Protecting Psychologists Against Complaints

Deciding to become a psychologist means dedicating your professional life to caring for the psychological needs of your patients. You provide them an outlet to deal with intensive personal issues and give them a sense of wellness and healing. Finding out you’ve been accused of wrongdoing and a complaint has been made to the state board could be overwhelming. Jennifer Speas has more than 25 years of experience in helping psychologists navigate situations such as these in the most successful and effective way possible.

In many cases, complaints to the board are made based on accusations that a psychologist has committed an ethics violation of some sort. Sometimes the complaint can be sexual in nature, like an unwanted touch or inappropriate action. There are many situations that what a person sees or thinks that they have seen could be taken out of context or misunderstood, thus potentially resulting in a complaint being made. All complaints made to the state board are taken very seriously and you need the help of an experienced Minneapolis psychology license defense attorney to stand with you against these allegations.

Strong Psychological License Defense

In some cases, the investigator may find that the allegations made against you don’t hold up. If that happens, the case is dismissed, and no further action is taken. The most common types of allegations made include:

  • Being convicted of a felony
  • Engaging in fraud or deceitful conduct when providing services
  • Violating ethics, as in the case of disclosing a patient’s information to anyone not directly involved with the care of the patient
  • Failing to provide quality care to patients according to the rules of practice
  • Entering into a relationship with a supervisor, student or client who could impair objectivity or interfere with a psychologist’s ability to provide effective service
  • Drug use or other unethical behavior

Fighting Disciplinary Action

The investigation that happens at the beginning of the disciplinary process can be very stressful, but it’s important not to let it intimidate you. Often the case may be dismissed when the results of the investigation are known. The disciplinary process may end here if you have an experienced Minnesota psychological license defense lawyer negotiating for your best interest. In the event that your case is not dismissed and proceeds to the disciplinary phase, the actions taken against you may be slight or very severe punishment. Simply accepting the board’s decision and accepting the consequences is not your only option. Jennifer Speas will be by your side advocating for you and can appeal the board’s decision so that you may be reinstated.

Reach Out For Legal Counsel

Today’s society needs qualified mental health professionals to satisfy an ever-increasing demand. Because of this increased demand, the odds for accusations to be made of ethics violations, malpractice, and other violations are also increasing. Although most claims can be proven meritless, accusations that possibly do have merit do not always mean the end result has to be losing your psychological license. If you’ve found yourself under investigation due to an accusation, contact the Speas Law Firm, P.A., at 612-333-6160 for an initial consultation so that you can answer the allegations against you firmly and get back to the profession you love.