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:
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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

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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

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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

Richard Bandler, Co-Founder of NLP - PhD Fraud and Acquitted Murder Suspect

Richard Bandler, who is accredited with co-founding Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP), claims to have earned a doctorate. NLP was allegedly intended to understand and change human behavior-patterns. Many will argue that it's just a sham and is merely a money-making tool for those who teach it. But judging the validity of NLP is not why we're here. Let's talk about his fake doctorate.

On his website at richardbandler.com, and in numerous other locations, he refers to himself as Dr. Richard Bandler. However, we cannot find one confirmed source indicating what his doctorate is in or from where it was earned.  A Wikipedia article states that once he even identified himself as holding a doctorate in a seminar in Konstanz, Germany, and testified to such in a court in 2000. His fake doctorate was also corroborated in a 1989 article published in Mother Jones Magazine,  where "Bandler blamed his fictional Ph.D. on promoters, even though he is repeatedly identified as "Dr. Bandler" in a book he published." See http://www.american-buddha.com/bandler.method.htm

Having researched more about Bandler, we were shocked to see that Bandler was tried for the murder of his NLP student, Corine Christensen. After almost six hours of deliberation, Bandler was acquitted and the murder has still not yet, officially, been solved.

Many thanks to Richard Clark of HypnoThoughts, the Hypnosis Practitioner Training Institute, and California Mental Health Counseling Associates for alerting us about Mr. Bandler.

A Message From Richard Clark

We received a delightful email today from Richard Clark, who accused us of being "every bit as big a liar and fraud as anyone you write about."

Thank you, Mr. Clark, for confirming that everybody we have written about is "a liar and a fraud." Richard Clark is a licensed counselor in California. Yes, people actually go to this chump for help with their own problems. Sounds like he needs some counseling for himself.

In case any of our readers don't know who Richard Clark is, he is also Scott Sandland's right hand man. He operates the California Mental Health Counseling Associates in San Pedro, CA. We have outed several people that Mr. Clark is associated with, particularly the fake PhD "liars and frauds" that will be presenting at the HypnoThoughts Live conference that he is throwing together with Scott Sandland. So we give thanks to Richard Clark for further confirming that what we said about the frauds is true.

You see, Richard Clarke happens to be the Chief Operating Officer and instructor for Scott Sandland's Hypnosis Practitioner Training Institute. He is also a moderator on Sandland's HypnoThoughts blog.

We find it interesting that Mr. Clarke would like us to out that Mr. Richard Bandler as a fraud. Since the Hypnosis Practitioner Training Institute offers a "course" on NLP, a widely used approach that Bandler is credited with co-founding. We presume that, since you consider a co-founder of NLP a fraud then perhaps your course, "Introduction to NLP," is also based on a sham principle. Thanks for the tip, Richard. We'll get right on that.

Richard Clark wanted to see if we are "all hot air" and dared us to post this. Well, we did. And our next post will be to oust Richard Bandler as a Doctor of PhD Fraud.

So we ask the question of Mr. Clark, what makes us "a liar and fraud?" By bringing to the spotlight all of the persons who falsely use unearned titles to enhance their credibility? Many of these people who are your personal friends and business associates? We understand your anger, but perhaps you should direct it at those frauds who denigrate your profession.

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From Richard Clark, it's title was "Let's see if you are all hot air.":

Readers respond to Scott Sandland blog

I've never met Scott Sandland but a friend of mine just graduated from his school.  From what I've heard and seen from her, that is one demanding program.  She studied her ass off almost every week for a year.  I'm talkin 20 hours of work minimum every week.  She was stressed about finals for most of the classes.  they had live class two or three times a week on top of the 7-10 hours of recorded video and the books they had to read and assignments (papers, videos, etc).

At one point I asked her what kind of certificaiton she was gonna get for all her hard work.  She told me the school taught her that all the titles in the hypnosis industry are bullshit and so she wasn't doing it for letters after her name.  

I trust her opinion and she says scott and richard clark are working their asses off to help them, even after they've graduated.  They helped all the students get internships with hypnotists, psychologists, counselors, and probably a few other things I don't know about.  I've never heard of a hypnosis school doing this, and now I wish I had done the program with her because she got all that on a partial scholarship for like a thousand bucks.  I paid $800 for a week long class that didn't teach a thing and had back of the room sales.   

So like I said I don't know Scott, but I am a hypnotist who has benefited from hypnothoughts.com and know people who have benefited from his school.  I've never seen him promote or endorse a PhD.  It's pretty unfair of you to blame him because other people are assholes.  

I guess I should have just made this one sentence long though:  Yeah, you are being too hard on Scott Sandland.

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 Scott Sandland is perpetuating the use of fake doctorates in hypnosis. Just look at the most current ad by Roy Hunter for his workshop in Iceland (displayed on the right hand side of HypnoThoughts). Click on it and it will take you to Roy Hunter's page where he proudly boasts his non-accredited fake PhD.

If Sandland actually cracked down on this and stood by his ethical word, these folks wouldn't be able to con others with fake doctorates, and use, his HypnoThoughts blog to do it. He is absolutely guilty by association. He's inviting these loons to present at his conference.

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Hmm, holding someone responsible for the actions of someone else is kind of a grey area. It's sort of like holding godaddy responsible for hosting phony websites (i.e. sites by the people who claim to have fake PhDs).

Though it's true he might be viewed as an accessory to fraud, is he a fraudster himself? Do you want to take your site in the direction of pointing the finger at everyone involved in perpetuating a single, disreputable person's actions? It seems to me the list of accessories would be never ending (and 6 degrees of separation might actually start hitting close to home).

I have no clue who Scott Sandland is, so I really don't care about the outcome either way. But I do wonder if the people called out on your blog are providing good content on Scott's site. If so, I can understand Scott not wanting to start calling these people out on his own site. It's almost a catch-22 situation for him:

If he calls them out, his site may start to lose credibility (making it known he has scammers on his site). 

If he doesn't, you will continue discrediting him, with the same results.

Unless he, himself, is claiming fake credentials, I lean towards letting some of the pressure off of him. If he really does support your missing, then exposing those individuals that are somehow associated with him will all work itself out in the long run.

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Thank you for your efforts in exposing all these fake doctors of hypnotherapy.

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I wonder what it's like for Scott to know that there is a website having people basically vote on his quality of character.  I don't know how I would react if people who never met me got to decide if I was ethical or not.  What a weird concept.

thanks again for doing all the work

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I'm writing in response to your request.  I think that person who said Scott is a good guy is right on the money.  Like I said before to you in a previous email, he is the reason I stopped using my unaccredited PhD.  He was calm and respectful in his conversation with me about them.  Some of us will learn better from him than from you.  You make it a fight, he makes it an education.  I'm not here to tell you if one is better than the other.

You can't fault him for knowing people who do something you disagree with.  That's like hating one politician because another one lied.  His website has no standards and is free for anyone to use.  Every single hypnosis conference in America has presenters with fake PhDs.  That's a problem with hypnosis, not Scott.  

Whoever wrote that email to you has a lot of good points.  

You are telling people you don't like the way they run their businesses.  Scott told you he didn't like the way you run your business.  The only difference is he was brave enough to use his real name and had enough respect to tell you directly.  Scott's biggest problem is he keeps expecting other people to act with the same level of respect and integrity that he does/has.  Your treatment of him is a perfect example of that.  

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The person who's email you just published is absolutely right.  You've misrepresented Scott to an amazing degree.  Very few hypnotists have worked harder to build more bridges with the licensed health care practitioners.  The guy is barely 30 years old and he's taking pay cuts to help people older than his parents build their businesses.  Who else in this field brings in other hypnotists to meet doctors and dentists in clinics?  Who else has presented at Medical schools?  Who else is turning down money to do what he thinks is right?  If he was in it for the money, do you really think his school would cost $2,000 for a full year that he gives away 50% of before expenses?

Scott could have sold out and made big bucks a couple times.   He's trying to work with the decision makers and industry leaders instead of fighting with them.  You have chosen controversy and fighting.  Your tactics are based on hiding your true identity and scaring people to change.  Scott is the opposite of you.  He's being an example of a person willing to put his name on things and build people up.  He encourages people to be better.  I'm sure he isn't perfect and if you dig you can find mistakes in anyones past, but guilt by association is the best you've really been able to do with him.  

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Are We Being Too Hard On Scott Sandland?

We received an email today in defense of Scott Sandland, the proprietor behind the HypnoThoughts website. I'd like to share it with our readers and see what you think. We would love your replies. If we decide to publish it, your privacy is assured.

This particular reader, whose privacy we will keep, suggests that Sandland is a good guy, who does not condone the use of fake credentials.  We disagree. Sandland continues to associate with several persons, on both his blog site as well as his HypnoThoughts Live! conference, who falsely claim to have doctorates, including Roy Hunter, Nancy Barwick, Roger Moore, Anne Spencer, Bob Otto, Melissa Tiers, Marla Brucker, William Mitchell, and Shelley Stockwell. If these individuals are truly as good as their word, they would not need to pretend (aka scam other to believe) that they have earned a doctorate.

Here's the email. What do you think?

Hi,

  I'd like to start by saying thank you for creating this site.  I've been in the field for about ten years and can't stand the fake degrees that people promote.  A couple years ago I considered doing something similar to your site, but never followed through.  I don't think I would have put in the research you have.   I hope more people will reconsider their claims because of this movement.

So here is my constructive criticism.  Your posts about Scott Sandland seem personally motivated and seem like a distraction from the good work you are doing.  I re-read his email to you that seems to have upset you, and found it interesting.  He may disagree with your priorities and tactics, but he certainly agrees with and supported your goal.  he even said he was excited about the idea of your site and was dissapointed when he read it.  Disapointed means he wants it to work!  I know hypnothoughts allows people to put their phoney credentials after their name, but that site has slammed conrad adams and alexander regal and a few other people you've mentioned on your blog.

I met Scott two years ago at a conference and was impressed.  He's sincere in his commitment to helping the profession of hypnosis and is willing to take a pay cut to help hypnotists learn.  He's not a fraud like the other people on your site.  He's never received, given, sold, or claimed to have a PHD.  The man seems honest and congruent to me (and I can spot a bull shitter).

So I did a little homework.  His name is not on Alpha University's site.  I don't know when or why or how it was removed, but it isn't there.  I couldn't find the quotes you grabbed from his website either, I didn't do a deep search though.  And let's be honest, that's pretty nit-picking compared to these other people.  I noticed he doesn't use credentials on the site for the hypnothoughts conference and the instructors at his school have legitimate PHDs (except for Roy Hunter, who I think teaches with a psychologist or something like that).  Actually, the school was so impressive that after looking into it I'm now thinking about taking the neurology class.

what he's doing may not be the way you would do it, but he's solving a lot more problems than he causes.  he's not a fraud.   I wonder if you resented his email and have been going after him -more than anyone else on this site- as retaliation for his email or something like that.  Of all the people to focus on, you've picked a person who is actually on your side.

I don't think I'm out of line in saying all this.  My goal is the same as yours.  I want you to keep naming and shaming the people who lie and deceive others about their credentials.  when you slip in the comments about scott it comes across as personal and out of place.  Please don't be distracted away from the liars.  There's plenty more for you to expose.

thanks for taking the time to read this,

Roy Hunter Still Going At It With His Fake PhD

Despite being aware of our blog, Roy Hunter is still going at it by scamming others with his fake Ph.D -and with the help of Scott Sandland's HypnoThoughts blog at that. Just recently, Roy Hunter advertised a training in our beautiful home of Reykjavik where he qualifies himself as "Roy Hunter, Ph.D." Where did he advertise this? On HypnoThoughts, of course. Yes, there you have the so-called [un]"ethical" Scott Sandland and the so-called [un]"ethical" Hypnosis Practitioner Training Institute, once again supporting this no-degree scammer.

"Train with the master himself," he writes. Yes, he is the master -of degree scams.

We have previously highlighted Roy Hunters indiscretions here at http://fakedoctorate.blogspot.com/2012/11/roy-hunter-phd-fraud-scam-artist.html.

We find it a unique opportunity to highlight Roy Hunter's scam while he is here in Iceland. We are considering picketing and alerting the media to this shammery.

Fight back! Post our blog everywhere!

We received word that some of the sleaze bag degree frauds identified here are trying hard to bury our blog by lowering our Google rankings. Please help us fight back by posting our blog URL: http://fakedoctorate.blogspot.com/  everywhere you can.

It's simple. Use Google and find similar sites (fake academic credentials aren't just limited to the hypnosis profession). In the comments section, post our URL. Be sure to include something relevant so it doesn't come across as spammy.

We realize that many of you are concerned about your identities. Simply go to Gmail and create an entirely unique email account for yourself. It's that simple.

Happy posting!

APHP Chairman and Others Renounce their PhDs

An interesting thread surfaced recently on the hypnosis blog site, HypnoThoughts.com, entitled, "APHP Chairman and Others Renounce their PhDs: Start of the End of Exaggerated Credentialing?"

We wonder how long this thread is going to last before Scott Sandland decides to pull the plug.

See http://www.hypnothoughts.com/forum/topics/aphp-chairman-and-others-renounce-their-phds-start-of-the-end-of

Roy Hunter, a recipient of the prestigious (fake) doctorate degree, wrote:

"I believe this is a dangerous topic to discuss, as many people throw out the baby with the bathwater in their attempts to do housecleaning.
There is a huge difference between earning a degree, whether regionally accredited, non-accredited, or accredited by an agency that is not on the same level as a major university's regional accreditation."

Clearly you are oblivious to the fact that a "degree" that is "earned" from a non-accredited "university" or "agency" (as you write), is NOT A DEGREE. It is a piece of paper that means absolutely NOTHING.

"An accreditation attorney told me over a decade ago that it was legal to display non-accredited degrees that were earned unless prohibited by state law. For example, the DCH cannot be used in Florida, but it would be allowed if Florida (rather than California) had approved that degree as a non-accredited degree."

Of course you can display your non-accredited "degree" on your wall. Just like you can hang a photograph, a portrait, or a poster. It is when you mislead others into believing you are a doctor (which Mr. Roy Hunter has done), then it is unethical, immoral, and in some places, criminal.
 
"While I do not personally have a DCH..."

Really? What about the phony doctorates you supposedly earned from St. John's University and Alpha University? See http://fakedoctorate.blogspot.com/2012/11/roy-hunter-phd-fraud-scam-artist.html


"...several of my former students worked many hours to earn that non-accredited designation from Al Krasner's organization...which I was told was approved as a non-accredited degree by the State of California. So would I be out of line advising my former students NOT to use a designation they worked for?"

No, Roy Hunter. You would not be out of line for advising former students NOT to call themselves a doctor when they haven't earned a doctorate. In fact, that would make you an ethical person. Since you have no idea what the word "ethics" mean, then it is no wonder why you continue to use your own phony doctorate and tell others to do the same. Doing some sort of work, which I'm sure was nowhere close to being on par with any legitimate degree program anywhere in the world, does not give an individual the right to claim false credentials. 

"I applaud the integrity of Terence Watts, both personally and professionally. However, let's not over-react, as some good people might get hurt.
Roy Hunter, flawed human
PS: My work speaks louder than any credentials."

Go ahead and continue to speak your meaningless rhetoric, Roy Hunter. If your work speaks louder than your credentials, then it would be easy to stop using your phony doctoral credentials."

9000 Blog Views and an email from Random Hypnotist

To date, we've had almost 9,000 page views. That means 9,000 more people know who is scamming the world with fake doctorates than before we started the blog.

We received an email today from Random Hypnotist in Washington:



To answer this naysayer's questions, we are going after anybody that uses fake doctorates or endorses the practice of it. Scott Sandland allows his HypnoThoughts.com to run rampant with individuals who boast fake doctorate. AND -he is profiting from HypnoThoughts Live, a conference featuring so-called expert presenters who tout fake doctorates. These "experts" are conning this public into believing they have such credentials. He also deleted a thread on his HypnoThoughts that was serving to expose these individuals. Scott Sandland has also posted a number of testimonials from so-called (fake) doctorates as well as poorly conducted research articles these so-called (fake doctorates). He is also on the "board" of a known doctorate degree mill. He promotes the practice using fake doctorates. Plain and simple. He is equally as guilty. Once he banishes the use of fake doctorates in his professional dealing and trainings, we will retract our comments about him. Until then, the world must know that these individuals, who they are paying to teach them something, are fraudulently purporting to hold academic qualifications which they do not have.

You said yourself that Scott Sandland could have earned a PhD for free from "Alpha University." Your testament to the well-known fact that the degree mill practically gives away such "degrees" does not help the case, especially since Sandland is supposedly a "board member."

Let's see how serious Sandland is about building ethics and integrity in this hypnosis field. I challenge you, Scott Sandland of HypnoThoughts.com, to immediately stop the perpetuation of any false academic credential on your site or training sessions.

Let's talk about Richard Nongard. His boasting a PhD "on less than 5 of his many, many products" does not make it better for him. It's actually more than 5, but do we really need to count? If he is such an expert, then why must he lie about holding a PhD? We are aware that he is, indeed, a state licensed mental health practitioner. That is not our concern. Our concern is that he boasts having an illegitimate PhD. There are other state licensed mental health practitioners who we have exposed. See http://fakedoctorate.blogspot.com/2012/11/dr-keli-henault-phd-fraud-from-austin-tx.html.

"He doesn't need to help hypnotists to earn a living." Well, that's not exactly true. His marketing of numerous products geared towards hypnotists on subliminalscience.com and to psychotherapists and other professionals on fastceus.com would make a reasonable observer think differently.

Roy Hunter. If he's really that good, why must he boast a fake doctorate? Particularly from the very same degree mill, Alpha University, that wanted to give Scott Sandland a free doctorate?

We didn't ignore Jonathan Royle. And Wendy Friesen didn't claim to have earned a PhD, nor does our research find that she helps to perpetuate the practice of such.

Of course, each of these people who are called out has the opportunity to respond on this site. The comments sections are left open for this very reason. To date, there has not been a single response from any of the accused. We believe this is testimony to the accuracy of our information.

Shelley Stockwell, of the International Hypnosis Federation, FAKE PhD *UPDATED*

Shelley Stockwell-Nicholas, president, owner, member, and founder of the International Hypnosis Federation in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Shelley liberally throws around the title PhD and Dr. Shelly for herself. Yet, she is entirely elusive as to the from where and in what, which is typical of people claiming to have FAKE PhD's in this field.

She is the author of "How to Put a Smile on Your face and $$ In Your Pocket." Could that have something to do with fabricating a fake doctorate and duping gullible hypnotists into joining your organization?

Shelley is considered to be an "expert" and will be presenting at Scott Sandland's HypnoThoughts Live.

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UPDATE

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Shelley "the FAKE PhD" Stockwell-Nicholas sent us a lovely email. Here it is:

Dear Lady Who Falsely Purports To Have A PhD,

It's not slander if it's true. 

Unless you confirm that you have earned a legitimate PhD, this information will remain here for eternity.

Sincerely,
The Truth

Patti Scott, Patricia Scott, Palm Harbor, FL - FAKE Doctorate

We thank Scott Sandland and his HypnoThoughts Live for this referral as well. Patti Scott, aka Patricia Scott, of Unlimited Possibilities Hypnosis, Inc. in Palm Harbor, FL claims to have earned a PhD in Behavioral Science (Major-Hypnosis) "with" Alpha University. Read here about the diploma mill known as Alpha University: http://fakedoctorate.blogspot.com/2012/12/alpha-university-degree-mill.html

Patti joins the ranks of Terence Watts, Roy Hunter, and Patti Conklin...all who have fraudulently claimed to have earned doctorates from there. Welcome to the FAKE DEGREE CLUB, Patricia Scott.

Degree Mill = No Degree = No Doctorate

Oh how elusive Patti is. We found another source that says she earned a B.S. in Clinical Hypnotherapy and is a PhD Candidate with American Pacific University.

And here we have yet another degree mill. See http://fakedoctorate.blogspot.com/2012/11/known-diploma-mills-resource-guide.html

Once again:

Degree Mill = No Degree = No Doctorate

Robert Otto, Owner of IMDHA and IACT, FAKE PhD!

When we saw this guy was presenting at Scott Sandland's HypnoThoughts Live, we decided to take a closer look. Robert Otto, owner of the International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association and the International Association of Counselors and Therapists....purports to have a FAKE PhD, in violation of his own Code of Ethics. This is a fantastic explanation of why all of these fake doctors are allowed to run rampant throughout the IMDHA and the IACT.

Liberal use of "Dr. Robert Otto" and "Robert Otto, PhD" without a single source to indicate from where or in what. How convenient, Bob.

What's the matter, Bob? Is there something lacking in your life that you have to make up for with a FAKE PhD? The voice of the IMDHA and the IACT, Ladies and Gentlemen.

William Mitchell, Springfield, IL - FAKE Doctorate

William Mitchell of Springfield, Illinois claims to have earned a "Professional Doctorate of Hypnotherapy" from Madison University. According to our resource guide, Madison University is a degree mill (See http://fakedoctorate.blogspot.com/2012/11/known-diploma-mills-resource-guide.html). Degree mill = No Degree.

William Mitchell is a featured "expert" presenter for Scott Sandland's HypnoThoughts Live, a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, and a member of Robert Otto's International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association.

Marla Brucker - San Diego, CA - FAKE Doctorate!

Meet Marla Brucker of the San Diego Hypnosis Center. We would like to thank Scott Sandland's HypnoThoughts Live for tipping us off on this lady who claims to have a Doctorate in Clinical Hypnotherapy. She is extremely elusive about where she supposedly earned this degree. We wonder why! That's because there is no such degree.

Marla is a proud member of Robert Otto's International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association and the International Hypnosis Federation.

How Many FAKE Doctorates Will Be Presenting At Scott Sandland's HypnoThoughts Live?

Over the next few days, we will be pointing out those with FAKE doctorates who are scheduled to present at Scott Sandland's HypnoThought's Live. Could THIS be the reason why he shut down any discussion about fake doctorates on his website? Could this be part of that self-serving agenda we wrote about earlier?

To quote Romper Room's Miss Sally and her Magic Mirror...And I see the following people who are SO FANTASTIC AT WHAT THEY DO, THEY HAVE TO LIE ABOUT HAVING A DOCTORATE....there's Roy Hunter, Nancy Barwick, Roger Moore and Anne Spencer (remember Scott Sandland's testimonials?), Robert Otto, Melissa Tiers, Marla Brucker, William Mitchell, Shelley Stockwell, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Interestingly, there are at least three individuals with real, bonafide doctorates presenting here. How must Kweethia Neill, Don Pelles, and Brian David Phillips, who actually did the legitimate doctoral work, feel about their cohorts who LIE about their academic credentials?

Response to Scott Sandland of HypnoThoughts

Scott Sandland, founder of the massive Ning-based HypnoThoughts blog community, sent us an email today declaring his disdain for our approach in exposing the degree scammers. He wrote:

Dear Scott Sandland,

None of us here at PhD Scammers care that your removed the "fake PhD" thread from your blog. We were exposing these fakes long before the thread and will continue to do so long after it's gone.

You write, "I'm a big fan of accountability and raising standards." That's a BS statement if I ever heard one, considering your own site is rampant with individuals using false credentials and you have done absolutely nothing to counter it. Thus, you are about as guilty as them because you allow it to go on. But your site is self-serving, isn't it? In providing an outlet for new and prospective people interested in hypnosis so that you can sell your product, training, and enhance your own credibility and exposure. Brilliant concept. So why alienate the frauds that contribute to your community? They only bring your more exposure. Unwitting individuals think that Dr. So and So is an expert and, thus, you have a community of experts (with phony doctorates). Too bad for the few that really have honest to goodness doctoral degrees.

Not to mention, that you have made many professional connections with those purporting to have (fake) doctorates, and you are using their name and title to enhance your own credibility, including the testimonial on your biography from Roger Moore, PhD who alleges holding a PhD in Clinical Hypnosis:

And Anne Spencer's testimonial and articles (which would NEVER be published in a scholarly publication), who is elusive about where she earned her PhD and in what field, but consistently refers to herself as Anne Spencer, PhD:

 and

 

Shame on you, Scott Sandland. You are supposed to be a shining star but you truly are just as guilty as them. Thank you, by the way, for the referrals. We'll be looking at Roger Moore and Anne Spencer on our blog shortly.

Recently, you suggested a discussion about it. A meager discussion won't fix the problem. They have been given an opportunity to redeem themselves and not a single one has taken advantage of this. They would rather go on and take their chances with their phony credentials.

These individuals need to be exposed, if anything, for the wise potential client or student that decides to conduct some background research on their prospective fraud.

We will continue to reference HypnoThoughts, if need be, as long as there are individuals claiming to have (phony) doctorates and posting as experts. We believe that will be for a very long time.

Response to Kathleen Hanover of HypnoThoughts

We were recently alerted to a discussion on the Ning-site, HypnoThoughts.com, where this blog became quite the topic of discussion. Kathleen Hanover, a self-purported PR expert, had this to say:

Ms. Hanover should know something about the media, as we are a media firm and she is supposedly a marketing expert. The law on libel is clear, with particular emphasis on the phrase, "A statement that falsely:"

We do our research. A diploma mill is a diploma mill, and a fake doctorate is a fake doctorate. Our statements are not false but are filled with truth (which is more than we can say for these individuals who are, indeed, falsely purporting to have earned a doctorate).

We also take note of your reference to us as "slimeball." Why would this lady want to take sides with individuals who are falsely purporting to have earned academic credentials? We wonder if there is an ulterior motive or if she is simply misinformed. The silent majority of readers will attest that we (and yes, we are more than one) are heros and those that are committing acts of fraud and deception by citing fake credentials are the true "slimeballs."

Further, to answer your question about photographs, they are not stolen. Once they are placed on the internet, they are a matter of public domain and we are free to use it when we are addressing that particular individual or individuals in our capacity as a media organization -much like your photo above as it is freely available on the internet. You posted it knowing that the world will see it.