I was never diagnosed with mental illness. But after I filed an ethics complaint I got plenty of diagnoses. Good thing I have a sense of humor.
Fatima Lasay
WOMAN WATCHING A CAT CRAPPING IN THE WOODS, 2021
Fatima Lasay
8.5 W x 11 H inches, acrylic on paperboard 220gsm
The woman is looking out the window and sees a cat crapping in the woods. Behind the trees is a pink pig looking at the cat. The cat seems to be aware of the presence of the pig but can’t get away because it is busy defecating. There is a ray of light from the sky cast upon the pig. There is a small table inside the house. Light from the window is cast upon a single fantail feather on the table. The feather suggests the cat might have eaten a bird a while ago, has digested the bird and is now defecating outside. The windows of the house are decorated with children’s drawings.
When I made this painting, I already terminated therapy and was desperately trying to ease the ill effects of maltreatment in therapy. The following year, my ex-therapist submitted his response to my ethics complaint. His admission, denial and justification for his ethical breaches were truly comical.
“Yes, I offered Ms. Lasay payment for reading my article and for her comments. When she refused, I told her I would forego payment for the next therapy session. Was it an X-deal? Not at all. And it was only consummated once.” Kit Balane wrote in his response to my ethics complaint. He further added, “The same thing happened for the supposed book that Ms. Lasay mentioned. It was a corrigendum on the discussion of the research paper. It was to pique her interest and continue the excitement she feels in the engagement. But I never intended to push it through or be consummated.”
Kit Balane’s defense against my ethics complaint rests on his claim that these acts were not consummated and were not intended to be consummated.
But this Ethics Committee is not convinced. The number of times and the severity that he entered himself into such relationships prove that indeed they are other than their professional relationships, which the Code of Ethics proscribes.
The Ethics Committee, Psychological Association of the Philippines, 2022
