John Gray's Credentials Questioned
Saturday November 15, 2003
John Gray's book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus have made him an international celebrity. He has had a real influence on popular culture with the millions of books he has sold, but has he also sold people under false pretenses? That may be the case because it seems as though he has been giving people "professional advice" even though his professional credentials aren't quite what they seem.
Cult News reports:
The relationship guru who constantly promotes himself as "Dr. John Gray" and lists a "Ph.D." has only one accredited degree, a high school diploma. ... Gray received his undergraduate degrees from Maharishi European Research University in Seelisberg, Switzerland. ... Maharishi European Research University in Switzerland is not accredited according to World Education Services (WES) or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
John Gray is a professional member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), which he prominently lists on his bio. However, the ACA requires its professional members to have at least a Masters degree accredited by CHEA. ... "Dr." Gray also claims he is a "Certified Family Therapist," though he does not specify what organization certified him.
Maharishi European Research University is a creation of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement. Evidently Gray was once one of Maharishi's celibate monks before becoming a pop-culture "guru" himself. But just how honest has he been about all of this? Maybe not as honest as he should have been, from what I can see. The ACA relies on the honor system for members' credentials and in this case, that honor system appears to have failed.
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Comments
who cares whether MERU is accredited or not? If they are not, that just means either
1. MERU never went to the trouble of applying because they don’t care, or
2. Someone’s opinion is that MERU should not be accredited.
In either case, MERU’s credibility is not determined by accreditation, but by the programs they uphold and the affects of those programs,. such as TM.
1. The problem isn’t simply that the MERU isn’t accredited, but that Gray claimed a professional status which it appears he was not entitled to claim. If that’s the case, it would e a lie.
2. Being accredited is important because it shows that an institution meets certain minimum, professional standards. If a place doesn’t meet those standards, then it can’t be treated has providing the same professional training as other institutions which are accredited.
He was also married to Lonni Barbach, a well-known relationship psychologist who wrote many books. He’s also been divorced 6 times after being a celibate monk for 10 years. Now he’s married to a publisher. He’s an opportunist using false credentials to get rich, and people are not even questioning his background. If they buy or read his books and follow his advice, I feel sorry for them.