Agency May Revoke License of Psychologist : Regulation: State board suspends Elaine Marcia Goldberg after inquiry finds that she had ‘engaged in acts of gross negligence,’ official says.

A state board moved to revoke the license of a West Hollywood psychologist this week after a judge recommended that she be suspended for unprofessional conduct.

Thomas O’Connor, executive officer of the state Department of Consumer Affairs’ Board of Psychology, said the board suspended Elaine Marcia Goldberg after an investigation by the board found that she had “engaged in acts of gross negligence in her psychology practice on numerous occasions.”

The board, which administers the licensing of psychologists and investigates suspected violations of the state’s Business and Professions code, will seek to remove Goldberg’s license during a hearing in the next two weeks, O’Connor said. A Los Angeles administrative law judge advised last week that Goldberg be temporarily barred from practicing psychology pending a hearing.

Goldberg, after being licensed in 1990, worked for a time as a consulting psychologist on workers compensation claims for a private firm, Professional Consultation Services in Los Angeles.

E. A. Jones, a state deputy attorney general, said that while working as an independent contractor for the firm, Goldberg refused to return client files to the agency and later threatened to burn the files. Later, she allegedly offered to return them in exchange for $20,000.

Goldberg never returned the files, Jones said.

Officials from the company declined to comment on Goldberg’s period of employment other than to say they “believe she was terminated.”

O’Connor did not know if Goldberg had been practicing psychology in the years since leaving that firm.

In addition to her professional problems, Goldberg, 52, has had several run-ins with the law. She was convicted of disturbing the peace in June in connection with complaints that she threatened neighbors and made excessive noise during the night--including blowing an air horn and pounding on walls--while living in a West Hollywood apartment complex. Goldberg was sentenced to three years probation.

The attorney general’s office said she has also been connected to incidents involving defacing of property, reckless driving and pointing a gun at a former neighbor, investigators said. In the gun incident, charges were dropped after Goldberg and the other resident made mutual citizen’s arrests.

Goldberg failed to show up for her last two hearings regarding her license, according to officials. She could not be reached for comment.

O’Connor said that, although the personal incidents were not directly related to Goldberg’s performance as a psychologist, they will be included in the board’s findings.

“The (incidents) were substantially related to the practice of psychology because they involved antisocial conduct, and the behavior for which she was convicted could interfere with the effective, competent practice of psychology,” O’Connor said.

A hearing on the board’s charges will take place within 15 days, and a final decision whether to revoke Goldberg’s license will be reached within 15 days after that, O’Connor said.