Fake psychologist convicted after providing NDIS assessment

02 May 2025

A NSW woman has been found guilty of two offences in contravention of section 116 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law 2009.

Ms Tina Hansen has never been registered as a psychologist and is not eligible for registration. In June 2022, she was providing online maths tutoring services to a child when she told the child’s mother that she was also a qualified psychologist. The mother asked Ms 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.

Ms Hansen proceeded to perform an online assessment of the child and provided a report. The report described Ms Hansen as a ‘Clinical Psychologist’ and quoted a ‘Reg’ number. Ms Hansen charged $800 for the report, and it was submitted to the child’s school.

Ms Hansen provided another copy of the report with an additional cover page two days later, in which she was again described with the title ‘Clinical Psychologist PSY000758652’. Ms Hansen lodged this second report and a NDIS Access Report Form with the National Disability Insurance Agency on behalf of the child’s mother.

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. The psychologist looked up Ahpra’s online register of practitioners and discovered Ms Hansen was not listed on the register of practitioners.

When she emailed Ms Hansen and challenged her qualifications, Ms 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. Ms Hansen had never been registered and had never applied for registration.

In February 2023 at the conclusion of his investigation a senior inspector from Ahpra contacted Ms Hansen to offer her the opportunity to attend a voluntary record of interview. She stated that she was suffering from terminal adrenal cancer and was in hospital in palliative care. Subsequent enquiries indicated this was also untrue.

On 8 January 2025 in the Campbelltown Magistrates Court Ms Hansen pleaded guilty to one count of holding herself out as a registered psychologist and one count of describing herself as a psychologist.

On 1 May 2025 she returned to court for sentencing. 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.

After taking into account Ms Hansen’s submissions regarding her personal circumstances, his Honour concluded that a sentence of imprisonment was appropriate. He convicted Ms Hansen and sentenced her to 18 months imprisonment to be served in the community by way of an Intensive Corrections Order (ICO).

In sentencing yesterday, Magistrate Peter Thompson commented that ‘it is certainly hard to find a more important registration body than Ahpra. Healthcare professionals provide a critical role in this country. This is because of the trust that the community places in individual practitioners.’

An ICO is the most serious sentence that a person can serve in the community in NSW. If Ms Hansen breaches the conditions of the ICO, she will be required to serve the remainder of her sentence in custody.

Ms 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.

Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner said it was important that people who pretend to be registered health practitioners are held to account.

‘Using a title like psychologist to blatantly profit off of vulnerable families is not only irresponsible but can cause serious damage’, he said.

The Psychology Board of Australia also welcomed the outcome.

‘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, Ms Rachel Phillips said.

‘Psychologists are extremely qualified practitioners and to call yourself one without having the necessary skills or expertise has consequences.’

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