Tampa FL Hypnotist Arrested for Posing as a Doctor

"Sandra Rovhana had all the makings of a doctor. She's well-spoken, intelligent and armed with framed certificates from various institutes. She even has a quiet, calming voice and a remarkable capacity to listen intently. But, she's not a doctor. She doesn't even have a degree."


Read the full story:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/odessa-woman-practicing-as-hypnotherapist-was-unlicensed-police-say/1089104

Former PhD Fraud Recants Fake Doctorate

Another victory was had today when we received this email from an individual who we exposed on this blog. This individual removed all references to their illegitimate doctorate on their website.  As such, we removed this same individual from our site. This is what he had to say (we have retracted his name and location information):

Gentlemen,

When I was first told by a friend that there was a site on the internet that was accusing me of using a fake doctorate, it took me several days to locate it. Once I found it, and quickly read through it, I assumed that it was from a source local to my area and that someone (an individual or small group) was very angry with me or perhaps was angry with someone closely associated with me. I saw no evidence at all that there was any way to respond directly to what seemed an un-resolvable personal attack. That was about a year ago, and, unfortunately, I did not look at your blog again until 4 days ago because I thought visiting it would only strengthen its position on the internet and draw it closer to my own internet materials. Please understand that I was fully convinced that nothing I could possibly do would ever halt the attack on my work and my character. I believed that the site (your blogspot with my picture) would remain online essentially in perpetuity, and that nobody was likely to be overseeing it other than to perhaps keep renewing it year after year. Therefore it seemed that my only possible reaction to was to do whatever I could to defend the degree, which I did for many months as you already know.

Back in 1993, I was looking for a way to get more knowledge and experience in my chosen field of hypnotherapy. At the time, I was already in possession of several proper, nationally recognized, hypnosis certifications, and was working in a professional office. When I heard about the AIH, the American Institute of Hypnotherapy and their DCH degree, I was intrigued. It sounded too good to be true, even though there was obviously a great deal of work involved. Ninety semester hours of study with the opportunity to do quite a bit of hands-on work, a chance to travel to locations where I could receive training from various prominent specialists, and the whole package was not excessively expensive.  I started with a phone call to the California State Department of Education. They assured me that the degree being offered by AIH was a real degree conferred by the State of California. It took me 4 years to complete the program, which was August of 1997. By that time AIH was under new ownership. It was clear to me that the new owners were primarily interested in promoting NLP, and they were not continuing to develop the DCH program. So things were changing pretty rapidly in a way that did not inspire my confidence. Looking back at the events of that time from a more recent perspective, it also seems clear that the serious financial problems, that were quickly sweeping the State of California toward an impending bankruptcy, were totally interrupting the process that might have taken AIH all the way to fully accredited status. I know they had been working toward that goal by steps. Had it been achieved, I believe it would have been a major breakthrough toward a more academic basis for the field of hypnotherapy in the US. I also believe that this must be achieved eventually if hypnotherapy is to reach its full potential.

My own position is simply that I highly value the education I got from AIH, but the degree itself is not that important. The WORK is what’s important to me. It’s precious. I’m certain that it’s more important than my existence in this world or yours. We all know that hypnotherapy is a legal practice throughout the United States, and a doctoral degree is not a requirement for such practice in any state. There is no question that a practitioner can get into serious legal trouble by claiming to be a medical doctor or a psychologist, or anything else, without the actual credentials. However a hypnotist can get in almost as much trouble if a client even mistakenly presumes that their practitioner is a member of one of these professions.  Every client I have seen, since restarting my practice in January of 2002, has signed a form that makes it clear that I am not an MD of any kind and I don’t have a PhD in anything. It states that hypnosis is an independent profession. While the DCH degree has apparently become problematic, I wouldn’t trade the education I obtained while pursuing it for anything. In fact, there is no accredited school in this country that offers the resources and material I was able to avail myself of during my four-year period of training and study.

This is a no-brainer. The degree is not important for me, but the work is priceless. Had I known a year ago that there was an intelligent way to respond to that blogspot with my picture on it, I would have immediately renounced all attachment to the degree. It grieves me that it took me all this time to find out (just 4 days ago) that I could do this. I fear that my reputation has been damaged. I wish I had never referred to the DCH degree in my materials, but that’s history now. I have removed all references to the degree on my website, and on all the other organization’s websites that I am affiliated with. There may be a couple of low-end sites that I have no control over, but the 2 that I could find have also been notified that I want references to me either altered or dropped completely. I have also reprinted my business cards and brochures, etc.

Raymond Roberts AKA Ray Ronson, Hypnosis Trainer in Cardiff Valley, UK - Fake PhD

We were alerted about this individual by the name of Raymond Roberts aka Ray Ronson. He operates Capital Hypnotherapy teaches hypnosis courses under the name of "Elestial Training" in Cardiff Valley, UK. 

He claims to have received an "honorary doctorate" from the Society for Information, Protection, and Education of Consumers (SIPEC-Europe) in recognition for his contribution to the spreading of knowledge and to scientific research.

Most people we know who have honorary doctorates don't actually refer to themselves a doctor. When we saw Raymond Roberts' website, our senses gathered that something didn't seem quite right. 

So we researched SIPEC. Yes, there is a SIPEC, but it appears that Raymond Roberts is the only individual who has ever claimed to have received an honorary doctorate from SIPEC. Therefore, his "contribution to the spreading of knowledge and to scientific research" must be earth shattering. Of course, we wonder what this contribution might be? Yet, there appears to be no research background in Roberts' CV. 

And, even if he did earn such a doctorate from SIPEC, we question what SIPEC's authority to issue a doctorate would be. 

We're calling this guy out as a PhD sham.

Michael Sheehan, Fake Master's Degree in Clinical Hypnotherapy, Kent UK

We've been focusing a lot on folks who have falsely claimed to have earned legitimate doctorates. However, we would also like to cast light on those who falsely claim to hold Master's Degrees.

Today we have Michael Sheehan of HypnoSpirit located in South East, Kent UK  (hypnospirit.co.uk and hypnospirit.org), of claims to hold a Master's of Science in Clinical Hypnotherapy. Of course, he doesn't state from where he earned it, nor does it matter since there are NO legitimate, accredited master's degree program in clinical hypnotherapy anywhere in the world.

From CBS News: Top Officials Hold Fake Degrees

Top Officials Hold Fake Degrees - CBS News: Assistant Secretary of Defense Charles Abell has a master's from Columbus University, a diploma mill Louisiana shut down. Deputy Assistant Secretary Patricia Walker lists among her degrees, a bachelor's from Pacific Western, a diploma mill banned in Oregon and under investigation in Hawaii. CBS News requested interviews with both officials. The Pentagon turned us down, saying, "We don't consider it an issue." But using such a degree is a crime in some states. Alan Contreras cracks down on diploma mills for Oregon, a state that's taken the lead on this issue. "You don't want somebody with a fake degree working in Homeland Security," says Contreras. "You don't want somebody with a fake degree teaching your children or designing your bridges."

Elsa Stokes. Bay Harbor Islands, FL, Fake PhD

We were alerted to this lady today. If you want to become a "Certified Angel DNA Health Practitioner," you should go see her. We thought only organic elements contained DNA. Who would have known that Angels do, too?

Perhaps she holds a doctorate in Angel Biology. But we don't know, since she is elusive with regard to what her doctorate is in or where it was earned.

By the way, she is also a "Professional Medium, Angel Therapy Practitoner, Angel Theta Healing Practitioner, Reiki Master, Shamanic Practitoner, Ordained Minister, Spiritual Teacher and Speaker."

Those credentials should speak for themselves.

PhD-Fraud Roy Hunter Speaks Out On Fake PhD and Alpha University

Today, Roy Hunter, a PhD fraud who we previously exposed, wrote an open letter on Scott Sandland's HypnoThoughts.com. Our response will be coming soon.....
                                                             
 From Roy Hunter:
----------------------

For several months now the debates have continued over whether or not to use any degrees other than those originating from a regionally accredited university. While it is a fact that some alleged degrees can be purchased without being earned, that does not make all degrees fake just because they come from lesser known institutions that may not have “regional” accreditation.

Here Roy insinuates that his so-called degree granting "institution," Alpha University (or what we call a MILL), is one of those lesser known institutions.

Contrary to personal accusations from several people posted both publicly and sent privately, I acted in good faith regarding the two PhD’s awarded to me. There was no intent whatsoever to “deceive” or use a fraudulent degree. I did what several professionals told me was both legal and ethical.

If he truly believes that his fake PhD's are legitimate, then he is an idiot. Otherwise, one must presume that he is scamming the consumer into believing that he holds a legitimate doctorate. Idiot or scam artist? You decide before you give him or his publisher your money.

However, before getting back to the topic of degrees, I wish to address two specific issues that concern me greatly:

First, several critics of so-called fake degrees have attacked my character and imputed dishonorable motives. In my opinion their caustic comments appear to try to discredit me and my work, and/or discourage people from buying my books; and some comments may constitute libel.

We are not discrediting Roy's work, ROY is discrediting Roy's work. It's not libel if it's true and we can support our facts with additional facts. Roy's argument that "several professionals told me was both legal and ethical" doesn't carry any weight, particularly in an industry overshadowed by fraudsters with fake credentials.

While I believe their personal attacks are not worthy of individual responses from me, several colleagues whom I respect suggested that I post this response for the benefit of people who are new to Hypnothoughts and not familiar with my work.

Some critics have also stated that writing books does not mean you know much, indirectly referring to me. While that may be true for some people, numerous hypnosis instructors around the world recommend my books to their students because they believe my books contain valuable information. If those who judge me so harshly walked just one month in my shoes, they might have at least a little respect for my work.

Roy attempts to divert the argument to his books. The fact remains that we are here to discuss his illegitimate degree.

Second, when hypnotists attack other hypnosis professionals rather than debating issues, it destroys unity and creates division and confusion. Over the years I’ve seen a few caustic critics drive good people away from other internet hypnosis forums. That is starting to happen here, as several of my friends no longer post on hypnothoughts because of the flame wars. We need to put a stop to that. Take your caustic criticism to the Wild, Wild West group, which I hope is in the “safe” zone without Google access.

Sure Roy. You would love more than anything to not be called out on your fake PhDs. The best thing for hypnotists to do is EXACTLY what they are already doing, which is to make it absolutely clear to you and others like you, that you are the ones who destroy unity within the profession. Your fake degrees are an abomination and hurt the entire industry.

A personal attack is NOT appropriate just because the caustic criticism is sugar coated with “kind regards” and sprinkled with a few more polite words. A flaming critic looks bad in the eyes of most of the readers rather than the person the critic attacks. It is both rude and unprofessional, so PLEASE stop the personal attacks if you wish to post on any public forum.

Roy would love to not be attacked over his fake degree. We will never stop from exposing the fraud that you are.

We need more unity even though we may have diversified opinions. We can agree to disagree on certain issues and debate them without attacking the person. My goals ever since starting my practice in 1983 have been: first, to help empower my clients;

How can you empower your clients when you misrepresent your qualifications before they even walk in your door? Do you get a thrill out of being called, "Dr. Hunter?"

second, to help improve the quality of our profession;

Again, you have done nothing but denigrate the profession with your bogus credentials.

third, to create more unity even when we have differing opinions; and fourth, to help build bridges with mainstream healthcare.

What does Roy know about building bridges with mainstream healthcare? Mainstream healthcare, consisting of doctors with legitimate doctorates, will never build bridges with hypnotists that wave their bogus doctorates.

Back to the debates over degrees: Rather than engaging in the endless debates over the use of degrees and their impact on building bridges, I am currently not using either one of my two PhD’s on my marketing materials…nor on most pages of my website. However, I currently have no intention of renouncing either one of my PhD’s.

Note that Roy wrote "either one of my two PhDs." As can be seen by the possessiveness in his statement, Roy STILL can't get over the fact that his doctorates are fake.  And he has no intention of renouncing either one of his PhDs. Clearly, Roy wants to dig his feet into the ground and wave his fake PhDs like a flag. Yet, argues that he is trying to help the profession. Can anybody see the logic in that?

Further, Roy is deceiving his readers even more when he wrote, "I am currently not using either one of my two PhDs on my marketing materials...nor on MOST pages of my website." We beg to differ. Roy's most current marketing ad for Iceland clearly shows "Roy Hunter, Ph.D."

Several years ago an attorney told me it was appropriate for me to use the degree conferred by St. John’s University, the college founded by the late Arthur Winkler that was accredited by a theological accrediting agency.

St. John's University is not an accredited university. See our research here http://fakedoctorate.blogspot.com/2012/11/roy-hunter-phd-fraud-scam-artist.html
He should ask that attorney for a refund. 

More recently, I received the following information from Dr. Conrad Adams from Alpha University regarding its legitimacy and accreditation:

"Dr." Conrad Adams is another degree fraud. See our research on this scam artist here: http://fakedoctorate.blogspot.com/2012/11/conrad-adams-phd-fraud-and-diploma-mill.html

* * * * * * *
Facts: Alpha University:

1. is a private not for profit professional membership education institute registered in Nevada and Louisiana.
2. offers adults the opportunity to finalize their formal education.
3. adheres to guidelines and standards as set forth by the U. S. Department of Education stated in 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(iii)(D). We are going to print the entire code for you here shortly.
4. offers its courses using a hybrid system for learning (online, correspondence, classroom combined). So?
5. is accredited by the National Accreditation for Colleges and Schools and has been since September 11, 2009. The NACS is a fake agency. See http://www.ripoffreport.com/business-consulting/national-accreditati/national-accreditation-for-col-a3e05.htm
6. degrees have been examined, evaluate and verified by California University Foreign Credentials Evaluation and determined to be equivalent to degrees awarded by regionally accredited universities and colleges in the USA. Another scam outfit. See http://www.degreeinfo.com/accreditation-discussions-ra-detc-state-approval-unaccredited-schools/27628-california-university-foreign-credentials-evaluation-issues-degrees.html

* * * * * * *
We direct your attention to our research on this degree mill. See http://fakedoctorate.blogspot.com/2012/12/alpha-university-degree-mill.html

Before jumping to conclusions, please consider the facts. I know that I am not the only person to have lost respect for several flamers on hypnothoughts. You know who you are, and if you ever want my respect, you will have to earn it through better behavior.

Let each of us find that part of ourselves that wants to help others and improve our profession by improving ourselves rather than trying to put other people down. Think twice, or even thrice before hitting the “Add reply” button.

Roy Hunter