If you have a concern about the service you have received from your psychotherapist, you should first discuss the matter with your psychotherapist if you are able to.

If that fails, or you do not feel able to, then you should contact the office of the Health & Disability Commissioner.

Complaints where the conduct or competence of a health practitioner has affected a health consumer (patient) are considered by the Health and Disability Commissioner in the first instance. The Commissioner promotes and protects the rights of consumers and receives all complaints against health practitioners.

Complaints against practitioners should be made in writing and be sufficiently detailed. It is recommended that complaints be sent to:

Health and Disability Commissioner
PO Box 1791
Auckland

Click here for information on the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights: www.hdc.org.nz/the-act--code/the-code-of-rights

After considering a complaint, the Health and Disability Commissioner may decide to refer the matter to the Psychotherapists Board for consideration. If this happens, the Board will promptly notify the complainant and psychotherapist involved, assess the complaint, and decide on a course of action to be taken.

If you are not sure who you should direct your concern to and want advice, please contact the Psychotherapists Board of Aotearoa New Zealand by calling (04) 918 4727 or sending an email.

Click here to download the flow chart - Complaints process for client complaints

Click here to download the flow chart - Complaints

The HPCAA has established a Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal to hear and determine charges brought before it for any health practitioner covered by the HPCAA. The Tribunal is a separate body from the Board. It is likely that the Tribunal will consider only the most serious of complaints.

The Tribunal membership is composed of the Chairperson (Barrister or Solicitor of the High Court), or a deputy Chairperson and four others, three of whom must be professional peers of the health practitioner and one of whom must be a lay person.

The source of charges before the Tribunal is either the Director of Proceedings (via the office of the Health and Disability Commissioner) or a Professional Conduct Committee (appointed to investigate a complaint by the Psychotherapists Board).