Fired for affair with a patient

A psychologist is facing a professional misconduct charge over allegations she had an affair with a married patient.

Susan Jury started treating the father-of-five through the Waikato District Health Board in July 2007 after he attempted suicide. Later, the couple visited bars and a strip club together and were seen holding hands in the street, the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal was told on Friday.

Neither Jury nor the patient, whose name is suppressed, appeared before the Hamilton hearing. Two security guards were present because the man's family, whose names are also suppressed, fear for their safety after his violent behaviour.

The health board suspended Jury in January last year and fired her in August.

The patient's wife of more than 30 years said she started having suspicions within a month of him seeing Jury.

She said she rang Jury in November 2007 to ask her to persuade her husband to keep taking his medication. But Jury asked her if she still loved him and wanted to stay married to him. The next month she received two texts from Jury's son meant for her husband, the hearing heard. They asked if he was available to help buy a car.

The wife said that when a friend saw her husband and Jury walking hand-in-hand she visited the psychologist's home and saw her husband leaving. He said he was helping Jury with chores. In April last year the wife saw her husband's motorbike and bicycle in Jury's garage.

In May she confronted Jury and her husband in a Hamilton bar managed by her daughter.

"I went up to them and said: 'Are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend? Don't worry, I already know who the slut is."'

The wife said Jury left, and she followed after her husband started shouting abuse at her.

The patient and his wife are separated. His daughter believed he lived with Jury. The daughter said she knew they were together before learning Jury was his psychologist. In March last year her father and Jury attended a party she had at a Hamilton strip club: "Dad asked if he could bring his 'girlfriend'."

The patient's wife laid a complaint against Jury with the health board in January last year, but withdrew it after her husband threatened her and smashed up her car.

The board continued its investigation and reported the case to the Health and Disability Commissioner.

In written evidence Jury claimed there was no relationship. The tribunal reserved its decision.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY