Psychologist banned for sex with ‘profoundly vulnerable’ patient breaks silence when the Mail arrives on her doorstep: ‘So much more to it’
A female psychologist who has been banned from treating patients for two years after embarking on a sexual relationship with a ‘profoundly vulnerable’ male patient has been unmasked.
The South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal disqualified Adelaide psychologist Catherine Alice Soukoulis from applying to be re-registered as a health practitioner for two years, declaring her behaviour constituted professional misconduct.
The patient, who suffered from anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, underwent 32 treatment sessions between March 2017 and January 2019 with Soukoulis, who was employed as a clinical psychologist.
During his final treatment session, he disclosed that he had recently attempted suicide.
The following day, he visited Soukoulis’s home, and would become a frequent guest staying in her spare room.
‘[Soukoulis] and [the patient] engaged in a range of activities together which included completing puzzles, watching movies, walking [Soukoulis’s] dog, and cooking,’ the tribunal said.
They then began an intimate sexual relationship.
‘She engaged in an intimate relationship, clearly for her own gratification, without any due regard to the needs of the client,’ according to the judgement published online.
Adelaide psychologist Catherine Alice Soukoulis (pictured) has been disqualified for two years
A tribunal found the intimate relationship constituted misconduct (stock image)
‘Alarmingly… she appears, in her conflicted role of friend and lover, to have taken on responsibility for his safety and welfare to the exclusion of making appropriate arrangements for his care.’
According to the tribunal, Soukoulis self-notified the relationship to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) after she found out her relationship had already been disclosed to a GP.
Sexual activity with former clients within two years of the psychological service being terminated is prohibited due to the potential for exploitation.
It is understood Soukoulis had previously treated one of the man’s family members.
In her defence, Soukoulis argued there were ‘extenuating circumstances’, adding that she was making decisions under ‘difficult circumstances’.
The Mail’s exclusive pictures show Soukoulis arriving at her listed business address, a residential property, in Adelaide’s north-eastern suburbs on Wednesday evening.
This reporter approached Soukoulis for comment. She initially declined to be interviewed, but then made an extraordinary admission.
She revealed she was ‘still in touch’ with her former patient, describing him as ‘the real victim here’.
The patient was described as ‘profoundly vulnerable’ and had attempted suicide
Ms Soukoulis said people had encouraged her to write a book about her experience
‘But I don’t want to say too much, because I want it all to go away,’ she said.
Soukoulis added: ‘There is so much more to this. People say I should write a book.’
After a brief conversation, Soukoulis went inside, explaining that she had to ‘take some medication or I will turn into a pumpkin’.
In its assessment, the tribunal said: ‘She appears to claim credit for the fact that [the patient] is “alive” without any adequate acknowledgement of the potential harm to him from her actions.’
‘In our view, the conduct was obviously exploitative,’ the decision continued.
‘He had trusted her with his deepest thoughts.
‘She had cultivated a relationship as his therapist, and he had become highly dependent on her.
‘This dependence, and the power imbalance, were heightened when she also became the source of his accommodation.’
The tribunal found Dr Soukoulis’ behaviour constituted professional misconduct and that her overall clinical care, risk assessment, and treatment for the patient were inadequate.
