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psychologist never finished my ASD assessment report...

Lemoncello

Hiya,

Last year  took the plunge and paid £800 for a full autism assessment, completed by a private psychologist. This went okay, and I was diagnosed as on the spectrum. However, afterwards I was supposed to recieve a full report describing how i had answered all the questions etc.

They said it would take two weeks, and when that time was up i gave them an email asking for an update. This was back in the first lockdown, and they were experiencing delays due to adjustments, which is fair enough. They said the draft would be completed in another 7 days.
...Two weeks later I email them once again about the report, to which they explain that they pulled a muscle in their neck which was making writing hard (okay, but you could have told me that earlier...). Eventually I get the draft of my report, but by that time I was pretty tired of having to prompt all the communication, so I wait until they email me.

...It's almost been a year since then. My interactions with the psychologist honestly make me question the validity of the diagnosis. Did they just not care? Were they just telling me what I wanted to hear to get me out of their hair? 

They're self- employed, so it's not like I can complain to their boss, so what should I do? Should I email them? I don't really care about the report, I'd just like some clarification on what the heck happened!

All the best,

LC

  • in reply to Lemoncello

    Awesome - I hope the report is exactly how you wanted it to be.    Good luck!

  • Update!

    I sent an email and got a response the next day! They had apparently sent me an email at some point asking about the draft report but I never received it (double checked my junk folder, but I can't see anything so it must have failed to arrive). We're going to finish the full report now, and the psychologist has also offered to have a video chat fo extra reassurance.

    Thanks for your support on this guys! I won't be taking further action against them but thank you for all the information on it!

    All the best,

    LC

  • Write on here who they are so that others avoid them!

  • You've paid 800 quid for basically nothing.  Nothing but hassle.  Damn right you should go after them!

  • in reply to Ethan

    Thanks so much for all the info and suggests guys!

    when I got the draft I replied saying thank you and that it was successfully received, and that was the last I heard from them. The last email they sent me was the one containing the draft.

    I think I’m going to get my friend to send an email on my behalf to the psychologist (I have big anxiety around direct confrontation, but I wouldn’t want it to seem like I’m going over their head without giving them a chance). They’re actually listed on this site somewhere, that’s how I originally found them, so I’ll keep you all updated in case anything comes of it.

  • They should be registered with the British Psychological Society (You can check their registration at https://www.bps.org.uk/public/find-psychologist) 

    Check also that they are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council https://www.hcpc-uk.org/ (tip. search by surname, I had to do that to check for mine).

    If they're not registered with either then that could be a problem. Either they're no longer practicing or it was someone pretending to be a psychologist. 

    If they're registered then there's information about submitting a complaint https://www.bps.org.uk/submitting-complaint so you could check with both bodies first as to whether your issue is something they cover. 

    This would be a sanction if your psychologist was found to have breached a code of conduct - to my knowledge this would not include them securing compensation or a refund for you. This is, I would think, is something you would resolve privately. 

    As Plastic suggests you could take the legal route via small claims. Do be aware of fees and expectations. Citizens Advice and Which? have two excellent guides on how small claims works.

    https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/legal-system/small-claims/deciding-whether-to-make-a-small-claim/

    https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-use-the-small-claims-court

    But before you do any of that 

    When you received the draft report from the psychologist what did you do? (i.e. did you read the report and reply to the psychologist or did you wait expecting the full report to follow?)

    Here's why I ask. When I was assessed I received a copy of my draft report.

    I had to agree it's contents, and tell the psychologist I did, before I was provided with a final copy for work and my GP. 

    If I hadn't agreed the contents then a final report wouldn't have been issued. Psychologists will ask for the client to read the draft report and agree it's contents before going further. If they issued a final report without consultation from the client and an opportunity to correct any errors this would leave them open to legal action if any of the information was inaccurate (I asked for some minor corrections in personal history and the summary of my life experiences. The diagnosis itself would be a different matter, if I'd disagreed with that, I'd had to have gone for another assessment). 

    So if you still have the information with your draft report check if you had to do anything (i.e agree the contents and let your psychologist know).  If you didn't contact your psychologist after receiving the draft , my guess is they're still waiting for you to give your agreement to the contents so they can send you the final copy. 

  • What is their accrediting body?   Report them!   You could also always do a small claims court action - they haven't delivered something you paid for.    What paperwork do you have from them - receipts, quotes etc?.