A psychiatrist who continued treating a patient who declared feelings for him and broke into his home has been cleared of wrongdoing, after a tribunal found he continued to maintain clear boundaries.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) heard the psychiatrist used unconventional psychological and aggressive pharmacological treatment, combined with an “ethos of availability” through frequent texts, telephone and email contact and consultations.

He had recognised success managing treatment-resistant patients, with hospitalisations and suicide attempts rare under his watch, the tribunal said.

But he was forced to defend his approach after a patient he treated between 2013 and 2014 made a series of allegations after being hospitalised in a psychotic state during an overseas trip.