An English and maths tutor who posed as a psychologist qualified to perform NDIS assessments and then faked a cancer diagnosis when caught out by schoolteachers has been spared jail time despite a magistrate warning that police charges could lead to her imprisonment.
Tina Hansen, from Oran Park in Sydney’s south-west, appeared in Campbelltown Local Court for sentencing on Thursday after pleading guilty to two charges of pretending to be a health practitioner.
Tina Hansen at her home in Oran Park. Credit: Kate Geraghty
Hansen was working as an online English and maths tutor when she told one of her clients, a Victorian mother of two, she was a qualified psychologist and “wanted to make a difference for children struggling in school”, Magistrate Peter Thompson said on Thursday.
In March 2022, the mother asked Hansen if she could do a cognitive assessment on her daughter because she wanted to apply for NDIS funding to support the 7-year-old, who had a language and speech disorder.
Hansen agreed and conducted the two-hour assessment online via Zoom. She emailed the final report and an NDIS access form to the mother in early June, noting $500 of the $800 fee was outstanding.
The mother forwarded both reports – which listed Hansen’s qualifications as a “clinical psychologist” – to a special aide teacher at her daughter’s school.
When the school indicated there may be multiple errors in the report, the mother raised these concerns with Hansen, who emailed an updated report and form two days later.
Still unsatisfied with the report, the school’s experienced speech therapist called Hansen to clarify her concerns. Hansen told her she did not have the report in front of her, and suggested it was the therapist “who just didn’t understand the report”.
The school then requested a review by Dr Andrea Thursky, a clinical psychologist with the Victorian education department.
Thursky raised a number of concerns, including that Hansen had conducted the assessment virtually when at least one test was required to be performed in person, that there were numerous spelling and grammatical errors, and her psychologist registration number was too short to be a valid Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) number.
She concluded the report, for which the mother had already paid the full $800 fee, was “meaningless” and the student would have to be re-assessed by a properly qualified psychologist.
‘She got caught out by schoolteachers. When confronted with it … rather than conceding, she doubled down.’
Magistrate Peter Thompson
When Thursky contacted Hansen to ask why she could not be found on AHPRA’s online registry, Hansen said she had only just re-applied “due to having had terminal adrenal cancer and then not dying when expected”.
Thursky then approached AHPRA, who issued Hansen with a cease-and-desist letter and two email requests for a voluntary interview.
When AHPRA investigators phoned Hansen, she told them she was suffering terminal adrenal cancer, had been admitted to the palliative care unit at Campbelltown hospital, and “did not expect to be discharged from hospital”.
The hospital told investigators the palliative unit had no record of treating Hansen.
“She got caught out by schoolteachers,” Thompson said. “When confronted with it … rather than conceding, she doubled down and made further [claims] that were not founded.”
Thompson said a prison sentence was appropriate given the seriousness of the offence, and imposed an 18-month custodial sentence to be served in the community.
He described her as “prone to being fanciful” with the truth and dismissed her claims that she holds a graduate diploma in psychology from the University of New England.
“There’s no evidence before me that she has any qualifications,” Thompson said.
Hansen must repay the $800 to the mother within two months. Thompson rejected AHPRA’s application to recoup $13,000 in legal fees, instead ordering her to pay $2000 to the watchdog in instalments from her pension.
Thompson warned Hansen that she faced imprisonment if she breached her conditions, or if NSW Police laid charges on top of those brought by AHPRA.
“There’s a jail sentence hanging over your head,” Thompson said.
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