A psychologist called and she has a question regarding being subpoenaed. she has withdrawn from the Candidate registry while she is doing her residency.

She is being subpoenaed regarding a former client and she is wondering if she should be testifying since she is not on the registry. A psychologist co-singed the reports and attended and spoke at a conference on this matter. she is wondering:- if the other psychologist should be the one to testify and is she allowed to testify if she is not on the registry.

Thank you for informing NSRP about being subpoenaed for court. Considering the circumstances you have noted, NSRP would not have a problem with you attending court while being off the register. You would simply need to be clear to the Court about your current registration status with NSRP (that you were on the Candidate Register but are currently off the register). While we understand that you are suggesting it might be more appropriate for the other psychologist to testify, ordinarily once a person is subpoenaed, he/she would not have a choice about whether to attend or not (or suggest someone attend in their place), so we cannot provide advice on this matter. If desired, you would be able to contact your professional liability provider’s pro bono hotline for legal advice. Tail Insurance coverage (and presumably this service) usually extends for a certain period following one’s policy being active.

Additionally, in relation to subpoenas in general, we usually note to registrants that there is an FAQ documents provided by the Supreme Court, Family Law Nova Scotia, and Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service.

Here are the URLs:

https://www.nsfamilylaw.ca/processes/witnesses-subpoenas

https://novascotia.ca/pps/faq_witness.asp