Patient Alleges Therapist Crossed Ethical Line by Accepting Legal Power Over Her Health and Money - CBC News

27/02/2024, 16:42 Patient alleges therapist crossed ethical line by accepting legal power over her health and
ower over her health and money | CBC News
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British Columbia
Patient alleges therapist crossed ethical line by

accepting legal power over her health and
money
Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg of Kelowna currently faces an investigation
over 3 graduate degrees
Bethany Lindsay · CBC News · Posted: Aug 05, 2020 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: August 5, 2020
Kelowna therapist Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg is seen in a photo on her clinic's Facebook page. (William
and Associates Counselling Services)
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/patient-alleges-therapist-crossed-ethical-line-by-accepting-legal-power-over-her-health-and-money-1.5674320 1/8
27/02/2024, 16:42 Patient alleges therapist crossed ethical line by accepting legal power over her health and money | CBC News
A B.C. woman who gave her psychotherapist power of attorney and the ability to
make legally binding decisions about her health says she did so believing
Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg was a doctor of psychology.
As CBC reported last week, Schuilenberg is the subject of a complaint alleging the
doctorate and two master's degrees she once advertised "are not credible and
possibly fraudulent."
The patient, whom CBC has agreed not to name, says she was shocked by that
news.
"By that I mean physical shock. I was dazed. I didn't know where I was, really. I was
confused. I had trouble processing thoughts. I couldn't eat," she said in an
interview last week.
Therapist's 3 'possibly fraudulent' degrees lead to questions about B.C.'s

failure to regulate
But she now believes it would have been inappropriate for any counsellor or
therapist, no matter their qualifications, to agree to these legal powers.
"When I look at this from a detached perspective, a logical, reasonable

perspective, I realize if she had been part of a true regulatory body she would
have been tied to a real code of ethics and she would not have been able or
allowed to assume those roles," said the patient, who is in her 40s
As a therapist, Kelowna's Schuilenberg is not subject to the regulation that

professionals like psychologists face. There's no college that sets a code of ethics
therapists must follow to practise legally, or that can revoke their licences when
they don't meet that defined set of standards.
Documents provided to CBC show that the patient granted Schuilenberg enduring
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At the time the agreements were signed, billing records show the patient was
seeing a student counsellor who was working directly under Schuilenberg's
supervision.
The patient's former lawyer, who witnessed the signing of those agreements, has
confirmed that at one point Schuilenberg was also a beneficiary of the patient's
will, although CBC has not seen that document.
'Dual relationships' discouraged

Steven Taylor, a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of B.C. in
Vancouver, said this situation sounds like what's known as a "dual relationship"
which registered psychologists are told to avoid.
The College of Psychologists of B.C., strictly prohibits any situation in which a

psychologist's objectivity and professional judgment could be affected because of
their "familial, social, sexual, emotional, financial, supervisory, political,
administrative, or legal relationship with the client."
Schuilenberg said she could not comment on a detailed list of questions about
the arrangement.
"As is true of all mental health professionals, speaking of clients/former clients

requires a current, signed permission to share confidential information," she
wrote in an email.
The patient told CBC she was not comfortable with giving Schuilenberg the power
to release confidential and personal details.
Learn more
A discipline report from the Canadian Professional Counsellors Association says Susannah-Joy
Schuilenberg of Kelowna, B.C., falsely claimed to have a baccalaureate degree. (William & Associates
Counselling Services)
Billing records show she was a patient of Schuilenberg's beginning in 2016, paying
as much as $197 for a one-hour visit. During about four years of treatment, the
patient has also seen Schuilenberg's mother, as well as her husband and the
student working under Schuilenberg's supervision.
Until recently, Schuilenberg, called herself a "doctor of psychology" and used the
honorific "Dr." She advertised earning two master's degrees and one doctorate
within the space
advertising of just
purposes. Wefour
valueyears.
your privacy. If you are not comfortable with us using this
Learn more
'A very pernicious system': After decades of inaction, could

psychotherapy finally be regulated in B.C.?
The patient says those impressive credentials were one reason she started seeing
Schuilenberg for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder related to a life-
threatening medical diagnosis and a long and difficult recovery from a medical
procedure.
The patient said Schuilenberg was easy to talk to and she felt comfortable and
safe in her cosy clinic.
"I didn't know any different. I thought the sessions were helpful," she said. "But
the sessions never resolved the trauma."
The patient alleges that as her treatment continued, she became friends with
Schuilenberg and her family. She says she proposed making Schuilenberg her
medical representative and granting her power of attorney after fleeing an
abusive home.
"There's no one else I had," the patient explained.
Dangers of clouded judgment

These legal agreements generally grant a person wide authority over someone
else's life.
Enduring power of attorney provides the ability to make decisions about

someone's finances and property, a power that continues when that person is
mentally incapable of doing so themselves. An enhanced representation
agreement allows a medical representative to make decisions about everything
from health care to diet and clothing.
B.C.'s
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Taylor, the UBC psychologist, saidmore

Learn there are good reasons people who provide
psychological counselling are discouraged from taking on this sort of double role
with a client.
Without knowing the details of the Schuilenberg case, Taylor gave the hypothetical
example of a therapist in private practice who realizes their sessions aren't
helping. The ethical choice would be to discontinue those appointments, he said.
"But if you have power of attorney and control over the patient's finances ... in
essence, you're paying yourself because you control the patient's finances, which
can cloud your judgment about the patient's need for your therapy," Taylor wrote
in an email.
Schuilenberg isn't a registered psychologist, but she does belong to the Canadian
Professional Counsellors Association, which has a Code of Ethics that generally
recommends against dual relationships.
Therapists are generally discouraged from having dual relationships with their patients.
(DedMityay/Shutterstock)
The Canadian Professional Counsellors

Learn more Association says it continues to investigate
an April complaint filed against Schuilenberg in relation to her credentials. She
has acknowledged that her 2008 master of arts in counselling psychology was
fraudulent, and says she gave up her doctorate as a result.
The only graduate degree that remains on Schuilenberg's website is a master of

religious education, but she has changed the year it was completed and added
that it is "non-traditional."
The patient said she had a long, sleepless night after reading about the
allegations against Schuilenberg.
"The next day I went outside late at night to pray to the sky, because God is up
there. I asked him how, after all of the terrible things that have happened in my
life, how this has now happened," she remembered.
Parents condemn B.C. psychologist's choice to retire rather than face

hearing for role in custody cases
Then she says she took action, taking steps to revoke the power of attorney and
medical representation agreements, and tearing up her will.
"I still can't make sense of this. My post-traumatic stress disorder has become
worse in my opinion, and I think I need to find a therapist [who] can help me to
process this," she said.
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27/02/2024, 16:42 Patient alleges therapist crossed ethical line by accepting legal power over her health and

ower over her health and money | CBC News

Patient alleges therapist crossed ethical line by

Learn more Close

Therapist's 3 'possibly fraudulent' degrees lead to questions about B.C.'s

"When I look at this from a detached perspective, a logical, reasonable

As a therapist, Kelowna's Schuilenberg is not subject to the regulation that

'Dual relationships' discouraged

The College of Psychologists of B.C., strictly prohibits any situation in which a

"As is true of all mental health professionals, speaking of clients/former clients

'A very pernicious system': After decades of inaction, could

"There's no one else I had," the patient explained.

Dangers of clouded judgment

Enduring power of attorney provides the ability to make decisions about

Taylor, the UBC psychologist, saidmore

The Canadian Professional Counsellors

The only graduate degree that remains on Schuilenberg's website is a master of

Parents condemn B.C. psychologist's choice to retire rather than face

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices | About CBC News

Corrections and clarifications | Submit a news tip | Report error

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