using dr title from state approved school

Discussion in 'Nursing and medical-related degrees' started by ikibah, Apr 3, 2017.

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  1. ikibah

    ikibah Member

    I'm a licensed masters therapist looking to get the "dr." title for some personal reasons. The cheapest program I can find to date is Ryokan's PsyD in MFT. However, this program is only state approved in Cali. Does anybody know who to contact in MD to find out whether or not this would legal/ethical to use the Dr. title with a Cali state approved degree?

    I.e would I contact the Psych board, Social work board, some other board??

    Thanks all!
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Which board has issued your current license? Start there.
     
  3. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member


    There is so much discussion in this board about the use of unaccredited degrees. As far as I know, only few states prevent you from using an unaccredited degree.

    The perfect example is a religious exempt degree. Many therapists get a PhD in Christian counseling or Christian Psychology for the only reason to use the PhD in a business card, this might not be ethical but it is legal in most states.

    I believe in your case it might be your professional association and not a state law that might be the problem. Some professional associations prevent members from getting an unaccredited PhD and display it in a business card so you would need to ask you association about this.
     
  4. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    They will not be unaccredited for long or they will be gone.
     
  5. ikibah

    ikibah Member

    Thanks for this. I reached out to my board and they don't seem to understand the difference between state/regional/national accreditation. They just keep answering me with "yes there is no problem with using a doctorate for marketing" I keep pushing the question but they are clearly not knowledgeable on the topic.
     
  6. ikibah

    ikibah Member

    they're state approved and seeking regional accreditation.
     
  7. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    So the answer is simple, they don't care. Sometimes the only people that they seem to care is in this board. The market is full of people with non accredited degrees and as long as they are not breaking the law, people won't be trouble. Self employed professions that normally don't need a PhD such as counseling, have plenty of people with non accredited Phds.
     
  8. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    I doubt that. The person you spoke to doesn't understand as most government employees are the virtue of laziness. A quick check of licensing laws and of a few states shows that they do in fact care, the degree title must be in a related field in most places. You must look to state boards of education etc. for the unaccredited part, which many states care about. Texas and New York would not allow this. What state are you in?
     
  9. Jan

    Jan Member

    Based on a previous discussion with a senior rep from the New York State board of Social Work and Counseling, an earned doctoral degree from an unaccredited school would allow one to refer to themselves as "doctor". New jersey on the other hand held more stringent requirements, indicating that the doctorate needs to be RA. However, regardless of the verbal feedback from any state board indicating that they would allow a licensed clinician on the masters level to refer to themselves as doctor with an unaccredited doctoral degree, it is essential to obtain this approval in writing prior to seeking an unaccredited doctorate. Verbal approval is insufficient, especially emanating from bureacracies such as state boards, whereby some rep can give verbal approval at one moment and subsequently the holder of an unaccredited doctorate is informed that they are in violation of the rules of the board or are misrepresenting their academic credentials to the public, which is a significant violation.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 21, 2017
  10. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Fantastic! Because we love to make judgments of tens of thousands of people we've never met and have no knowledge of.
     
  11. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    On an individual basis I completely agree that there are many people on the government payroll who are hardworking -- like our own Matt Brent!

    But while stereotypes don't usually come from nowhere, this is probably an exaggeration:

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    This totally makes sense
     
  13. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    I have worked for the government....most people were lazy. I worked with civil service people who refused to work more than hour a day. My point was not that, it was that just because your licensing board says its ok does not mean the board that regulates degrees would think it was legal. The employee is not going to check into it very far.
     
  14. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    Isn't California Southern's PsyD as cheap or cheaper AND it is Regionally accredited.

    Rules vary state to state. So, one I am familiar with allows Licensed Professional Counselors to use "Dr." and the doctorate if it is accredited by an agency recognized by Dept of Ed and CHEA AND is in a related field. So, it could be a PhD in Counseling or a DMin in Counseling/Pastoral Counseling. Not a PhD in English or a DMin in Homiletics or a DBA. It could be Regionally or Nationally accredited but not unaccredited.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 24, 2017
  15. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    New York, for all of its regulations, does not have someone patrolling the streets looking for unauthorized signage or even searching the internet for unauthorized degrees on websites. Add to the fact that we have entirely too many mental health licenses all regulated by separate bodies and jurisdiction starts to become murky.

    You might get away with it just fine. But if you ever found yourself in trouble that degree might come back to bite you. Maybe you'd be perfectly fine from a regulatory standpoint. But just one unfortunate incident could send a case viral once someone discovers your degree is unaccredited. Newspapers would love talking about the "fake" doctorate or putting "Dr." in quotations. Granted, you might come out with license intact. But the collateral damage could be great.

    If the title was all I cared about for marketing purposes I would, at a minimum, go NA. At least it's defensible.
     
  16. ikibah

    ikibah Member

    I think this makes perfect sense. You put my feelings in a nutshell..
     
  17. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Yeah, as I said, it makes sense to me. I think you could get away with it and I bet people do it all the time. But if it was me I wouldn't even go NA. I'd go non-US, like maybe UNISA or Malaysia, or Nicaragua or something like that. At least you wouldn't be paying big money.
     
  18. Jan

    Jan Member


    And lets not forget the potential for lawsuits emanating from a dissatisfied or litigious client(s) who in the mental health field abound and may pursue financial compensation to for some actual or trivial allegation! The attorney for such a client will have a field day when he/she discovers that the mental health provider's doctorate is unaccredited.
     
  19. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    You are probably correct.
     
  20. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    I agree with Neuhaus (or should I say mit Neuhaus). He/she made good points.

    Piedmont International University has a Nationally Accredited Ph.D. in organizational management. Cost is around $350 per credit hour. They have indicated they will be applying for RA.

    Not sure about your state and whether Org Mgt is close enough to Organizational Psych to be a related field.

    California Coast University (nationally accredited) has an Ed.D in Educational Psychology. $290 per credit hour. If you are a veteran you get a 10% tuition discount.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 27, 2017

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