'Fake psychologist' who provided NDIS assessment convicted

A New South Wales woman who posed as a psychologist has been found guilty of two offences in contravention of section 116 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law 2009. Tina Hansen — who has never been registered as a psychologist and is not eligible for registration — told the mother of a child she was providing online maths tutoring services to in June 2022 that she was also a qualified psychologist. The mother asked Hansen if she could complete a cognitive assessment report for her daughter so that she could access NDIS funding and other assistance for the child at school.

Hansen performed an online assessment of the child and provided a report, for which she charged $800. It was submitted to the school. In it, Hansen was described as a ‘Clinical Psychologist’ and a ‘Reg’ number was quoted. Hansen provided another copy of the report two days later, with an additional cover page; she was described with the title ‘Clinical Psychologist PSY000758652’. This second report was lodged with the National Disability Insurance Agency by Hansen on behalf of the child’s mother — along with an NDIS Access Report Form.

It was discovered that Hansen was not listed on the register of practitioners after a registered psychologist who worked with the school received a copy of the reports and had a number of concerns about the content and quality — and looked up Ahpra’s online register of practitioners. When the registered psychologist who worked at the school challenged Hansen’s qualifications via email, Hansen replied that she had “just re-applied for my registration due to having had terminal adrenal cancer and then not dying when expected”. This was untrue.

A senior inspector from Ahpra contacted Hansen in February 2023 at the conclusion of his investigation, offering her the opportunity to attend a voluntary record of interview. Hansen stated that she was suffering from terminal adrenal cancer and was in hospital in palliative care; subsequent enquiries indicated this to be also untrue. Hansen pleaded guilty to one count of holding herself out as a registered psychologist and one count of describing herself as a psychologist on 8 January 2025 in the Campbelltown Magistrates Court.

Returning to court for sentencing on 1 May 2025, Magistrate Peter Thompson noted the offending was serious, involving care for a child, and that there was a need for both specific deterrence and general deterrence. Hansen was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment to be served in the community by way of an Intensive Corrections Order (ICO), the most serious sentence that a person can serve in the community in NSW; should Hansen breach the conditions of the ICO, she will be required to serve the remainder of her sentence in custody. Hansen was also ordered to pay Ahpra’s legal costs of $2000 and to refund the child’s mother the $800 paid for the report.

“Using a title like psychologist to blatantly profit off of vulnerable families is not only irresponsible but can cause serious damage,” Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner said. The outcome was also welcomed by the Psychology Board of Australia. “There is an inherent trust that people place in psychologists and by abusing that trust, Ms Hansen not only damages the profession’s reputation but puts the safety of the public at risk,” Psychology Board Chair Rachel Phillips said. “Psychologists are extremely qualified practitioners and to call yourself one without having the necessary skills or expertise has consequences.”

If you have concerns about whether an individual is registered, you can check the online Register of Practitioners maintained by Ahpra or call 1300 419 495.

Image credit: iStock.com/Yuliya Taba