From: Ed.Stewart@tgod.gigo.com (Ed Stewart)
KOVR-13 10PM NEWS - AUGUST 7, 1995
David Ono: Is this psychologist guilty of sexy shennanigans with his patients or is he, the victim of a smear campaign?
Good evening and thank you for joining us. I am David Ono for Jennifer Whitney. We begin tonight with a story that has sent shock waves throughout the Sacramento valley.
Stan Atkinson: A psychologist has been charged with hurting the patients he was supposed to help. Our KOVR 13 top story here at ten: the State of California versus Dr. Richard J. Boylan.
Boylan was stripped of his psychology licenses today. Investigators claimed that this veteran analyst took his professional relationship with three female patients much too far. And they charged that Boylan forced his personal views about space aliens on Earth into the dreams and the memories of two of his patients.
Our Jim Wieder is standing by. He is live in downtown Sacramento tonight with some more details on what is a troubling an baffling case. Jim.
Jim Wieder: Stan, we are outside of Dr. Boylan's office. It will not be business as usual in the morning. A year long state investigation concluded today suggested that the Doctor is guilty of seven counts of gross professional negligence. The twenty-one page report includes allegations that Boylan convinced two female patients UFOs and extraterrestrials exists during therapy sessions, that he invited female patients home for nude hot-tubbing and massages, and that he convinced another female patient to join him for a convention in Las Vegas.
December, 1992, Las Vegas, Nevada. Dr. Richard Boylan is there and so is a thirty year old recovering alcoholic. During the trip the doctor massages the female patient in his hotel room. That's one of the allegations produced in this final report by a state watchdog agency.
Richard Boylan: Don't want to get into the specifics of what possibly went on the minds of these individuals. Suffice to say it's false. Any representation that I did that in therapy is false.
Thomas O'Connor: Any time a psychologist commits an act of gross negligence, it will result in harm to a patient.
Jim Wieder: Thomas O'Connor with the state Board of Psychology led the investigation.
Interviewer: This potentially could mean more counselling because of what happened?
Thomas O'Connor: Clearly, and hopefully they will be in a position where they can find it in within themselves to trust another psychologist to help them if they need it.
Jim Wieder: Dr. Boylan said his numerous awards, degrees, dozens of published works, plus his successful practice with hundreds of patients suggest a smear campaign. You see, Boylan is deeply involved in UFO research. Some of his travels include visits to a supersecret Nevada airbase called Area 51. He said the government would prefer his research kept under wraps.
Richard Boylan: I am reminded of the 1925 Scopes-Monkey trial in which a teacher in Tennessee was found out of line by the court for daring to believe that evolution was true and sharing that belief with his students. I think that there may be some parallels with my case and my research.
Jim Wieder: Dr. Boylan says he is fighting mad about all of this. He is going to fight to get his license back. To do that he is going to have to convince a Superiour Court judge. As for the three females patients involved, Stan, we offered to interview them via a third party. We have yet to hear from them for that. Back to you.
Stan Atkinson: Jim, criminal charges haven't...haven't been filed in this
Jim Wieder: No, and this isn't a criminal case. It is an unusual case I might add Stan. There are over thirteen thousand register psychologists in the state of California. Only a handful end up going before the Board of Psychology. Even fewer than a handful from Sacramento, very, very few. And a very bizarre case.
Stan Atkinson: Well, we will be following it and interested in what happens next. Thank you, Jim.