A psychologist working in the NHS has been struck off after she started a 'highly sexual' affair with a patient.
A disciplinary hearing heard that Dr Elinor Harper met with the patient in hotel rooms after they hugged and kissed following private sessions.
Dr Harper, who was married at the time, began working at an NHS Trust, which cannot be named for legal reasons, in August 2017.
A Health and Care Professional Tribunal Service hearing was told that her role involved treating complex patients with psychological difficulties.
The case was heard at the Health and Care Professional Tribunal Service
In February 2018, she began to treat a patient, identified as Service User A, who had a history of mental health issues.
The panel heard that during the therapy sessions, the patient told Dr Harper that he loved her and that the pair hugged at the end of a private session in November 2018.
The pair embraced and kissed in their next session after she told him she was in love with him.
Their relationship became 'very intense very quickly', as the pair spoke or messaged daily and met in hotels twice in December 2018.
They also began to visit each others' homes.
In WhatsApp messaged, Dr Harper wrote: 'I love you too... I couldn't admit it to myself straightaway.
'But since the day you first held me and stroked my back and looked deep in my eyes the flood gates have opened and my love for you just flows through me. There's no stopping it now.
'We're like two stars collided.'
In a later
