Unlicensed therapist faces B.C. RCMP probe for alleged illegitimate autism assessments

A therapist who gave up his software for a psychology licence after he was accused of sexual misconduct by a affected person is now beneath investigation by B.C. RCMP for allegedly charging mother and father for autism assessments he was not certified to carry out, CBC Information has discovered.

Xander Phoenix, who’s the topic of a public safety notice from the College of Psychologists of B.C., has additionally been accused by a former supervisor of fraudulently utilizing his signature on evaluation experiences.

Two mother and father and the previous supervisor say they’ve filed police experiences, and Kelowna RCMP have confirmed an investigation is underway.

CBC has reviewed two autism assessments for Kelowna-area youngsters signed by Phoenix in March 2021 and April 2022, in addition to the related $3,000 invoices for his companies. 

The Ministry of Kids and Household Improvement mentioned Phoenix just isn’t on its registry of autism service suppliers, and in B.C., solely pediatricians, psychiatrists and registered psychologists can write autism assessments.

The 2 mother and father who shared their youngsters’s assessments mentioned they went to police after studying they weren’t legitimate. These assessments are essential to entry the suitable funding and help for youths with autism, however as of December, the general wait time to have a toddler assessed in B.C. was 84.7 weeks.

“He is taking away a lot alternative from youngsters who deserve it. We now have to begin over from scratch,” mentioned the mom whose baby was assessed by Phoenix in April.

“The ready lists are for much longer than they had been six months in the past.”

CBC has agreed to not title the mother and father to guard their youngsters’s personal well being data. Each say Phoenix refunded their cash after they confronted him about his lack of {qualifications}.

Therapist says he ‘by no means lied about my {qualifications}’

Phoenix instructed CBC in an e mail that he’s not conscious of any police investigation associated to his assessments and insisted he’s totally certified to carry out them due to his coaching and expertise. 

“I by no means lied about my {qualifications}. They [the parents] all knew I used to be certified to finish autism assessments and in addition knew I used to be not registered however beneath supervision,” he mentioned.

He acknowledged, nonetheless, that various his autism assessments weren’t accepted by the ministry and mentioned he agreed to refund the purchasers’ cash because of this.

“I’ve finished many evaluations, all of which had been accepted, even by the courtroom in B.C. If these had been invalid or unlawful, they’d by no means have been accepted and acknowledged,” he mentioned.

On the query of utilizing his earlier supervisor’s signature on assessments, Phoenix mentioned it was an “error,” and the difficulty has been “addressed and resolved.”

Phoenix added that he’s now not practising in B.C. and has given up his clinic right here.

“I’m now only a personal citizen who simply desires to be left alone,” he mentioned.

Former supervisor reported Phoenix to police

Phoenix at present holds a psychologist licence in Florida. 

As CBC has beforehand reported, he had utilized for a licence in B.C. at one level however withdrew his software in the course of the faculty’s investigation into allegations he had a sexual relationship with a affected person.

Phoenix additionally let his licence in Virginia expire final summer season earlier than a disciplinary convention associated to the identical allegations.

In earlier conversations with CBC, he didn’t deny having intercourse with the lady in query however claimed she was by no means actually his affected person.

The B.C. faculty’s public notice about Phoenix, first posted in September, would not point out any of the allegations towards him however says he isn’t and has by no means been licensed on this province.

Since then, the discover has been up to date twice with none clarification for why the additions had been crucial. 

The primary replace addresses Phoenix’s relationship along with his former supervisor, psychologist Harry Stefanakis, stating that Stefanakis has not been related to Phoenix since Might 21, 2021. The second replace states that psychologist Catherine Currell has by no means had any affiliation with Phoenix.

A evaluate of the autism assessments supplied to CBC may provide some perception into why the discover was amended.

One of many assessments consists of Stefanakis’s signature and the opposite Currell’s. The 2 professionals are described within the report as Phoenix’s “consulting supervisors.” 

Stefanakis’s signature is on the sooner evaluation, dated Mar. 30, 2021, when he was nonetheless Phoenix’s supervisor.

When requested to remark about Phoenix, Stefanakis wrote in an e mail, “He has fraudulently used my title on a couple of event. I’ve filed a police report and reported it to the Faculty of Psychologists of B.C.”

The evaluation purportedly signed by Currell was written greater than a yr later, on April 7, 2022.

When requested why he used Currell’s signature, Phoenix mentioned, “it was an error on my half.”

Currell has not responded to requests for remark; nonetheless, her web site particularly states that she doesn’t present any companies for kids or adolescents.

Faculty says it is conscious of allegations

Faculty registrar Andrea Kowaz mentioned she was restricted in her potential to share additional data.

“I’m able to say that the school has the authority to guard the title ‘psychologist’ and has taken steps to warn Mr. Phoenix of the statutory restrictions which prohibit him from utilizing that title to explain his work in ‎British Columbia,” she wrote.

Kowaz went on to say that she is conscious that allegations have been shared on social media concerning Phoenix’s writing of autism assessments.

“We perceive that allegations have been made publicly about Mr. Phoenix. … We can’t remark particularly on these allegations,” Kowaz wrote.

She mentioned the school would not have the authority to research felony allegations involving somebody who has by no means been a registered psychologist in B.C., and these claims are greatest dealt with by the police.

Studies have been filed with the RCMP in Burnaby, the placement of Phoenix’s former clinic, and in Kelowna.

Kelowna RCMP confirmed they’ve taken cost of the investigation however declined to remark additional.

“We aren’t ready to debate specifics about an ongoing investigation aside from to say it’s progressing, and we now have no timeline with respect to when it will likely be accomplished,” Sgt. Kevin Duggan mentioned in an e mail.

Though Phoenix mentioned he’s now not practising as a therapist in B.C., there may be nothing that may stop him from seeing sufferers once more. Psychotherapy and medical counselling usually are not regulated on this province.

That’s disturbing to the mom whose baby was assessed by Phoenix in March 2021.

“There are individuals that may placed on a masks and fake to be any individual that they are not and make the most of many individuals in weak conditions,” she mentioned.

“This expertise that I had with this particular person is, I feel, possibly as a result of there was no regulatory physique to do something about it.”