Would you trust this man?
People offering psychological services have a baffling array of degrees. The Eating Disorder Referral Information Center offers a very long page of abbreviations to help clients decipher their therapists’ diplomas.
I am not a clinical psychologist. I never could get past that “non-judgmental” thing, where you are supposed to nod your head and say, “I guess you were very angry when you put the cat in the microwave.” That just isn’t me. But I have a great deal of respect for my colleagues who undertake this demanding role.
Because I respect what clinicians do, I have little patience with people who take the role without the proper credentials and training. A case in point is John Gray, author of the 1992 bestseller Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. He is certainly entitled to his opinions, but his credentials raise significant questions.
Gray has a colorful resume indeed. He apparently received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in the “Science of Creative Intelligence” from the Maharishi European Research University in Switzerland. His Ph.D. is from Columbia Pacific University, a California diploma mill that was shut down by the Marin County Superior Court in 2001. According to Susan Hamson, CPU apparently made a comeback as Commonwealth Pacific University of Missoula, Montana, with no mention of their California roots on their website. I couldn’t find any website for Commonwealth Pacific. Maybe they changed their name again. Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch has more on CPU.
So back to Gray….he states on his website that he is a “certified family therapist.” In a description of himself on a bookseller site, Gray says that this certification comes from the National Academy of Certified Family Therapists (NACFT). According to their certification site, this seems to require a graduate degree from a regionally accredited higher education institution. I could find no evidence that either the Maharishi University or Columbia Pacific had ever been accredited.
I am particularly fond of the way Gray handles the demise of his alma mater. If you follow a link to more information about his bio, you eventually come to a page that links the official California state website announcing the closure of Columbia Pacific. Yes, it does say that degrees awarded before the state took action would be considered valid, but I just can’t agree with Gray’s website statement that “at the time John Gray graduated and received his degree, CPU was a highly respected school in its field.”
We’re starting out this blog with a bang. According to blogger Charles Eicher, Gray’s lawyer has already threatened to sue a blogger who questioned his client’s credentials. We’ll keep you posted!
In the meantime, Gray’s website is a terrific place for being parted from your money for services like phone advice, the love question of the day, and the relationship tip of the day. Oh please.
