British Columbia psychiatrist resigns license after patient complains of abuse during psychedelic therapy study | News from Radio-Canada

A British Columbia psychiatrist has permanently surrendered her medical license in response to a complaint about her treatment of a PTSD patient participating in a clinical trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, CBC News has learned.

Donna Dryer of Cortes Island irrevocably resigned her registration on Aug. 1 and received a formal reprimand after admitting to unprofessional conduct with the patient, according to a letter from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) to the patient.

The disciplinary actions have not yet been made public, but the letter states that Dryer’s unprofessional conduct includes conflicts of interest, boundary violations and continuing the therapeutic relationship despite Dryer knowing that her husband and partner researcher, Richard Yensen, had sexual relations with the patient.

The sponsor of the clinical trial, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), has called Yensen’s actions sexual abuse. The patient filed a sexual assault complaint with police, and in 2022 Quadra Island RCMP confirmed they had recommended unspecified criminal charges, but said Crown prosecutors had not approved them.

Videos taken during the patient’s 2015 treatment sessions as part of the clinical trial show Dryer and Yensen cuddling, spooning, blindfolding and pinning the clearly distressed woman. At one point, Yensen suggests she “lie down and spread your legs”; at another, he lies on top of her as she moans in anguish.

CBC agreed not to name the patient due to the sensitive nature of the complaint, but it asked the Health Professions Review Board to review the college’s handling of the matter.

The patient said she strongly objects to the language of the college’s reprimand, which states that Yensen “had sexual relations” with her.

“There is no such thing as consent between a patient and a therapist,” the patient said in an email to CBC.

“Defining sexual assault as a ‘sexual relationship’ advances victim blaming and implies consent in a context where consent is impossible. »

Yensen has not denied having sex with the patient but claims it was consensual.

The patient also questions the college’s decision to resolve the complaint through a consent agreement with Dryer and says she did not receive an investigative report explaining why the college’s investigative committee resolved the complaint in this way.

“They care more about protecting a doctor’s reputation than protecting a patient from rape,” she said.

In a written statement, a college spokesperson said a public notice regarding disciplinary action is expected to be posted online soon.

The college says officials cannot comment on Yensen’s actions because he is not registered with CPSBC, and cannot comment further on the case now that it is being reviewed by the Health Professions Council.

Dryer did not respond to requests for comment.

Sexual assault lawsuit settled out of court

The complaint against Dryer was initially filed in 2018 and has now taken more than five years to resolve.

The patient said she enrolled in the trial as a last-ditch effort to treat severe post-traumatic stress disorder caused by prior sexual abuse and assault.

Dryer and Yensen worked as subinvestigators for MAPS in a Health Canada-approved Phase II clinical trial examining the safety of MDMA, a party drug often known as ecstasy or molly, to treat PTSD.

Yensen admitted to having sexual relations with the patient after the experimental sessions ended, but while she was still enrolled in the clinical trial.

In a 2018 lawsuit that has since been settled out of court, she alleged it was sexual assault. Yensen claimed in his response that the patient manipulated him and initiated the meetings.

Since counseling and psychotherapy are not regulated in British Columbia, no college or regulatory body could investigate what happened or consider disciplinary action against Yensen.

However, the latest standards of practice from the BC Association of Clinical Counselors make it clear that therapists who have sexual relationships with their clients are exploiting a power imbalance and commit sexual misconduct. The College of Psychologists of BC has similar standards and explicitly prohibits sexual relations with research participants.

PLANS released a statement in 2019 calling Dryer and Yensen’s behavior with the patient unethical, announcing that he severed all ties with the couple and agreed to pay the patient $15,000 for therapy.

After video of the treatment sessions was made public in 2022, MAPS announced that it had launched a compliance review covering all of the couple’s work in the trial.

The organization has not yet responded to CBC News’ request for an update on the status of that review.

Dryer previously worked as a clinical associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. A UBC spokesperson confirmed Thursday that she has not been at the university since April 2022, but said he could not comment further due to privacy laws .