Indiana board issues complaint against psychologist Pamela Christy

August 30, 2012

On May 23, 2012, the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency State Psychology Board issued a complaint against psychologist Pamela Christy, Ph.D., citing conduct which indicates that she has become unfit to practice due to her failure to keep abreast of current professional theory or practice.

According to the Agency’s document, in December 2009, Christy began providing counseling to Patient A, his ex-wife and their two daughters, following the mother and fathers’ divorce. Christy provided individual, joint and family therapy to the members of the family.

In November 2009, the court ruled in divorce that the mother would have sole legal custody of the daughters and that the mother would have “the deciding vote” in matters upon which she and Patient A disagreed, relative to the daughters’ health, religion and other issues. The court’s decision did not however preclude the father from having access to his daughters’ mental health records.

In Later in November 2010, Patient A requested his daughters’ mental health records. Christy conferred with the mother, who did not want them released. Christy informed Patient A of this and also cited in a letter to the Board that she would only release the records with the daughters’ permission and that “Patient A believes that he can make that decision for his children merely because they are under the age of 18…. I see no such distinction in the law” and even if there were a such a provision, “Patient A is still not entitled to the information.

Christy however was wrong. Indiana Code § 16-39-2-9(b)(1) states that a noncustodial parent has equal access to the minor child’s mental health records as the custodial parent.

Source: Complaint in the Matter of the License of Pamela Christy, Ph.D., License No. 20041691A, Cause No. 2012 IPSB 0008, Before the Indiana State Psychological Board.