BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

St. Lawrence County officials asked the District Attorney Monday to investigate whether Mental Health Counselor Thomas Doyle, who misrepresented himself as a psychologist, committed a crime.

On March 6 reports surfaced that the Rensselaer Falls resident had served as a witness in family court, where he said he was a licensed psychologist who had served as an expert witness hundreds of times and performed more than 1,000 evaluations.

Documents show Doyle is not a licensed psychologist, but does have a mental health counselor license.

St. Lawrence County Attorney Stephen Button said he was made aware of the issue April 29 and began a review of Doyle’s credentials and involvement specifically related to the St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services.

Button said DSS began using Doyle for evaluations about 16 years ago when Doyle was employed as a psychologist for the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center.

Button said Doyle’s evaluations were largely related to determining what types of treatment people should receive.

“I have been unable to find, at least in the past five years, records, where he was providing actual treatment but rather acting as an evaluative resource. He remained employed with SLPC until 2011 when he retired from the state at which point he began acting as a family court and DSS mental health counseling advisor or consultant.”

Button noted that Doyle has a doctorate in philosophy, not psychology, and is certified as a mental health counselor.

He said that Doyle has served in the capacity of a psychologist for a variety of agencies.

Button attempted to explain what role Doyle played in neglect and abuse proceedings.

Essentially he said that Doyle was brought in for the dispositional phase of family court proceedings, which he said is most similar to what people would recognize as the sentencing phase in criminal court.

He said that oftentimes the court will have the person accused of neglect to be evaluated to determine what type of course or treatment is needed.

That means he was largely used in regard to remedies rather than decisions about placement, but Button could not say Doyle’s remedy could have potentially impacted placement under certain circumstances.

County officials said records going back to 2011 show that the county has spent about $3,497 for an average of $317 annually on Doyle’s services. Button noted that he was unable to review the years prior to that time. Doyle has received $870 since 2020 for his services from the county.

St. Lawrence County Legislator Joseph Lightfoot asked what that indicated to county Administrator Ruth Doyle.

She said it was not an extraordinary amount.

Button also said it appears that while working on behalf of the county it does not appear that Mr. Doyle worked outside the scope of his mental health counselor license.

However, he said it does not change the fact that he misrepresented himself as a psychologist in court, which raises concerns.

“While it is problematic that an individual would hold themselves out as a licensed psychologist and not be a psychologist, the question that I have to answer is whether or not the work that he performed was within the scope of the licensure that he had. From the reviews of the files that I’ve had an opportunity to review at this point it does not appear that he performed any function on behalf of St. Lawrence County that would constitute work outside that which could be performed by a licensed mental health counselor.” Button said.

“But like I said, it remains problematic that an individual would hold themselves out as a psychologist and not be one. So, with that in mind, this matter has been referred to the St. Lawrence County District Attorney’s Office for investigation and review,” he said.

“Obviously the county is frustrated and disappointed on the matter and would like to see resolution. Can we say at this point that this rises to the level of a criminal matter? I can’t. Luckily that’s not my role to decide. That will be up to the criminal law enforcement prosecutors to determine, but we are obviously frustrated.”

Button said he was pleasantly surprised at the limited amount of involvement Doyle has had, specifically with St. Lawrence County, and that initial review did not reveal that he acted outside the scope of his license while working on behalf of the county.

Legislator Margaret Haggard sought clarification from Button that Mr. Doyle had in fact identified himself as a psychologist in family court.

Records show that he did.

Legislator John Burke questioned how Doyle signed his evaluations.

“What title did he use?”

Button said Doyle would identify himself as Dr. Thomas Doyle and with his license number afterwards, but noted that the number was for his Mental Health Counselor license and that he did not identify it beyond the number itself.

Burke asked if credentials were being properly reviewed and said that if such reviews are not being done, then they should be in the future.

Legislator Kevin Acres said he was glad that Doyle was not part of determinations, but he asked if the evaluations or testimonies made by Doyle could have impacted placements.

Button said that theoretically it’s possible, but said that Doyle’s recommendations were almost a mimicry of the order itself.

“So they did not appear to be inconsistent with what the court had already ordered. I don’t know if that was by design or not,” he said.

Button said that the cases Doyle has been involved in within the last 12 months. Three involved abandonments where parents didn’t follow through with evaluations.

In seven other cases Doyle testified only to making a recommended treatment.

“I'm not sure that his evaluation would serve as the key to any prosecution to any neglect or finding,” he said.

Acres said he was concerned about the impact of Doyle’s testimonies.

Button said that in his reviews so far there has been nothing to indicate that it was the determining factor.