentation of qualifications, misleading advertising, improper record-keeping, contraventions of title restrictions, and unprofessional conduct.

The Panel accepted a joint submission on penalty, emphasizing public protection, general and specific deterrence, and remediation.

The resulting order imposed a reprimand, a three-month suspension with one month remittable on compliance, remedial ethics and reflective conditions, publication, and $5,000 in costs.

In a professional discipline proceeding, the member admitted allegations arising from inaccurate, conflicting, and falsified client records created while providing social work services to motor vehicle accident claimants.

The Panel found professional misconduct established on the agreed facts, including failures to maintain systematic and accurate records, creation of false or misleading documents, and conduct reasonably regarded as dishonourable and unprofessional.

Applying the public-interest standard for joint penalty submissions, the Panel accepted a revised joint submission providing for a reprimand, a three-month suspension with a partially remittable component, supervision, an ethics course, publication, and costs.

The Panel treated the member’s prior caution for similar record-keeping concerns as an aggravating factor and her admissions and cooperation as mitigating.

In a professional discipline hearing, the member admitted extensive misconduct involving forged client signatures, fabricated clinical records, backdated documentation, inaccurate service information, and emailing confidential client records to a personal email account.

The panel accepted the admissions and found professional misconduct proven under the governing statute and regulation, while holding that the conduct was dishonourable and unprofessional but not disgraceful given the acknowledged health context.

The panel accepted a joint submission on penalty aimed at public protection and remediation.

The order included a reprimand, a suspended eight-month suspension effective only upon any future reissuance of registration, conditions requiring ethics and clinical documentation courses, publication, and $5,000 in costs.

In a professional discipline proceeding, the panel found that a social work member committed professional misconduct by allowing a therapeutic relationship with a vulnerable client to become personal and sexual, exchanging intimate messages and photographs, concealing the relationship, and abruptly ending contact.

The panel held that the admitted conduct breached multiple standards in the Handbook, constituted sexual abuse within subsection 43(4) of the governing statute, and was disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional.

The panel accepted a joint submission on penalty as within the acceptable range and consistent with public protection, deterrence, and maintenance of professional standards.

The member was reprimanded, her certificate of registration was revoked, she was barred from reapplying for five years, publication was ordered, and costs of $1,000 were imposed.

Discipline proceeding arising from admitted therapist-client boundary violations, including disclosures of romantic feelings, personal and romantic email and telephone communications, conflict of interest, and failure to clearly and promptly terminate the therapeutic relationship.

The panel held that the member's conduct constituted professional misconduct under the governing statute, regulation, and standards of practice, notwithstanding the absence of physical intimacy and the client's view that no harm occurred.

Applying the public-interest approach to joint submissions, the panel accepted the agreed penalty.

The order included a reprimand, a four-month suspension with one month remittable on compliance, practice supervision, ethics and boundaries education, publication, and $5,000 in costs.

In a professional discipline hearing, the tribunal found the member guilty of professional misconduct for repeatedly accessing sealed adoption records without authorization, copying or noting their contents, and disclosing the information to an adoptee with whom she was in a personal relationship.

The tribunal held that pre-registration conduct could ground discipline where it bore on current suitability to practise and found the member's confidentiality breach, dishonesty during the employer investigation, and resulting harm to affected persons demonstrated disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional conduct.

The panel accepted a joint submission on penalty despite expressing concern that revocation might otherwise have been warranted.

It imposed an oral reprimand, a 16-month suspension with partial remission conditional on compliance, remediation terms, publication, and $13,000 in costs.

In a professional discipline hearing, the panel dismissed the member's motion to close the hearing, holding that the evidence did not establish a compelling basis under the governing statute or the SPPA to overcome the presumption of public access.

The member admitted allegations arising from inappropriate personal disclosures, boundary violations, repeated contact with a vulnerable client outside sessions and after termination, and disclosure of client information to the client's sister.

The panel found professional misconduct proven and accepted a partial joint penalty submission imposing a reprimand, a five-month suspension with one month conditionally remittable, mandatory boundaries and ethics training, and costs.

On publication, the panel ordered publication with the member's name but directed limited redactions of specific details of the misconduct as a narrower measure addressing the asserted risk of harm.

A discipline panel found a registered social worker guilty of professional misconduct after she admitted issuing two letters for use in family-court custody and access proceedings without proper authorization, adequate evidentiary foundation, or balanced disclosure to all clients.

The panel held that the member failed to reset counselling goals after the parents' separation, breached confidentiality, made false, misleading, inaccurate or improper statements, and provided custody-related recommendations without conducting the type of comprehensive assessment required for such opinions.

Applying the public-interest approach to joint submissions, the panel accepted a joint submission on penalty.

The order imposed a reprimand, a six-month suspension with one month remittable on compliance, practice conditions including an ethics course, therapy, supervision-related terms, publication, and $5,000 in costs.

In a professional discipline proceeding, the panel found that the member engaged in sexualized and coercive communications with a vulnerable client while providing social service work services, including repeated vulgar comments, requests for photographs, and misuse of his position in relation to medication assistance.

The member did not attend or participate in the hearing, and the panel proceeded in his absence after finding proper notice.

The panel held that the conduct breached the governing statute, the Professional Misconduct Regulation, and the Standards of Practice, and amounted to sexual, verbal, psychological, or emotional abuse, exploitation, and disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

A partial hearing closure and publication ban were ordered to protect the client's identity.

The panel imposed a written reprimand, revocation of registration, a five-year prohibition on reapplying, publication of the decision, and costs of $25,603.35.