U of T professor and clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson is engaging with the College of Psychologists of Ontario, the province’s governing body for psychologists, to address an allegation of professional misconduct.
Complaints about members of the college are investigated and put before the Inquiries, Complaints, and Reports Committee, which decides what action should be taken according to the risk level posed by the member. The level ranges from no risk to high risk.
The committee’s decision for Peterson’s case, released February 7 this year, was that he enter into an “Acknowledgement and Undertaking.” Undertakings are requested when moderate risk is identified. According to the committee’s risk assessment framework, undertakings “can range from a minor change in practice to having a mentor.”
The undertaking that Peterson is engaged in will be in effect for at least 90 days, and it will “address issues of communications with clients, which may constitute boundary and/or quality of service issues,” according to the college’s record.
Peterson’s undertaking includes two steps: the “formulation of a plan to prioritize clinical work with clients above other competing interests, including appropriate client communications” and a self-report on the development and implementation of that plan.
Peterson has recently risen to global popularity as an academic and cultural critic. He told The Varsity that he put his clinical practice on hold more than a year ago, “long before this undertaking was formulated, as the constant demands on my time made it impossible for me to continue properly.”
The college’s Registrar and Executive Director, Dr. Rick Morris, declined to provide any information specific to Peterson’s case.
