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Gregory Carter, 63, Psychological Associate, pleads guilty before the College of Psychologists of Ontario

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Gregory Carter, Psychological Associate pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of professional misconduct. He faces criminal charges, including fraud, perjury and obstruction of justice, related to this case and two others. And there are additional complaints about him before the College.

COLLEGE FAILS TO EXACT ACCOUNTABILITY FROM COLLEGE MEMBER

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However, it is deeply troubling that although the College of Psychologists of Ontario suspended Carter from working for three months and ordered him to be supervised for a year, he will return to the job.

A Whitby father who lost a custody battle for his two sons broke down in tears Tuesday after the so-called doctor who inappropriately diagnosed him with a psychiatric disorder pleaded guilty to professional misconduct.

“It doesn’t undo the problems that he has caused,” said the father who can’t be named to protect the identity of his children, aged 7 and 9.

The College of Psychologists of Ontario found Gregory Carter, a psychological associate, guilty of straying beyond the scope of his profession in diagnosing the father, whom he had never even met, with “narcissistic personality disorder.”

A psychological associate is a step down from a psychologist. While psychologists have doctorates, associates have only master’s degrees and some, like Carter, are strictly prohibited from diagnosing mental disorders unless supervised by a psychologist.

Carter has a legitimate Master’s degree, but his Ph.D. is from Pacific Western University, which has been denounced by the U.S. government as a “diploma mill.” He tried but failed to get registered with the College of Psychologists as a psychologist, but the regulating body declined to recognize his doctorate.

PROFESSIONAL DECEPTION

Carter, referred to himself as a doctor.

His 2006 letterhead identified him as “Dr. Gregory Carter, Practice in Psychology”, letters from an Oshawa legal clinic were addressed to “Dr. Gregory Carter, psychologist,” and on several insurance claim forms, he was identified as a “Clinical Psychologist.”

“Every case Carter has ever worked on should be reopened, ” said a Durham-area grandfather, who was one of the first to blow the whistle on the so-called shrink.

The grandfather, who can only be described as Mr. B to protect the identity of his granddaughter, lost custody of the girl, now 11, in 2008 on the strength of a custody and assessment report by Carter

He was thought to be a psychologist by officials with the Durham Children’s Aid Society and by many judges and lawyers in the region’s family court system.

In the fall of 2008, the Whitby father was embroiled in a nasty custody battle with his ex-wife and two custody and access assessments were produced – one by Carter and one by a “real” psychologist. The real psychologist diagnosed the ex-wife with borderline personality disorder.

But the judge in the case accepted Carter’s report as more “balanced” and said the real psychologist’s assessment was biased in favour of the father. The mother was given primary custody and the father now has only visitation rights.

“Big deal, so they have given him time out but they didn’t make him clean up this mess,” said the father after Tuesday’s hearing. He said he is worried for the well-being of his sons.

CARTER DELIBERATELY MISLEAD THE COURT

Not only did Carter have no business diagnosing mental disorders, but the one he rendered in this case was not based on current or reliable information, college counsel Jennifer McKendry argued.

“This is a very serious act of misconduct,” she said, adding that Carter’s conduct was “disgraceful, dishonourable (and) unprofessional.”

Adapted from the Toronto Star, June 22, 2010

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