Board suspends psychiatrist Donald Stonefeld relative to conduct with female patients

July 11, 2013

On May 15, 2013, the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board summarily suspended psychiatrist Donald F. Stonefeld.

The Board’s document describes boundary violations by Stonefeld with two female patients. In one instance, the state reprimanded him for calling a 50-year-old female patient (an incest survivor) at home to tell her that he wanted to see her socially and that he couldn’t do that if she were a patient. The patient “anxious, disgusted and frightened” did not keep their social appointment and did not seek further psychotherapy until four months later, when she was hospitalized.

In the second incident, Stonefeld sent text messages to a new 36-year-old female patient, in which he requested a photograph of her; told her she was “much prettier now”; offered to lend her a camper and told her that he wanted a “partner.” A statement by the patient includes details of how Stonefeld gave her $920 for expenses and later the same day, that he called her, wanting to get together for “adult time.”

The Board’s document states that Stonefeld elected not to cooperate with the Board’s investigation and thus “cannot be relied upon to cooperate with attempts to reduce the risk that he will reoffend with any female patient.”