An administrative law judge is reviewing the case of a Portland, Ore., psychologist whose license was suspended after her 12-year-old client attempted suicide following alleged unorthodox treatment that included drinking milk on her father's lap, The Associated Press reported.
According to the board, Debra "Kali" Miller inaccurately diagnosed a boy with Reactive Attachment Disorder, a rare condition, by using invalid, unreliable assessment measures. She also failed to diagnose depression and recommended the boy participate in potentially harmful therapy that might have contributed to his suicide attempt.
Besides the bottle feeding, Miller advised the child to remain confined to his bedroom for extended periods with his door rigged with an alarm, AP reported. She also directed him to urinate into a jar in his room, sit facing the wall for a "time out", add the prefix "Queen" to his stepmother's name when addressng and do physical exercises like jumping jacks and crawling.
In addition, Miller told the boy's parents to isolate him from his siblings and referred him to an unlicensed practitioner, the board said.
The boy was taken to a hospital emergency room in September after a suicide attempt by strangulation, AP reported. He had been in therapy with Miller for more than a year.
Because of the case, Miller has been unable to practice since March when her license was suspended. She appealed the board's decision and the four-day hearing will end Thursday.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and other professional organizations have published warnings about the dangers of physically coercive treatment techniques for Reactive Attachment Disorder, AP reported. Such techniques have been scientifically unproven and can damage children in physical and emotional ways, according to the groups.
Miller told the board that most of the children she treated suffered from RAD and that she had a yearlong waiting list, AP reported.
This wasn't the first time Miller became the subject of the board's attention.
The panel issued an order reprimanding Miller in 2004 and fined her $1,000 for continuing to provide psychotherapy to two children after their recently divorced father told her to stop. The Oregon Court of Appeals then reversed the board's decision, AP reported.
And again in 2012, Miller entered a corrective action agreement with the board after it found she relied on unreliable sources to determine whether a child had suffered sexual abuse.
The administrative law judge will take up to several weeks to write an opinion regarding the case, AP stated.
Miller did not immediately return a call for comment.