NSW tribunal extends banned psychologist’s suspension over patient misconduct

A NSW tribunal has extended child psychologist Benjamin French’s suspension for six months after upholding complaints about his conduct with a former patient and a colleague. The case matters because French has since set up a learning support service for children and teenagers with disabilities, including clients funded through the NDIS, despite being banned from practising psychology.

French treated the woman for 52 sessions between 2017 and 2020, then began an intimate relationship with her three months after treatment ended; tribunal evidence included about 9,000 text messages. It also heard he later advised her on obtaining an ADHD diagnosis and prepared a report despite no longer treating her, and that he shared sensitive information about NDIS clients with a colleague. French was first suspended in February 2025, and the tribunal’s October 6 judgment found he had shown “a reckless disregard” for professional obligations.