There is a lot of noise on the internet in the past couple of weeks about Dr. Cheyenne Bryant and the lack of credibility and credentials that she states she has, but for some reason cannot prove. I have a few thoughts on this topic that I would like to share with you so that you can understand the difference between a life coach and a licensed therapist.
As a therapist:
- We must have a master’s degree from an accredited university or college
- We must pass a national test (NCE) showing that we have knowledge in our specific field
- We much enroll in continuing educational programs to ensure that we are continuously learning within our field
- We are held to ethical standards by a board of ethics
- We must have malpractice insurance. Since we are licensed by the states that we practice in, we are required to carry insurance to protect ourselves and our licenses
I am sure that I am missing a few points, but you get the idea. As a therapist we are held to a higher standard. We have put the work in and educational background to prove it. The scary part about “life coaching” and “life coaches” is that anyone can be a life coach, even the individual who lives in his mom’s basement and hasn’t been outside in over four years.
Like in many fields, someone pretending to be a therapist, but does not have a license is a scary thing. Imagine going to a dentist and they say they are not licensed but can still fix your teeth. Are you going to trust them?
In her most recent interview on the Breakfast Club, Bryant (can’t call her doctor as she has not earned the title) the lies are everywhere. I am not one to point fingers, but I do need to speak up as she is doing a disservice to my profession.
First, in the video she states she went to a university that is now closed. This happens I get it, but then she goes on how the records are held with a third party (this is normal), but then she states that they only hold onto records for two years, which is a crock of shit, They want to sell you records now and ten years from now. They will never throw away or not save records.
She then goes on to say that the Federal government offered to give her a refund. When has anyone heard the government giving you a refund for anything. If your school closes tomorrow and you can’t finish your degree, student loans say sorry but pay me. There is no free money due to the fact the school closed. They could give zero F’s. They do not care about credit or no credit at any school. They care about you paying them back and that’s it.
The next lie is that a law school was going to hire her. For what? Law schools hire lawyers. They do not hire Doctor of Psychology. Just like the counseling school does not have lawyers teaching counseling material. I can keep going, but I will leave the rest up to you to decide.
She goes on to state in this video and other that she no longer practices under a license and that the only reason you need a license is to bill insurance. Another false claim and lie. Yes, you need a license to bill insurance, but as a licensed therapist who does not take insurance, I still need my license to be a therapist and have my practice. The initials at the end of my name and every other counselor are there for a reason and mean something.
We are in an era where the interest and social media has turned a lot of people into quote unquote “mental health specialists” and it is our job to ask for the license and credentials. Now, I am not saying that you cannot go see a life coach for counseling topics, but that is your decision and your decision to make with the correct information that you need. It is your responsibility to ask the right questions, and we all hope that the people in the authoritative position are not lying and are trained. And, if you don’t care, that is also your decision to make. What I can tell you is that I want a CPA doing my taxes and not someone who says that they can do my taxes.
You want to see my license; I will send it to you. I have a copy in my office and in my therapeutic room. Want to see all my degrees, they are hanging on the walls. Now, Bryant claims she is a PhD grad, it is easy to prove. I graduate in December with mine and I will tell you what, being halfway through my dissertation, I have over a dozen saved copies of editions and such. Bryant can start by showing us her topic and her drafts. The other thing is that when I finish my dissertation it will be placed into a searchable database. Where is Bryant’s and why can’t I search it. When you get your doctorate, you are proud of it and want to show it off to as many people as possible. There would also be people that you graduated with and in your courses that can vouge for you and tell people that they had the privilege to study next to you.
I may sound a little perturbed and rightfully so. I am putting the work in for my PhD. It is a bitch and a shit ton of work. That’s why so many people don’t have one. 1% of the educational field have their doctorate. It is unique for a reason, so when someone says that they have one and don’t it touches a nerve. Same with her saying she is a therapist when clearly, she is not. I can tell you right now, you take the test, pass the classes, you are going to get your license. That is something that we are all proud of in this field.
Another professional in my field, Kier Gaines, was on the Breakfast Club this week and talks about what we as clinicians actually have to go through and the training that we receive. Gaines also talks about cultural competence as another form of training that we receive as counselors and others do not know or understand. The example he gives in the video on treating depression is different for two different people and needs to be approached in potentially two different modalities. He also talks about meeting the client where they are at. These are things a trained clinician will know, but a life coach or someone without the background may or may not know how to handle in specific situations.
At the end of the day, it comes down to this, It’s about accountability, credentials, and how we as individuals consume mental health advice online and who we choose to listen to and not listen to. With all this news and talk, it makes everyone start to question what is real and what is not real in my profession (and everywhere for that matter). It makes all counselors who have put the work in look bad as everyone is going to question the profession. I say ask the questions as those who have the proof, will have no issues showing it.
Bryant is not only making my profession look bad, but she is also making life coaching look bad too. Drop the DR and call yourself a life coach, no one is going to care one way or another. A real counselor should be ethical, and her behavior is anything but that. Publish your book, move on and be a life coach. What really changes for you, if you are good at what you do. But, building a career on lies is not only unethical, but dishonest. You are asking your clients to be honest with themselves, but how can they do that when Bryant isn’t leading by example.
