Saturday, May 20, 2006

12. Assessments/ Psychologists/Dr Tana Dineen & Dr Margaret Hagen

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    Assessments/psychologists/Dr Tana Dineen and Dr Margaret Hagen

    I do not expect to finish writing all I have to say today so please check for updates and editing for this specific posting. There is just so much that the people of Nova Scotia need to know and it is hard to know what to write next.

    We ask those who have been victimized by the system to come forward.
    You are not alone.
    We do not care how long ago you were abused - this abuse by our government has been generational.
    If you are going through the courts right now, get hold of us immediately!
    We want to hear from you.
    Contact us at truth4_@hotmail.com

    And don’t forget to get this blog address out to as many people as possible!

    There are major problems with the assessments that are being done for Children’s Aid/Family and Children Services/Community Services (CA/FCS/CS) and others in the family court system . I direct you to information posted by 2 PHD psychologists who have both written books against the psychologists who have infiltrated into the family court system with their lucrative contracts :

    1. Dr. Tana Dineen - CanadianManufacturing Victims: What the Psychology Industry is Doing to Peoplehttp://tanadineen.com/
    http://tanadineen.com/COLUMNIST/Writings/FamilyLaw.html
    http://tanadineen.com/MEDIA/ReportMagazineReview.html

    We also recommend 2 links she has on her site:Lifting the Veil http://www.liftingtheveil.org/ and
    Ottawa Citizen's Dave Brown's five-part series: Taking a critical look at Canada's family court system http://tanadineen.com/TOPICS/ChildProtection-Dave%20Brown.htm

    2. Dr Margaret Hagen -Professor Boston University - American
    Whores of the Court: The Fraud of Psychiatric Testimony and the Rape of American Justicehttp://www.familyrightsassociation.com/books/whores/of_the_court.htm
    http://www.villagelife.org/news/archives/11-4-97_psychsnoexperts.html

    ( I will elaborate on these doctors in a future editing of this posting - just get on their sites and look around - what you see there will astound you)

    These assessments are usually done by psychologists - In the Halifax Metro area, one particularly lethal organization that does these assessments is the IWK Assessment Services. Under oath, a social worker working for this establishment, testified most of their work comes from CA/FCS/CS. A PHD psychologist informed us that this alone was unethical - to have most of your income from one client makes it impossible for such an organization to be impartial and unbiased.
    It is rare that these assessments are being done to help or assist the children or families - Instead, they are used to gather information to use against families to justify apprehending children. But what is astounding is that test have been deliberately misused and client data and answers to interview questions have been deliberately twisted to present a very different person. We are aware of people who requested strenuously , for their own protection, that these interviews be taped but were denied - this is a right that a PHD psychologist informed us should be there for the protection of not only the person being interviewed but for the protection of the interviewer as well - Guess the system is so corrupt, they don’t have to worry about that side of the coin!



    In one case, a family member filed court orders to have all original handwritten notes which were made over many days of assessment interviews with a number of different people. This person explained that she could reasonably understand a misunderstandings here and there but when everything, 100%, that this person had said in response to specific questions, had been turned around in meaning, then she could only come to the conclusion that she had been deliberately misrepresented. In addition, others who had contributed information were seriously concerned that they had been misrepresented as well and had attempted, on their own, to no avail, to get copies of their interview notes.

    These documents were ordered to be before the court in 10 working days. This was the proof that was needed to prove that this person and the other contributors to the assessment had been totally misrepresented. For months, this assessment team, in writing, made all kinds of excuses for the delay in bringing forth these documents - including the copier breaking down ! Imagine that - not being able to get documents photocopied - I assure you IWK has more than one photocopier!

    As time ticked away, this assessment team even had the gall to fraudulently produce elaborate handwritten notes claiming them to be the documents requested!
    However, when the person requesting these documents was able to describe in detail the forms used to make these notes, also explaining in detail that when the lines on the forms were filled, the interviewer would write in the margins, and even flip over the paper and write on the back, this assessment team, finally relented - BUT NOT by presenting the documents requested.



    Instead, they wrote a signed letter explaining that these files had been shredded!

    They had picked the lesser of 2 evils - They decided to shred the evidence and risk taking any lumps for that instead of being found out for deliberately tampering with data!
    I now add to this story 2 letters that were submitted to Commission Nunn to the Nunn Committee by the two brave ladies, Linda Youngson and Marilyn Dey, who dared to take the Minister of Community Services to court to force him to establish the Advisory Committee that was suppose to be established on an annual basis , but , in fact, had not been established since 1996. - They won the court case - BUT - Soon enough, we will be posting a explanation about the events surrounding this event and explain to the people of Nova Scotia, the sham and the farce that the government has made of this committee.




    Dear Commissioner Nunn:

    Again in today's paper I have read information about testimony before this commission that I find astonishing. It is stated that troubled youth are unable to be assessed because there is no means to do these assessments and no way to put these assessments in place.

    This is not acceptable or reliable information. IWK has its own assessment team located in a government building on Young Street across from the Superstore. It is run by Ruth Carter, Lowell Blood , Dr. Ahmed and several others who are there full time and have been part of the Assessment Team for years. Before moving to Young Street it was located on Tower Road with the same people in charge. All of us who have had our children snatched by child protection have been subjected to the tactics of The Assessment Team which resulted in assessments the likes of which were never seen before and were so bizarre that, in some cases, the individuals could not recognize themselves as being the persons who had been assessed. The information in the reports had been turned completely around so that the meaning was completely opposite to what was said by the parent!

    Unbelievable as this is, we have the documents to confirm this.

    Furthermore, as parents, we were forced to go to these assessments. If we objected or refused, the assessments were court ordered . These assessments cost thousands of dollars and involved numerous collateral contacts who gave input that was invariably used as evidence against the parent in the court proceedings to justify the snatching of the children. Incidentally, there was never any follow-up for the parents, although we were all diagnosed as" mentally ill" to the point of being unable to take care of our children. Our children were also assessed and given diagnoses designed to classify them as "special needs" simply because this meant that they could generate more money from the system.

    While accompanying Carline VandenElsen to meet the CEO of IWK (Ann MacGuire) we were told that, up until that point, she was unaware of the Assessment Team. This makes me wonder if this is again some "secret body" designed strictly for the operation of the benefit of child protection.

    It has come out in various court documents that the business of this team is 100% related to child protection matters. I believe it is important for the Commission to be made aware of this and several of us can be available to produce documentary evidence.

    Yours truly,

    Marilyn Dey

    I would appreciate acknowledgment of this e-mail.

    Mr Commissioner Nunn:

    I would like to add that 2 women had these assessments which were done on parents, grandparents and children reviewed by 2 different well known and respected PHD psychologists, one in Nova Scotia, Dr Carol Pye, and another outside of Nova Scotia, Dr Marlies Suderman, who was then Director of Violence Prevention Services in Research at the London, Ontario Court Clinic. Both psychologists were shocked and appalled at the incorrectly and unethically done assessments - Neither found anything good about the assessment or the way they were conducted and both spoke strongly against these assessments in court.

    But it seems such testimony does not matter. The family court justices seem intent on giving the Children's Aid/Children and Family Services/Community Services Department just exactly what they want.

    When these 2 women made complaint to the N.S. Board of Examiners in Psychology (NSBEP), they were denied answer to basic questions concerning the process, who was on the investigation team, etc. This sham went on for exactly 1 year when they were finally told that their complaint was denied.

    They then, appealed the decision and were given answer in writing that they had no right of appeal and that they were not to ask any more questions because the NSBEP would not give answer to any!

    When these women went to the Ombudsman's office , they were told that the Ombudsman's Office did not have jurisdiction over this concern.

    Bringing the matter of having no right of appeal, to various MLAs has brought no action whatsoever. This a weakness in the act - it allows psychologist to appeal but does not allow people who bring complaint the same right. And this IS the jusisdiction of the MLAs!

    All communications, documents, etc, concerning these cases have been faithfully saved and are available for inspection.

    In addition, Dr Pye made a very candid public presentation June 11, 2004 where she spoke of the serious concerns with assessments conducted for CAS/CS/DCS here in Nova Scotia. I attach a copy of the schedule for these meetings (2 formats). People who attended that meeting are ready, willing and able to speak of the content of information given that day.
    Commissioner Nunn - I have been researching concerns connected with CAS/CS/DCS for many years now and, I, as a citizen of Nova Scotia, am embarrassed by what I have learned. What I have learned, I thought only existed in Third Word Countries - I did not expect to find such goings-on here in Canada!




    I also ask for confirmation of receipt of this e-mail. Thank you

    Linda D Youngson, B.A., B.Ed, M.Ed.



    Web Statistics
    Commission Nunn - we the families of Nova Scotia beg you to do the right thing by our children and families!
    One of the 2 women mentioned in the letter below who made complaint to the NS Board of examiners in Psychology was the person who had her evidence conveniently shredded by the assessment service.