Hundreds of Americans may have unknowingly received therapy from an untrained impostor who masqueraded as an online therapist, possibly for as long as two years, and the deception crumbled only when she died, according to state health department records. This story also ran on . It can be .
Peggy A. Randolph, a social worker who was licensed in Florida and Tennessee and formerly worked for Brightside Health, a nationwide online therapy company, is accused of helping her wife impersonate her in online sessions, according to from the Florida Department of Health. The Florida report says the couple “defrauded” patients through a “coordinated effort”: As Randolph treated patients in person, her wife pretended to be her in telehealth sessions with Brightside patients.
The deceit was discovered after the wife died last year and a patient realized they’d been talking to the wrong person, according to a settlement agreement. Records from both states identify Randolph’s wife only by her initials, T.R.
, but her full name is : Tammy G. Heath-Randolph. Therapists are generally expected to have at least a master’s degree, but Randolph’s wife was “not licensed or trained to provide any sort of counseling services,” according to the Tennessee agreement.
“[Randolph] denies knowing that T.R. was using her Brightside Health Therapist Portal log-in credentials or treating clients under her account.
However, [she] received compensation for the sessions conducted,” the agr.
