The wellness life coach and author has been responding to backlash after she revealed she doesn’t have a license to practice therapy.
Amid the press tour for her new book and controversy over her credentials, Cheyenne Bryant is doubling down, saying that she does deserve to be called a doctor.
“I have multiple degrees, and my thing is that my proof isn’t something that I have to prove to individuals. My proof is already within my credentials, my degrees, and also more than just my titles, it’s in how effective I’ve been,” she said in an interview with Fox 5’s Marissa Mitchell, explaining that her live sessions with celebrities like Nick Cannon and Shannon Sharpe prove that her work is legit.
“They deemed it as my work being effective. I am effective at what I do,” she continued. “I’m educated, and I’m successful in my lane. I created my own lane. And so a lot of times, when people see that you created something that maybe they couldn’t, admiration turns into envy, and you’ve got to be okay with [that].”
The celebrity wellness guru received a wave of backlash after revealing in an interview with Joe Budden that she does not have a therapy license, saying that “a license is really only needed so you can bill insurance,” and that she prefers not being bound by the ethical and regulatory standards that therapists typically are.
“We give a lot of onus to social capital, to a level of following, but we can’t do that,” Dr. Raquel Martin, who has been vocal in criticizing Bryant’s comments, told theGrio earlier this month. “There are a lot of times where celebrity and expertise overlap, but that’s not always the case.”
Responding to those questions raised over her credentials and title, Bryant later said on social media that she is not a therapist, but a “psychology expert and life coach.”
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Even though Bryant does not call herself a therapist, the clarification has led to more questions: Did she obtain her doctoral degree? Is she qualified to engage in her current practice? The author’s online bio claims that she has a dual degree in Psychology and Pan African studies from Cal State University, Northridge, and that she “decided” to pursue her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University, which lost its accreditation in 2019 and closed permanently.
Speaking to “The Breakfast Club,” she also alleged she couldn’t access the records that proved she earned her doctorate because when the school lost its accreditation, her records were subsequently wiped.
🚨 Dr. Cheyenne Bryant came through to promote her new book 📕 'Live Your Promise' ✨ and clears the air about the rumors surrounding the legitimacy of her doctorate 🎓 degree. Tap into the full interview on @netflix. pic.twitter.com/lKd8j7UbuS
Even though Bryant is unable or unwilling to provide her credentials, she told Mitchell she will continue to call herself a doctor as she sees fit.
“I’ve earned the title,” she said. “I have multiple degrees, and I’m not going to prove anything to anybody.”
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