Health and Care Professions Council determination — substantive hearing
HCPTS panel cautions Martin Wilks for three years over professional boundary breaches
An HCPTS panel imposed a three-year caution on counselling psychologist Martin Wilks after finding repeated professional boundary breaches in communications with a vulnerable service user.
MedicWatch editorial · Published 12 December 2023 · Updated 23 September 2026
Warning (formally warned)
Data last checked: 23 September 2026Report a correction
What does “formally warned” mean?
A formal warning is a note on the practitioner's record. It does not restrict practice but tells the public that the regulator considered the conduct to have fallen below expected standards.
Concerning Martin Wilks, practitioner psychologist (Health and Care Professions Council PYL22710).
Decision date: 12 December 2023 · Hearing started 4 December 2023 and ended 12 December 2023
In plain English
The HCPTS panel found that counselling psychologist Martin Wilks repeatedly crossed professional boundaries and communicated inappropriately by email with a vulnerable service user. It found he had remedied the failings and posed a low risk of repetition, but that public confidence required a finding of impairment. The panel imposed a three-year caution order.
Charges
The allegation concerned inappropriate and unprofessional communication with a service user between August and October 2020 and failures to maintain professional boundaries in email exchanges and other communication, including asking whether she masturbated and proposing that she try to do so in the bath.
Findings
The panel found both particulars proved and found misconduct. It found Martin Wilks had repeatedly breached professional boundaries and communicated inappropriately with a vulnerable service user. It found a low risk of repetition and no personal impairment after remediation, but found public-component impairment and imposed a three-year caution order.
Mitigating and aggravating factors
Mitigating factors
There was no sexual or otherwise inappropriate relationship being pursued by the Registrant; There was not a pattern of inappropriate behaviour involving more than one service user; The impact of COVID created difficulties for the Registrant in providing therapy to a complex service user; There have been no previous regulatory or disciplinary matters over the course of his 30 year career; He has undertaken extensive remediation and produced positive character references; The Registrant has engaged in the regulatory process and demonstrated insight and genuine remorse; There is a low risk of repetition and no current impairment under the personal component.
Aggravating factors
The Panel has found there was a breach of trust in relation to a vulnerable service user; The Registrant is currently impaired under the public component.
Source
All facts on this page are drawn from the publicly published Health and Care Professions Council determination linked below. MedicWatch does not editorialise the regulator’s findings.
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