A psychiatrist from Memphis, Tennessee, has been suspended after an investigation uncovered she used whips and riding crops to treat her patients.

The Tennessean reports Dr. Valerie Louise Augustus of Christian Psychiatrist Services used a riding crop, commonly used to discipline livestock, to hit a patient who is a victim of physical abuse and suffered from depression.Augustus also reportedly used the weapon and whips on other patients and compared them to mules. To make matters worse, she had the weapons on display in her office like your grandma’s switch tree in the yard.

The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners found "there is no evidence in the psychiatric literature to support touching a patient with an implement as part of treatment,” the report reads. “This is supported by the A.P.A.’s [American Psychological Association] commentary on ethics and practice.”

Her medical license is suspended for 60 days, and she has been ordered to pay a $10,000 fee, $1,000 for each victim. Augustus will be required to take a two-day medical ethics course.

To get her license back, she will have to be cleared by Vanderbilt Comprehensive Assessment Program, which handles behavioral issues from professionals. If she passes, Augustus will be able to practice during a three-year probationary period.

In this instance, the rod should definitely be spared.

Dr. Valerie Louise Augustus

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