The female counsellor was deregistered by her professional body, the Addiction Practitioners Association Aotearoa New Zealand, after the woman complained.
However, as her profession is currently not regulated, she is still able to work as a practitioner.
The name of the service, its counsellors, and the two women who complained have not been made public in the HDC report made public today.
The clients are identified only as Ms A and Ms B, and the counsellors as Mrs C and Mr D.
Mrs C has a bachelor’s degree in alcohol and drug studies and other qualifications, and worked as a therapist for a state-funded Community Alcohol and Drugs Service (CADS) before setting up the private service with Mr D in 2019.
Paying client went for lunch, manicures
Ms A was a CADS client and “very unwell” with an extensive history of mental health and addiction issues when she met Mrs C in 2016.
She became a client of Mrs A’s private service in 2019.
They would meet for therapy almost every week, but also socialised, going out for lunch, getting manicures and Mrs A visited Ms C’s home several times, all while being a paying client.
“Ms A said that they bought each other gifts, and essentially, they were close friends,” HDC Deputy Commissioner Dr Vanessa Caldwell said.
Ms A was paying Mrs C $120 per session for therapy.
Ms A told the HDC: “It got to a point where I continued to pay for therapy sessions even when some of these sessions ended up virtually just me paying to spend an hour with my friend.”
The report said that Mrs C sent Ms A photographs of her breasts following breast augmentation surgery in 2019.
Some of the photographs provided to the HDC show Mrs C naked above the waist and some included Mrs C’s face.
Ms A said the photos were unsolicited but Mrs C said Ms A requested them as she was wanting breast reduction and was interested in the quality of the surgery, done overseas.
Copies of text messages at this time showed that Mrs C frequently used expletives and endearments, referring to Ms A as “sweetheart”, ending her messages with XXX kisses, and telling Ms A that she loved her.
Mrs C also bought her gifts, such as a bracelet and perfume, and picked her up late at night when she was unwell so she could sleep at Mrs C’s house.
Mrs C did not keep clinical records of her treatment of Ms A other than the dates of appointments and, at times, a few words. She also couldn’t provide the HDC with a treatment plan for Ms A.
Ms A said that Mrs C asked her to house-sit and care for her pets on several occasions, although Mr C claimed she did this under duress after experiencing “emotional terrorism” by Ms A.
Ms A contributed to Mrs C’s wedding by paying for various items. Ms A also decorated the venue on the day of the wedding.
Mrs C ended the relationship after Ms A reached out to other clients on a group chat and Mrs C told her she was “out the gate” crazy in her thinking.
Ms A said that the ending of the relationship with Mrs C was extremely damaging to her wellbeing and put her recovery in jeopardy.
Counsellor warned client of prison
The second complainant, Ms B, said she met Mrs C when the counsellor was contracted to see her twice a week in a private residential facility in 2019.
Ms B had gone there with serious head and other injuries after she crashed a car while under the influence of alcohol.
Mrs C “insisted” she continue seeing her at the cost of $120 an hour after she was discharged from the residence.
Ms B was charged with driving under the influence and careless driving, and Mrs C told her that if she did not continue seeing her, she would be facing time in prison as a consequence of the accident.
Ms B stated that Mrs C told her that she was “court-affiliated”, and that she would “receive a glowing report for pre-sentencing” if she continued her counselling sessions.
Ms B said that this created a huge sense of dependence, although in the end the court report was never produced as Mrs C said it would require her to stay up late and charge another $120.
Ms B also said that she was made to feel that she also had to attend Mrs C and Mr D’s private counselling service support group, 90 minutes to two hours’ drive from her home, at a cost $25 for each group session.
Mrs C also sent Ms B photographs of her naked torso following her breast augmentation.
Ms B told HDC that these events have caused her extensive harm, and therapist relationship issues and other personal matters led to her having a severe relapse and harming herself in February 2020.
She said that she spent two days in the intensive care unit of a public hospital with serious injuries and a further three weeks in a mental health facility.
Caldwell found Mrs C exploited both women and breached patient rights in relation to professional and ethical standards and treatment planning.
“Mrs C charged Ms A for meetings that were largely social, asked Ms A to house/pet sit on several occasions, and asked Ms A to help plan her wedding,” Caldwell said.
Substantial power imbalance ‘abused’
She said there was also a substantial power imbalance in her relationship with Ms B, which Mrs C abused when she took advantage of Ms B for her own ends.
“Mrs C exploited Ms B’s vulnerability and concern about her legal situation to encourage her to attend sessions, asked her to pay extra for the court report, and asked her to provide food and drinks for the Christmas party.
“She also sought a benefit from the relationship when she asked Ms B to provide the drinks for her wedding.”
Caldwell found that Mr D and the counselling service also breached patient rights.
She recommended that both Mrs C and Mr D provide apologies to both women, undergo training on patient rights, and arrange an independent supervisor to report to the HDC six-monthly for the next two years.
She also referred the case to the HDC director of proceedings, an independent lawyer whose role is to decide whether to take further action.
Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay.
