‘Manipulative’ shrink Matthew William Hand’s ‘disturbing’ acts with vulnerable woman

A “manipulative” Queensland psychologist has been banned from working in the field for a year.

A “manipulative” Queensland psychologist has been banned from working in the field.

A “manipulative” Queensland psychologist has been banned from working in the field for a year after he was found guilty of misconduct for having a sexual relationship with a vulnerable woman days after treating her as patient.

In their written reasons handed down on May 23, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal concluded that Woolloongabba shrink Matthew William Hand should be suspended over the inappropriate relationship, and a second liaison with a teen fitness trainer half his age who was recovering from eating disorders.

Former District Court Judge Richard Jones, now a QCAT member, states in his reasons that Dr Hand’s four-and-a-half to five-and-a-half year sexual relationship with the ex-patient and telling her to lie about how they met was “disturbing” behaviour.

“It also involved a degree of manipulation,” Mr Jones said of Dr Hand.

“He persuaded her to lie about the circumstances leading up to the relationship,” Mr Jones wrote.

Dr Hand was between his early and mid-forties at the time.

A sexual relationship began between the pair towards the end of January 2016, two to three days after they went on a “date”, the decision states.

The woman was his patient up until January 13 of that year having consulted him on four occasions starting on September 3, 2015, the decision states.

Dr Hand was aware that the woman was, at the time, a vulnerable person.

The sexual relationship was found to be a breach of his professional boundaries.

Mr Jones found that Dr Hand “obviously knew that the relationship was wrong, and a somewhat aggravating feature was that, knowing that the relationship was wrong, he told (her) to tell people that they had met in circumstances that did not involve a practitioner/patient relationship”.

The disciplinary case against Dr Hand also related to a second relationship he had with a 19-year-old woman, who had not been a former patient, when he was aged 41, the tribunal heard.

He hired the teen as his personal fitness trainer in January 2018 for six months, and a “personal relationship” developed.

It was not disputed that Dr Hand knew that the 19-year-old woman was a vulnerable person, as they had spoken about her mental health issues, which included a history of eating disorders and other personal issues, the decision states.

“Somewhat bizarrely, (Dr Hand) also made a number of representations to various third parties about (the fitness trainer) designed to advance her interests,” the decision states, adding that Dr Hand was purporting to be her treating psychologist when he made the representations, even though she had never been a patient, the decision states.

Dr Hand was also found to have breached client confidentiality by disclosing information to the 19-year-old girlfriend without consent or legal obligation to do so, during a conversation in between 2019 and 2020.

He told the tribunal he was remorseful, had rehabilitated and was not a risk in dealings with female patients.

He has had a 10-year career, with first registration as a psychologist on 21 July 2005.

The disciplinary proceedings brought by the state’s health ombudsman against Dr Hand were heard and determined on the papers without an oral hearing in the tribunal.

Originally published as ‘Manipulative’ shrink Matthew William Hand’s ‘disturbing’ acts with vulnerable woman