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Problematic Professional: Tania Marshall

Tania Marshall is a psychologist in Australia who has practiced for more than 20 years. She has worked with children, teens and adults who are autistic. Tania earned her Bachelor of arts in Psychology and her Masters of Science in Psychology at the University of Calgary. 

Marshall has has been working in private practice. She has worked with many and even made diagnosis over skype. 

Tania A. Marshall, MSc., Award winning author

August 14, 2013

FAQ: Do you provide diagnostic assessment via Skype? How does

this process work?

Thank-you for you email and comments re: my blog and inquiry re:

assessments due to a lack of services in your country.. I do provide

diagnostic assessments for women, men and teens from a variety of

countries via Skype or other means. I closely follow world expert’s

procedures which are briefly as follows:

Two 2 hour appointments OR whatever combination (around 4

hours), which is spend on:

1. An interview to discuss family history, developmental history,

childhood and teen life, why you believe you may have Asperger

Syndrome

2. Completion of 1 formal assessment together

3. A review of a 3-4 page autobiographical description of yourself,

your experiences from your earliest memories till around age 21. This

is usually sent to me via e-mail before our first appointment.

4. The results of the assessment are discussed and if a diagnosis is

made, time is also spend on “now what?” and future

recommendations, support, are discussed in terms of social,

emotional, career, family, resources and so on.

I am available to do this in person at my clinic or via Skype. You will

be provided with a diagnostic letter, if at that point you meet the

criteria for the female or male profile of Asperger Syndrome. Please

contact me at admin@centreforautism.com.au for more informatior

or to book an appointment.

Marshall is the author of Aspiengirl. AspienWoman, Aspien Powers, and  Aspien Boy. Her works centers around functioning labels, specifically Aspergers Syndrome. 

Mashall is transphobic and also centers her work around “rapid onset gender dysphoria.” She says her work is not transphobic just because she says its not.  

Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria from Tania A. Marshall, M.Sc. on Vimeo.

Seeing this commonly in my clinical work #genderdysphoria #autism #aspergers pic.twitter.com/4avDifku9b

— Tania Marshall M.Sc. (@TaniaAMarshall) October 6, 2017

What is rapid onset gender dysphoria? I’m going to be talking about this issue using case illustrations from my work over my career. Coming soon on https://t.co/FDTYexP035 #autism #aspergers #ROGDWEEEK2018 pic.twitter.com/CfP7eBokEk

— Tania Marshall M.Sc. (@TaniaAMarshall) July 25, 2018

Tania A. Marshall,  should be ashamed of herself for threatening others in our community. We do not support her as a psychologist. Your actions have proven that you do not understand the ethics and boundaries it requires to be a therapist. Agony Autie and others deserve better. Your transphobia is disrespectful and discriminatory. It’s such a sad thing, especially because a lot of people use to look up to you. The ableism and transphobia needs to end! Targeting people, threatening them, slandering them, etc. are not healthy ways of advocating. 

Evidence here has proven that you are not trustworthy. 

If anyone would like to report Tania to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, please do so here: 

https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Notifications/Raise-a-concern.aspx

Update!

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency is finally going to launch an official investigation into her unethical practices. 

Ahpra

& National

Boards

Private and Confidential

4 January 2021

Dear

Decision to investigate

In August 2019, you told us of your concerns about Ms Tania Marshall. Thank you for that

– We appreciate the effort this takes and would like to assure you that we take all issues

raised seriously. I apologise for the length of time it has taken to send you this letter.

The Psychology Board of Australia (the Board) has considered all the information it has

and on 6 August 2020 decided to investigate. I am leading the investigation. The

investigation may take between six and 12 months although more time may be needed.

During the investigation, I may ask you for further information. This may be by email, you

will be able to ask me questions about anything that is not clear or is confusing.

I will keep you updated regularly as the investigation proceeds and when the investigation

is completed.

Privacy

The way we gather, manage and share other people’s personal information is explained

in our privacy policy that can be viewed on our website at http://www.ahpra.gov.au.

Unless you asked us not to tell the practitioner that you made the notification, we will

have provided your name and a copy of all the information you gave us to the

practitioner. This is important for ensuring that a fair process is followed. If you have not

given consent for this, then it may pose challenges in addressing your concerns.

We will write to you to tell you the outcome of the notification. This letter may contain

personal information about other people. We ask that you treat it confidentially and

sensitively. Commonwealth, State or Territory laws may restrict how you can use other

people’s personal information.

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

National Boards

GPO Box 9958 Brisbane Queensland 4001 Ahpra.gov.au 1300 419 495

Ahpra and the National Boards regulate these registered health professions: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

health practice, Chinese medicine, chiropractic, dental, medical, medical radiation practice, midwifery, nursing,

occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathy, paramedicine, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry and psychology.

2nd Update!

There was a reply from Tania’s professional training that agreed her behaviour had been wholly inappropriate and abusive. She was forced to have supervisions, not to mention gender dysphoria again, and to have her social media regularly reviewed if she wanted to remain part of the professional body. She has since come off Twitter spouting some other reasons. This is fabulous news!!! Screen shots of the redacted email below (thank you to the follower who has been corresponding with Australia all this time! Could not have done it without you!!)

  {AHPRA Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency 6 September 2019 Private and Confidential By email: Dear Action taken in relation to Ms Tania Marshall after assessment I refer to our previous correspondence in relation to the assessment of the notification about Ms Tania Marshall (Ms Marshall) Issues As you are aware, the issues identified were: 1. Conduct – Other Issue: Disreputable Conduct Whether Ms Tania Marshall engaged in disreputable conduct by posting on social media statements and non-evidence based information that reflect on her ability to practise as a psychologist and/or reflect negatively on the profession or discipline of Psychology 2. Conduct – Other Issue: Disreputable Conduct Whether Ms Tania Marshall engaged in disreputable conduct by behaving in a manner that may reasonably be perceived as demeaning, and/or denigrating the character of people by engaging in conduct that demeans them as persons or harasses them Decision On 5 September 2019, the Psychology Board of Australia (the Board) decided that Ms Marshall’s professional conduct is unsatisfactory, The Board decided to take relevant action under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (the National Law) and imposed conditions on Ms Marshall’s registration. Reasons The Board decided this because 1. The Board noted the notification and information submitted by Miss Hannah Belcher dated 31 October 2018 2. Having considered the information before it, as provided by Miss Belcher, the Board noted: a Ms Marshall’s activity on Twitter between July and October 2018 disseminated information in relation to “Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria”, which is not a recognised diagnosis b. Ms Marshall proceeded to message Ms Belcher privately, via Facebook, making inappropriate demands and threats of Ms Belcher, including threatening to complain to police about Ms Belcher’s behaviour, and threatening to contact Ms Belcher’s Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency GPO Box 9958 Brisbane Queensland 4001 http://www.ahra.gov.au academic institution and supervisors 3. The Board had regard to the relevant provisions of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) Code of Ethics, which established an appropriate standard of conduct and practice to be expected of registered psychologists. In consideration of the Code of Ethics, the Board was of the view that Ms Marshall’s conduct was below the standard to be reasonably expected, where she: a. Disseminated information publicly, via social media, which misrepresented Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria as an accepted diagnosis: b. Failed, in her social media interactions, to demonstrate and communicate respect for other people:}      

{academic institution and supervisors.

3. The Board had regard to the relevant provisions of the Australian Psychological Society

(APS) Code of Ethics, which established an appropriate standard of conduct and practice

to be expected of registered psychologists. In consideration of the Code of Ethics, the

Board was of the view that Ms Marshal’s conduct was below the standard to be

reasonably expected, where she:

a. Disseminated information publicly, via social media, which misrepresented Rapid

Onset Gender Dysphoria as an accepted diagnosis:

b. Failed, in her social media interactions, to demonstrate and communicate respect

for other people:

. C. Behaved in a manner that may reasonably be perceived as coercive or

demeaning, and

d. Denigrated Ms Belcher’s character by engaging in conduct which demeaned and

harassed her.

4. The Board considered Ms Marshall’s conduct in this respect to have been unsatisfactory,

and to have brought the profession into disrepute. The risk arising out of Ms Marshall’s

conduct in this respect was one of dissuading public confidence in the profession

5. The Board considered appropriate to impose conditions on Ms Marshal’s registration

requiring her to undertake a period of supervision with a registered psychologist. In doing

So, the Board considered that Ms Marshall would be appropriately assisted to modify her

public communications and conduct herself in a manner befitting of a registered

psychologist. Such conditions, requiring regular reporting from Ms Marshall’s supervisor.

would also satisfy the Board of Ms Marshall’s progress and development, and ultimately

satisfy it that Ms Marshal’s conduct no longer posed a risk to the public.

In relation to evidence of ROGD

6. In relation to the article of Dr Lisa Littman submitted by Ms Marshall as evidence of

Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD), the Board firstly noted that at no time did Ms

Marshall provide the Board with a copy of the relevant article. Nevertheless, having

located and considered the article, the Board took this opportunity to note the following in

relation to Dr Littman’s article:

a. The article was published on 16 August 2018 in an online Journal, PLOS One.

The journal is described as “an inclusive journal community publishing

multidisciplinary research. The Impact Factor of this Journal is noted to be 2.766

b. Dr Littman’s study was noted to have been a descriptive study consisting of a 90-

question survey for parents who had reported sudden or rapid onsets of gender

dysphoria in their children,

C. On 27 August 2018, PLOS One announced that it was conducting a post-

publication investigation of Dr Litman’s study. its methodology and analysis.

following concerns in relation to the study participants’ recruitment, and the lack

of interview of the children in question and/or their clinicians.

d. The article was subsequently reviewed and a number of changes made to

Linman L (2018) Parent reports of adolescents and young adults perceived to show

signs of a rapid onset of gender dysphoria. PLoS ONE 13(8): e0202330

https://doi.org/10.1371/ournal.pone.0202330

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

GPO Box 9958 Brisbane Queensland 4001 http://www.ahpra.gov.au

address the concerns, prior to its republication on 19 March 2019,

e. Dr Littman’s republished article concluded that the information gathered from the

study allows for the generation of hypotheses about factors that may contribute

to the onset and/or expression of gender dysphori…. [with, emerging hypotheses

including the possibility of a potential new subcategory of gender dysphoria

(referred to as rapid-onset gender dysphoria) that has not yet been clinically

validated…}

 

{address the concerns, prior to its republication on 19 March 2019.2

e Dr Littman’s republished article concluded that the information gathered from the

study allows for the generation of hypotheses about factors that may contribute

to the onset and/or expression of gender dysphorie… [with] emerging hypotheses

including the possibility of a potential new subcategory of gender dysphoria

(referred to as rapid-onset gender dysphoria) that has not yet been clinically

validated.

7. For the reasons set out above, Dr Littman’s article was not accepted by the Board as evidence of ROGD as a diagnosis, and the fact remains that ROGD is not a recognised diagnosis in the DSM-5.

8. It was also noted by the Board that Ms Marshall, in her online interactions in relation toROGD via Twitter between July and October 2018, failed to provide members of the public with any such information – whether accepted and peer-reviewed or otherwise upon which she relied when disseminating information about ROGD. Instead, MsMarshall stated that she would not waste her breath on explaining ther) 20 years of experience and what she’d seen heard and listened to In relation to other information provided by Ms Marshall for the Board’s consideration

9. The Board noted Ms Marshall’s submission to the effect that she had produced videos on ROGD which demonstrated that she was not a risk to the public

10. The Board noted that no such videos were provided by Ms Marshall with any of her submissions in response to the notification

11. The Board also did not consider it necessary to consider any videos produced by Ms Marshall, given that the subject matter of this notification was Ms Marshall’s interactions and communications on social media, and not the content of any videos produced by Ms Marshall. The pertinent factor was that Ms Marshall had purported to represent ROGD as an accepted diagnosis where was not

12. The Board also noted the letter of support from a professional associate provided with Ms Marshall’s submission of 11 April 2019, and the following information:

a. Ms Marshall had provided her colleague with invaluable guidance in relation to the phenomenon of young autistic girls adopting a sudden cross-sex identity around puberty.

b. “Had (Ms Marshall been ignorant of this surge of gender questioning, the colleague doubled she would have been able to provide such nuanced and useful advice…

c. Ms Marshall recommended to the colleague that she use several standardised

assessments which are evidence based and could properly help screen her clients d. The colleague’s clinical experience indicates that puberty-onset gender-questioning is absolutely a real phenomenon, and while ROGD is not a DSM diagnosis, it is well-accepted as a descriptive term.

13. The Board acknowledged positive reports fore Ms Marshall from the professionalassociate, and the professional guidance offered to her by Ms Marshall. The Board also * Linman L (2019) Correction: Parent reports of adolescents and young adults perceived to show signs of a rapid onset of gender dysphoria, PLoS ONE 14(3): 60214157.

https://doi.org/10.1371 journal.pone 0214157

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency G

PO Box 9958 Brisbane Queensland 4001 http://www.ahpra.gov.au

wished to note that no suggestion had been made, or concern raised by the Board as to Ms Marshall’s ignorance, or use of non-standardised assessments for screening clients.

14. The Board noted that the subjent the notification was of Ms Marshall’s disseminating information to the a platforms, which represented ROGD as a diagnosis, and not escriptive term”. A choice example of this is Ms Marshall’s Twitter 3 of 7 Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria uals seem more prone to having It? What are the themes and perures w uses? Coming soon on Vimeo.

15. As such, the Board did not consider the letter of support from the professional associate}

{Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency GPO Box 9958 Brisbane Queensland 4001 http://www.ahpra qov.au wished to note that no suggestion had been made, or concern raised by the Board as to Ms Marshall’s ignorance, or use of non-standardised assessments for screening clients 14. The Board noted that the subject matter of the current notification was of Ms Marshall’s disseminating information to the public, via social media platforms, which represented ROGD as a diagnosis, and not just a ‘well-accepted descriptive term’. A choice example of this is Ms Marshall’s Twitter activity of 25 July 2018, which relevantly stated, “What is Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria? Why do some individuals seem more prone to having it? What are the themes and narratives from my cases? Coming soon on Vimeo.

15. As such, the Board did not consider the letter of support from the professional associate to be relevant in discharging the concerns relevant to the current notification. The Board also considered that Ms Marshall had failed to acknowledge, and now continued to demonstrate a lack of insight in relation to the risks associated with her conduct in disseminating the information online, namely

a. Her disseminating unreliable information in relation to ROGD.

b. That the information was disseminated to members of the public, who were reliant on the knowledge and advice of professionals, and who may not have sufficient knowledge and clinical expertise to make a determination on the validity of the information Ms Marshall was disseminating

C. That (noting the subject matter of the information) her audience may have included vulnerable members of the public, with diagnosed and undiagnosed mental health conditions not limited to Gender Dysphoria, and who may or may not have been seeking or receiving professional assistance.

16. The Board considered that Ms Marshall’s conduct in this respect was disreputable, and brought into question her ability to practise a psychologist, and reflected negatively on the profession of psychology, contrary to Sections C.1.1 and C.1.2 of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) Code of Ethics.

In relation to Ms Marshall’s conduct toward Ms Belcher 17. In relation to Ms Marshall’s conduct toward Ms Belcher, the Board noted Ms Marshall’s view that she had not defamed Ms Belcher, on the basis that Ms Belcher would not succeed in an action brought against her for defamation

18. The Board took this opportunity to note, for Ms Marshall’s reference, the relevant provisions of the APS Code of Ethics which provide (emphasis added): “In the course of their conduct.psychologists:

(a) Communicate respect for other people through their actions and language

(b) Do not behave in a manner that, having regard to the context, may reasonably be perceived as coercive or demeaning:

(c) Respect the legal rights and moral rights of others; and

(d) Do not denigrate the character of people by engaging in conduct that demeans them as persons, or defames, or harasses them.

Where conduct is defined the Code as any act or omission by psychologists:

(a) that others may reasonably consider to be a psychological service

(b) outside their practice of psychology which casts doubt on their competence and ability to practise as psychologists ) outside their practise of psychology which harms public trust in the discipline or the profession of paychology.

(d) in their capacity as Members of the Society as applicable in the circumstances Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

GPO Box 9958 Brisbane Queensland 4001 http://www.ahpra goy ay 4 of 7 19.

Importantly, it was noted by the Ethics is not limited in its applicability to interactions bet clients and intelwand Me Balchor and that Ma Marshall had demsaned and harmed Me}

 

 

{Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

GPO Box 9958 Brisbane Queensland 4001 http://www.ahpra.gov.au

19. Importantly, it was noted by the Board that the Code of Ethics is not limited in its

applicability to interactions between psychologists and clients.

20. The Board considered that Ms Marshall had failed to communicate respect, both publicly

and privately toward Ms Belcher, and that Ms Marshall had demeaned and harassed Ms

Belcher. In forming this view, and the requisite reasonable belief that Ms Marshall’s

conduct was unsatisfactory, the Board particularly noted:

a. Ms Marshall’s public tweet, when challenged on her view by Ms Belcher, that she

would not waste her breath explaining ther 20 years of experience and what

she’d seen heard and listened to

b. Ms Marshall’s publicly addressing Ms Belcher and others, when challenged on

her publicised professional views, as “Trolls”.

c. Ms Marshall’s privately messaging Ms Belcher on Facebook, after Ms Belcher

shared the Facebook Page “Friends of Concerned Aspies”, harassing Ms

Belcher to remove the link, threatening her with police action and threatening to

contact Ms Belcher’s university and PhD Supervisor

21. Noting these choice examples and Ms Marshall’s submission of 11 April 2019, the Board

also held particular concern in relation to Ms Marshalls likening Ms Belcher’s notification

to AHPRA and the Board to Ms Marshalls contacting Ms Belcher’s academic institution

As Ms Marshall’s regulator, it was appropriate for the Board to be made aware of and

consider Ms Marshal’s professional conduct in publicly disseminating information about

ROGD and communicating inappropriately on social media including in a public forum

However, there appeared to have been no merit in Ms Marshall’s contacting Ms Belcher’s

academic institution

In relation to risk and regulatory action

22 For the avoidance of repetition, the Board referred to its reasoning at paragraph 15, in

relation to the risk associated with Ms Marshall’s disseminating of information about

ROGD.

23. In relation to her public communications via Twitter, the Board considered that Ms

Marshall demonstrated a lack of insight as to how her communications may be perceived

by members of the public, and the disrepute this may bring to the profession.

24. In relation to Ms Marshall’s private communications with Ms Belcher, the Board

acknowledged that there was no immediate risk to the public. Similar to its concerns in

relation to Ms Marshall’s public communications however, the Board’s concerns were in

relation to Ms Marshal’s demonstrated lack of insight in relation to her communication,

and the potential for Ms Marshall to communicate in such a manner with clients and

colleagues moving forward.

25. The Board maintained its view that it was appropriate and the minimum regulatory force

required to impose conditions on Ms Marshall’s registration, requiring her to undergo a

period of supervision. The Board formed this view, particularly given

a. The subject matter of the notification and Ms Marshall’s conduct, which the Board

considered Ms Marshall would benefit from discussing with a colleague,

b. Ms Marshall’s lack of insight in relation to her conduct, such that the Board

considered a caution would not be sufficient to alert her to her professional

responsibilities and protect the public from the risk of harm arising out of her

dissemination of information about ROGD, which is not a recognised diagnosis:

c. The conditions would not require supervision in the strict meaning of the term but

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

GPO Box 9958 Brisbane Queensland 4001 http://www.ahpra.gov.au

5 of 7

rather required Ms Marshall to attend for monthly sessions with a colleague, for

Guided indimenti relation to the sun The Board}

{Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency GPO Box 9958 Brisbane Queensland 4001 www ahora.gov.au rather, required Ms Marshall to attend for monthly sessions with a colleague, for guided professional development in relation to the relevant issues. The Board considered these conditions to be appropriate and the least onerous action available to address the concerns raised with Ms Marshall’s conduct, noting that she was already required to undertake activity of a similar nature as part of her continuing professional development obligations. The conditions imposed an additional requirement for Ms Marshall to provide reflective reports in relation to the supervision undertaken, which the Board considered would appropriately demonstrate her understanding of the issues which gave rise to the conditions, and the changes she implements to ensure similar conduct would not occur in future

26. The Board accordingly decided to impose conditions on Ms Marshall’s registration, noting the topic of the supervision to be undertaken conduct that reflects negatively on the practitioner’s capacity to practise as a psychologist, and reflects negatively on the profession of psychology – encapsulating both Ms Marshall’s disseminating of information, and her inappropriate communication about ROGD.

Information considered

The Board considered the following information in making the decision:

1. The Notification and attachments, submitted by Ms Hannah Belcher, dated 31 October 2018

2. The response submitted by Ms Marshall received 12 February 2019 enclosing a reference to the article of Dr Lisa Litman

3. The response submitted by Ms Marshall, received 11 April 2019, enclosing letter from Sasha Ayad, dated 31 March 2019. The response submitted by Ms Marshall, received 5 June 2019.

The public national register has been updated to reflect the action taken and can be viewed at http://www.ahpra.gov.au

Thank you for taking the time to raise your concerns. This matter has now been closed,

Information Privacy

This letter contains personal information about other people. This information has been disclosed to you under the National Law and in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You are asked to treat any personal information about other people confidentially and sensitively. Commonwealth, State or Territory laws may restrict how you can use other

Your feedback

Your feedback is important to us. Telling us about your experience with AHPRA can help us improve what we do and how we do it. In the coming weeks we will email you a link to a brief survey about your experience. The survey is voluntary and you will not be asked to identify Littman L (2018) Parent reports of adolescents and young adults perceived to show signs of a rapid onset of gender dysphoria. PLoS ONE 13(8): e0202330 httsidio 10.1371simal pone.0202330

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

GPO Box 9958 Brisbane Queensland 4001 http://www.chard.gov.au yourself when responding.

The information you provide will be handled in accordance with AHPRA’s Privacy Policy and SurveyMonkey’s Privacy Policy if you have any queries about the decision, please contact Me Tom Hall on 07 3149 4601 tom hallara.gov.au quoting the notification reference number 00400808}

{So vip

N10: 93% | 11:33

2019090…808.pdf

people’s personal information

Your feedback

Your feedback is important to us. Telling us about your experience with AHPRA can help us

improve what we do and how we do it in the coming weeks we will email you a link to a brief

survey about your experience. The survey is voluntary

and you will not be asked to identify

*Littman L (2018) Parent reports of adolescents and young adults perceived to show

signs of a rapid onset of gender dysphoria. PLoS ONE 13(8): e0202330.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202330

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

GPO Box 9958 Brisbane Queensland 4001 http://www.ahpra.gov.au

yourself when responding. The information you provide will be handled in accordance

with AHPRA’s Privacy Policy and SurveyMonkey’s Privacy Policy.

If you have any queries about the decision, please contact Mr Tom Hall on 07 3149 4601 of som ballahra.gov.aw quoting the notification reference number 00400808.

Yours sincerely

Tom Hall

A/ Manager, Notifications

Reference Number: 00400808

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