March 1998 Report of the Complaints Committee
"The Committee concludes that Dr. Persinger misused 'psychological knowledge' (or what could be perceived as such) to harm Ms. Loosemore...by making comments of a clinical nature without conducting a clinical evaluation."
"The Committee supports Ms. Loosemore's concern that Dr. Persinger's letters are written on stationary which includes the letterhead and emblem of Laurentian University and the letterhead of the Department of Psychology. The Committee noted that these symbols increased the chance that the comments might be interpreted as psychological diagnoses based on a psychological assessment of Ms. Loosemore (i.e., increased the credibility attached to the comments)".
Complaints Committee Decision
"The Committee has serious concerns about Dr. Persinger's conduct with respect to his treatment of Ms. Loosemore. The Committee concludes that there was evidence that Dr. Persinger's behaviour toward Ms. Loosemore violated the Standards of professional and ethical conduct regarding respect of dignity and worth of the individual as well as standards relating to responsible caring (i.e., through writing statements about her that demean her, such as 'paranoid' and 'delusional ideation').
Specifically, the Committee has strong concerns about Dr. Persinger's comments in letters to the CDEV Committee and Faculty which could be misperceived by others as diagnostic in nature. The Committee finds that these comments were made without Dr. Persinger conducting a clinical evaluation.
As well, the Committee has grave concerns with respect to what is perceived to be a defensive and non-apologetic stance on the part of Dr. Persinger in his response to the complaint. The Committee determined that there is no evidence that Dr. Persinger has assumed responsibility for his actions. According to the evidence before the Committee, Dr. Persinger has not demonstrated any awareness of his inappropriate, unprofessional behaviour toward Ms. Loosemore.
AS A RESULT OF DR. PERSINGER'S VIOLATION OF PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS, THE COMMITTEE WISHES TO ISSUE A STRONG CAUTION TO DR. PERSINGER WITH RESPECT TO HIS FUTURE CONDUCT TOWARD OTHERS, IN HIS PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY.
THE COMMITTEE CAUTIONS DR. PERSINGER WITH RESPECT TO THE FOLLOWING ISSUES:
Psychologists should conduct themselves in a professional, respectful, and appropriate manner toward others, including students. In particular, the Committee urges Dr. Persinger to avoid the use of insensitive, unobjective and/or clinical language (in a manner which may be perceived as diagnoses) in his communications within the university setting".
