Saratoga News

A Saratoga psychologist charged with negligence

Giving up license avoids an administrative trial

Practice closed Aug. 10

By Michelle Alaimo

A Saratoga psychologist agreed to surrender her license on Aug.10 after the California State Board of Psychology accused her of "being grossly negligent."

The board filed a formal accusation against Edith Fiore, Ph.D., whose office was located at 20688 Fourth St. in Saratoga, charging her with gross negligence for discussing her personal and romantic life during therapy sessions; not obtaining a signed consent for an unusual treatment procedure; imposing her own belief system on her patient, known only as "J.H."; and telling J.H. that past-life regression therapy would cure her.

State Deputy Attorney General Susan Meadows said that based on the facts, the case is "uncommon."

The Board of Psychology first brought an accusation against Fiore in April 1995, after one of her patients filed a complaint to the board about Fiore's treatment of her. In the board's complaint against Fiore, J.H. said she first sought treatment from Fiore in May 1992 because she was "distressed over a medical condition that required surgery." Fiore charged J.H., who is disabled with a serious illness, $240 per session.

The documents state that Fiore told J.H. she would use hypnosis to remove 90 entities, comprised of dead people, from J.H.'s person.

J.H. said she told Fiore after two or three sessions that the hypnosis was not working.Documents state Fiore told J.H. she would then hypnotize her to go back into her past life.

In July 1992, Fiore allegedly discussed her love life with J.H. during a therapy session. During one of J.H.'s sessions, Fiore reportedly told her that the entities had been removed "and that they should explore whether J.H. may have been abducted by unidentified flying objects [UFOs]."

Documents also charge that Fiore, who has held state license number PSY 4144 since June 26, 1974, was verbally abusive to J.H. and would not discuss topics that J.H. wanted to discuss. J.H. claimed she sometimes felt afraid of Fiore.

Meadows said Fiore surrendered her license and agreed to stipulations made by the state and the board without going to an administrative trial. Fiore, who did not return phone calls from the Saratoga News, told Meadows--and states on her office voicemail--that she has retired from the clinical practice of psychology.

With the surrender of her license, Fiore can no longer practice as a psychologist in the state of California. In three years, Fiore may petition the board for reinstatement of her license. If she petitions and her license is reinstated, Fiore will be required to pay $10,706.27 to the board for the cost of her investigation.

Meadows said she did not believe Fiore will try to reinstate her license. "[Fiore] wants to move on with her life," she said.

It is unknown whether J.H. has or will file a civil suit against Fiore to retrieve money she paid to Fiore for her therapy sessions.

The Board of Psychology received about 600 complaints statewide about psychologists from July 1996 to June 1997, according to the board's latest statistics. Of those cases, nine psychologists had decisions handed down against them for gross negligence.

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