Celebrity psychologist loses his license after damning texts reveal he had affair with client

A celebrity psychologist whose videos have been viewed by millions has been barred from practising after entering a “sexual relationship” with a client, which he says could not have happened due to his erectile dysfunction.Sydney-based psychologist Dr Ali Sahebi was found guilty of “unsatisfactory professional conduct” and “professional misconduct” at the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Thursday morning, which ordered his registration be cancelled.Dr Sahebi, who is from Iran, has more than 400,000 followers on Instagram and has given multiple TED talks on psychology.Earlier this year, Dr Sahebi found himself in hot water after describing homosexuality as a “self-destructive behaviour” in one of his viral videos.A petition was made for Dr Sahebi to take the video down which he did, also issuing an apology.The tribunal heard how Dr Sahebi, who at the time had a wife and children, engaged in a “sexual relationship” with one of his therapeutic patients in April and May of 2021.The relationship came to light after the patient made a formal complaint to the Health Care Complaints Commission in August 2021.Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

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Never miss a story.The tribunal heard how the relationship began after she saw Dr Sahebi for private therapy sessions about her mother’s recent death and financial problems.Dr Sahebi invited her to regular “group therapy sessions” he would host at his home which would often lead to the group socialising and drinking together.The tribunal heard that after one of the “group sessions” Dr Sahebi opened a “good quality whisky” for the pair to drink before things got “physical”.In the woman’s statement, she said she was “still feeling drunk” when the pair had sexual intercourse but was ...