Always great information from Corboy.
Truly disturbing that even some fringe psychologists are not reigned-in for dubious and bogus techniques, to make a fast buck, or a fast million. That REALLY sucks, there are SOME crooked and just bogus licensed psychologists out there, that is for sure. But there are lots of great ones too.
Just slightly less sucky, is the first point. Any of these correctly labeled...Entrepreneurs...can call themselves any of those fancy titles, and sound legit.
For example, in Byron Katie's The Work...
first off, her Volunteer Facilitators (usually deceptively called FACILITATORS) have literally nothing to do with BK at all, as stated in the Disclaimers. Anyone can post up there...one supposes even con-artists, or people promoting other agendas, Amway, MLM's, etc? Katie herself stated there is no oversight at all.
Its as if you post on Facebook, you are a Facebook Facilitator? How can they get away with this stuff?
Then Byron Katie has "Certified Facillitators".
Sounds pretty good. But what does it mean?
Nothing at all. Zippo. They just made it up. Its not a LICENSE, but it sounds like a good word to most people.
I could certify you in...Monkey Tossing...just pay me 10 grand, and I will give you the diploma from Kinkos, and you are a Certified Monkey Tosser.
You need a license to drive a taxi or sell hot-dogs.
But these folks can go out and use sophisticated techniques to mess with people's Minds, Identities, Souls...they are defacto doing "therapy" but can usually get away with it with legal loopholes.
...they are just "talking" right? Coaching? Facilitating?
They could call it anything...Non-Duality Coaching...
Why do you have to have a license to sell a hot dog, but not to screw with people's minds for $150 an hour?
Why can you go to jail for practicing medicine with no license, but not for heavy, emotional group-therapy, orone to one "therapy"?
I don't know what the answer is.
PS: there are even these guys running around calling themselves "Dr.s", and one assumes doing it legally? It should not be legal to call oneself a Dr. without a PhD from an accredited institution. That is a no-brainer...but alas...
How about "Dr." Joe Vitale? (you can buy all these for $100 total over the internet).
"He also holds a doctorate degree in Metaphysical Science and another doctorate degree in Marketing". "Besides being one of the five top marketing specialists in the world today, and the world’s first hypnotic writer, Joe is also an ordained minister, a certified metaphysical practitioner, a certified hypnotherapist, and a certified Chi Kung healer. He also holds a doctorate degree in Metaphysical Science."
Quote
corboy
‘And with the growth of the “New Age” movement, the market has also been flooded by a growing cadre of therapists with little formal training but an immense investment in pop-psychology and “post modernist” psychobabble.
"In most jurisdicitions, these entrepreneurs cannot call themselves psychologists or psychiatrists because licensing statutes restrict these titles to professionals with specified credentials and training. They can however, offer their services (where local laws permit) by appropriating unreserved titles** such as counselor, psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, sex therapist, pastoral counselor, Dianetics auditor (one of several pseudonyms for Scientology), New Age guide, relationship advisor, mental therapist, etc.
**(Pop quiz: How many other 'unreserved titles' have we observed in use by persons using powerful methods without proper training, oversight or accountablity? C)
(p3) At the highest levels of the profession, the erosion of the likage between science and clinical practice was further aggravated in recent years when many research psychologists left the American Psychological Association (APA) to form the rival American Psychological Society. The defectors felt that the APA was undervaluing the scientific side of its mandate as it devoted more effort to lobbying and other professional issues primarily of concern to clinicians. Many also felt that the APA had been too timid in disciplining those of its members who engage in scientifically dubious practices. On several occasions, I have witnessed this reluctance to chastise peddlers of outlandish wares myself. My disappointments spring from fruitless attempts to get various psychological associations to rein in their members who charge clients for scientifically discredited services such as subliminal audiotapes, graphology (handwriting analysis), dubious psychological tests, bogus therapy techniques, and various so called ‘rejuvenation’ techniques for recovering supposedly repressed memories.
"I continue to be appalled to see journals of various psychological associations with advertisements for courses carrying official continuing education credits for therapists that promote this kind of pseudoscience.’
"Even if minimally-trained therapists can do some good, there remains the danger that they will divert clients from treatments that would help them more.
"More worrisome is the possibility that their limited knowledge will lead them to apply risky procedures than exacerbate existing conditions or even create serious problems of their own.
"When such malpractice occurs, these uncertified therapists have no professional associations and disciplinary boards to whom dissatisified customers can turn. It is when therapeutic fads emerge from a research vacuum and treatments lack proper outcome evaluations that these safety concerns arise. "
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2008 03:47AM by The Anticult.