Molly Luu

In a professional discipline proceeding, the panel found that a social worker committed professional misconduct by refusing counselling services based in part on the complainant's Chinese ethnicity and assumptions about social media use and boundary risks.

Applying the prima facie discrimination framework under the Ontario Human Rights Code, the panel held that the complainant suffered adverse treatment in the provision of services and that the protected ground was a factor in the refusal.

The panel accepted expert evidence on social work boundaries and cultural competence, found that the registrant failed to make adequate inquiries before asserting a boundary conflict, and rejected the registrant's procedural fairness and abuse of process arguments.

Some allegations were dismissed, including those tied to self-determination, referral adequacy, and the intake-form language error, but multiple standards breaches and Code-related misconduct findings were made.

In a professional discipline proceeding subject to a publication ban, the panel accepted the registrant’s admissions that she entered a personal and sexual relationship with a vulnerable client shortly after providing counselling and psychotherapy services to that client and the client’s spouse.

The panel found professional misconduct based on boundary violations, conflicts of interest, sexual abuse, misuse of confidential information, failure to terminate the therapeutic relationship appropriately, and conduct disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional under the governing statute and regulation.

On a joint submission, the panel imposed a reprimand, revocation of registration, a five-year prohibition on reapplication, publication of the order, and $1,000 in costs.

The panel held the proposed penalty was consistent with public protection, denunciation, and specific and general deterrence.