An anonymous woman has shared how she was left feeling "incredibly violated" after she was liked by her psychologist on a dating app.
The woman, who lives in Byron Bay, Australia, has accused the man of being "grossly inappropriate" after he messaged her on Hinge, claiming she looked familiar.
In screenshots of their conversation shared online, it can be seen that the unnamed man liked a photo of her in her swimwear, before writing: "Hey, I feel like we've matched before."
The message included a heart-eyes emoji.
The woman says she initially had no idea who the man was when she swiped right on his profile, but after they matched she realised how she knew him.
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She responded to his message asking: "Aren't you my psych?"
The woman then says he attempted to claim he had simply forgotten who she was, as he has lots of clients.
He said: "Oh, that's why you look familiar - sorry- I deal with lots of clients and it's hard to keep up. How have you been?"
She did not reply as the conversation left her feeling uncomfortable as she knew the man was aware of "deeply personal things" about her past and had "access" to her personal information, such as her number and address.
As reported by news.com.au, the woman later took to Facebook to share the experience, only for the post to be "leaked" to the psychologist.
"I posted in a private, closed women’s Facebook group asking for advice, to which the general consensus was to report to AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency). The post was then leaked to the psychologist, who threatened to sue me," she is quoted as saying on Instagram.
Alongside screenshots of the Hinge message, the woman also shared a look at direct messages the man sent her after he found out she'd discussed him on social media.
In a message sent on Saturday, he warned her that she would be "hearing from a lawyer" in regards to "defamation".
The woman hit back accusing him of "violating ethical codes" and being "grossly inappropriate".
"You’re not allowed to approach me in public let alone instigate contact on a dating app," she told him. "Even after I said ‘aren’t you my psych?’, you still tried to continue the conversation knowing full well my status as a patient of yours."
The man replied, insisting it was merely a mistake.
"I genuinely did not know that you were a client before you told me. I’m sure you can appreciate that I see a lot of clients and it’s been months since you had a session."
The woman has since stated that she's not "afraid" of the legal action the man has threatened as she's only spoken "the truth".
She added that his clients are "vulnerable people".
It is believed that the woman's complaint will now be handled by the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC), which investigates matters involving practitioners in NSW.
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