SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Justice Files learned more about Parth Gandhi, the man who murdered his son and then took his own life earlier this year.
Some of Gandhi’s past patients said they were appalled to learn about the leniency provided to therapists in the state of Utah.
In 2018, Gandhi was reprimanded by the Division of Professional Licensing for soliciting a prostitute and lying about it on his license renewal application.
His punishment for that was speaking to the Utah Psychology Licensing Board and a public reprimand — who called his conduct unprofessional. However, he kept his license.
Various police reports have been filed over the years involving Gandhi, including allegations of domestic abuse, sexual solicitation, and rape.
Under Utah’s criminal guidelines for psychologists, however, soliciting a prostitute or domestic violence is not grounds for denying a license. Based on these guidelines, rapists and murderers could become licensed therapists, only requiring a manager to review the case.
The Justice Files reached out to both the Division of Professional Licensing and the Utah Psychology Licensing Board — telling them multiple women had come forward stating Gandhi sexually assaulted them.
When asked if either licensing agency would have done anything differently in Gandhi’s 2018 discipline, the response was that “DOPL followed Utah state law appropriately.”
Looking up your therapist’s past
Anyone is able to look up someone with a professional license to see if they have been disciplined — including therapists, doctors, and even contractors through DOPL’s Licensee Lookup & Verification System. However, it is important to note that this may not include all information, but it does include disciplinary measures.
Gandhi continues to practice after arrest
Four years after his reprimand, Heather Stevenson met Gandhi through a mutual friend.
She went to Gandhi’s ketamine clinic hoping that if it went well, a family member who was in a lot of pain would try and get the relief they needed. However, she believes he overdosed her that day — saying she could barely walk out of the clinic hours later.
The next time she heard about Gandhi was months later when he murdered his son and took his own life.
A woman who goes by the name of “Hope” said she was in a dark place when a friend recommended she ask Gandhi about Ketamine treatments. Gandhi offered to meet with her for free, and she opened up to him about her trauma.
She said Gandhi gave her a lozenge and a glass of orange juice, but the next thing she remembers is leaving at 2 a.m.
Hope said Gandhi should not have had a license.
Other women have come forward, with two women who filed reports with the Salt Lake City Police Department regarding rape. A different woman told SLCPD that Gandhi offered to treat her PTSD by giving her drugs and having sex with her.
Of the nearly 30 reports filed with SLCPD involving Gandhi, two reports stated they told police they also reported it to the Division of Professional Licensing.
The Division of Professional Licensing would not speak on those reports, but did confirm it was investigating Gandhi before his death. According to a DOPL representative, authorities had told them to hold off until their criminal investigation was complete.
