Location: Sussex
Final determination: 15 May 2023
BPC case reference: COM04-22
Registrant: Marcus West
Sanction: Not withdrawal of registration
Institution: Society for Analytical Psychology (SAP)
Source: BPC Final Determination
https://www.bpc.org.uk/download/16031/COM04-22-Final-Determination.pdf
Case Summary
Marcus West was found to have breached professional boundaries within a training analysis relationship involving a trainee.
The BPC found:
- declaration of love during therapy
- inappropriate post-therapy meetings
- conduct partly sexually motivated
Risk Findings
- dependent therapeutic relationship
- power imbalance
- failure to maintain boundaries post-termination
- emotional and sexual boundary transgression
BPC Outcome
Sanction short of removal from the register
The practitioner remained in practice.
Wider Public Protection Question
Where serious boundary breaches occur in a dependent therapeutic context, the BPC’s policies provide for safeguarding escalation.
The relevant question is:
What safeguarding or escalation steps were considered or taken where the practitioner was allowed to continue practising?
Determination Gap
The determination does not clearly evidence:
- safeguarding referral
- police referral
- escalation under BPC procedures
Cross-Case Context
- In French (COM11-24) and Rushton (COM17-24), practitioners were removed from the register following serious misconduct.
- In West, serious boundary breaches were found, yet the practitioner remained in practice.
Across all three cases, the same issue arises:
There is no clear evidence of wider safeguarding escalation beyond the disciplinary outcome.
Systemic Significance
West introduces a further dimension:
Where misconduct is found but the practitioner remains in practice, the absence of evidenced safeguarding response becomes more acute.