A psychologist being assessed for his fitness to continue to practise blew an alcohol reading that exceeded the maximum of .40 the device could handle, a court has heard.
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The registration of Wodonga's Brian Hickman was suspended by the Psychology Board of Australia on September 14 last year, following that assessment on August 10.
He is also facing six criminal charges laid by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency for allegedly continuing to practice and pose as a registered psychologist following his suspension.
Wodonga Magistrates Court heard this week that an alcohol reading of more than .40 would likely have only come about if Hickman was drinking on the morning of the assessment and had gone through sustained drinking in the months before.
He was suspended because of the alcohol use and what has described as boundary issues with his clients.
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In October last year, a woman asked the registrar to print some documents from her psychologist to use as evidence in court when applying to have her driver's licence returned.
The court heard the registrar saw Hickman's name then remembered hearing he was suspended, checked the notice from APRA, then reported him to the police.
Corrections Victoria also reported Hickman after he allegedly continued to be involved with the counselling of an offender.
His defence will be that he was only trying to assist authorities with clients he was seeing before his suspension.
The case was adjourned until March 4, after Hickman returns from four weeks of rehabilitation at a Sydney facility.
