Dr. Robert L. Perkins, a self-described “professional within the prevention and remedy of PTSD,” a “licensed sexologist,” and a board member of the North American Browsing Medical doctors Affiliation, was scheduled to present an in-person presentation on Sept. 13 to Calgary Police Service members.
Over the previous 12 months, Perkins has cultivated a detailed affiliation with the police service by means of his California-based School of Licensed Psychophysiologists.
Perkins has skilled CPS members on “essential incident stress debriefs,” which he has mentioned is a “supportive disaster intervention course of.” The police service’s government director of wellness and resiliency, Stacey Ferland, just lately efficiently defended her PhD in medical police pyschophysiology from the faculty.
In early August, the faculty awarded an honorary doctorate to CPS sergeant Mike Huskins – images posted on the faculty’s Fb web page present CPS Chief Mark Neufeld smiling broadly as he presents Huskins with a body for his diploma.
A International Information investigation has revealed the faculty, which operates from a postal field in a strip mall in Anaheim, Calif., has no acknowledged accreditation and points levels that an training fraud professional mentioned aren’t definitely worth the paper they’re printed on.
Over a 31-year profession, retired FBI particular agent Allen Ezell investigated and shut down a number of the world’s largest, most refined diploma mills.
“I might not belief it. I wouldn’t give its diploma any credibility by any means. It has no tutorial worth,” he mentioned of the faculty.
“To me, it’s a fraud, it’s a rip-off. It’s a mirage, it’s not actual.”
A better-education coverage professional mentioned it’s troubling that CPS officers with PTSD, or who want different counselling help, could also be handled with methods from a university that seems to not be professional.
“This can be a discipline the place individuals may very well be harmed, the place individuals might die because of malpractice, because of untrained intervention,” mentioned Barmak Nassirian, of Veterans Training Success, a Washington, D.C. veterans advocacy non-profit.
“So it is rather harmful.”
An examination of Perkins’ resume and on-line biographies uncovered obtrusive omissions about his training, chronological contradictions, and a listing of touted credentials from organizations he seems to have created himself.
Veronica Maxwell is a detailed affiliate of Perkins. She claims to be a sexologist with a PhD from the faculty, the place she is now a school member. Maxwell additionally goes by the title Sharon Rowley, who’s individually listed as a school member and, in accordance with a podcast episode description, is Perkins’ spouse.
Maxwell has a web site through which she claims she has developed “miracle respiration cures and methods for all erectile and sexual dysfunctions.”
CPS pauses coaching, police fee asks for overview
The Calgary Police Service declined an interview request, and as an alternative offered a press release that didn’t tackle many particular points raised by International Information. It mentioned it has cancelled Perkins’ September presentation and paused any coaching from the faculty or Perkins because it conducts a overview.
The school offered “numerous types of supplemental coaching” to about 20 sworn and civilian members, CPS spokesperson Michael Nunn mentioned. This included two PhDs in psychophysiology, about 16 on-line programs, and three certificates in police psychological wellness.
He mentioned the officers weren’t of their positions because of the coaching. Nunn mentioned he couldn’t present a timeline for the completion of the overview, which can embody how a lot cash CPS paid the faculty, and the way it got here to be related to the varsity.
The police service has “100 per cent confidence” within the coaching and expertise of its psychological therapies staff,” Nunn mentioned. He beforehand mentioned the police service would reply on Ferland’s behalf nevertheless it didn’t.
In a press release, the Calgary Police Fee mentioned that whereas it trusts the psychological well being care that CPS officers obtain from its certified professionals, the fee has “important issues” in regards to the police service’s relationship with the faculty.
“We’ve requested the service to report back to us on each the standard of wellness care obtainable to members and the way coaching and training requests are reviewed,” spokesperson Corwin Odland wrote.
“Our subsequent steps will rely upon what’s realized about present practices.”
Lack of due diligence by Calgary police, consultants say
Ezell mentioned the Calgary Police Service has displayed an astonishing lack of due diligence. Perkins’ publicly accessible LinkedIn resume is just not plausible, he mentioned, and the faculty has all of the markings of a level mill.
Though Perkins claims to have PhDs in sensible chaplaincy/psychology and medical psychophysiology, his LinkedIn profile makes no reference to formal training from any accredited college.
Ezell mentioned he wouldn’t name Perkins’ LinkedIn resume a curriculum vitae as a result of it lacks primary particulars.
He pointed to Perkins’ declare that he was an “armoured officer” within the “military” from April 1988 to July 1991, and describes what he did as “CLASSIFIED.” A correct resume would say which military he served in, what he did and whether or not he acquired an honourable discharge. He scoffed at Perkins’s declare that his work was categorised.
Equally, Perkins claims to have been a “police sergeant” in a “police division” within the Toronto space from October 1991 to September 2003. However the resume doesn’t say which police service or clarify how he made the leap from being within the military in 1991 to the rank of a police sergeant three months later.
He additionally claims he labored as a researcher for the Ontario Ministry of the Lawyer Common from June 1991 to Might 1993, which overlaps by 18 months together with his job as a sergeant within the unnamed police service.
Ezell mentioned the resume ought to have instantly induced anybody, however most particularly a skilled police officer, to be suspicious of Perkins’ alleged skilled credentials and work expertise.
With the entry that Neufeld must police databases, Ezell mentioned, he might have carried out a background examine on Perkins in minutes earlier than permitting him to coach officers.
Had Neufeld consulted him, “I might inform him to not contact it with a 20-foot pole.”
A spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of the Lawyer Common informed International Information, “We’ve reviewed our data and might advise that now we have no document of an worker beneath [Perkins’] title or any variation of that title.”
School not accredited
On its web site, the School of Licensed Psychophysiologists says it’s an internet graduate faculty providing grasp’s levels, doctorate levels, and certificates packages in psychophysiology, the “scientific research of the interplay between the thoughts and physique.”
Underneath the “Accreditation” part on its web site, the faculty claims it operates “inside the required parameters and pointers” established by the California Bureau for Non-public Postsecondary Training. In a July 2019 Fb submit, the faculty additionally acknowledged it’s a “registered licensed graduate faculty in California.”
However a search discovered no reference to the faculty within the databases of authorized establishments for both the bureau or the U.S. Division of Training, which was confirmed by means of follow-up calls to each authorities businesses.
“The School Of Licensed Psychophysiologists will not be an establishment authorized by the California Bureau for Non-public Postsecondary Training,” California Division of Client Affairs spokesperson Monica Vargas mentioned in an electronic mail.
Vargas confirmed the bureau issued a quotation order to the faculty for working within the state with out approval. It withdrew the quotation in Might 2021 after the faculty appealed and a overview discovered the faculty “was not working as an academic establishment inside California,” Vargas mentioned.
“BPPE has jurisdiction over schools bodily working and offering instruction in California, which the School Of Licensed Psychophysiologists will not be,” she mentioned.
Each Ezell and Nassirian mentioned the primary marker of a level mill is an absence of unbiased accreditation.
“A level is nugatory, ineffective, aside from one thing to hold on the wall if it doesn’t have accepted, acknowledged accreditation,” Ezell mentioned.
The school says it’s “sponsored” by the North American Board of Licensed Psychophysiologists, the “bona-fide skilled group” overseeing the career.
However the board, of which Perkins is a director, in flip, claims it’s licensed and licensed by the faculty. The board additionally shares the identical postal field tackle and telephone quantity in Anaheim as the faculty.
Perkins has particularly referenced the faculty’s headquarters in Anaheim. He has appeared in movies with a big educating auditorium because the background, which can be the primary photograph for the faculty’s Fb web page.
A Google Maps search revealed the faculty’s head workplace tackle corresponds to a Postal Categorical outlet subsequent to a nail salon in an Anaheim strip mall. The addresses of its worldwide “workplaces” in Vancouver, B.C. and Sheffield, England additionally correspond to postal bins.
The school just lately provided half-off PhDs for $7,700 US.
Perkins declined an interview request. In an emailed assertion, he didn’t tackle any of the questions on his training or work expertise.
He insisted the faculty is working inside parameters set by the California Bureau for Non-public Postsecondary Training. He additionally insisted the faculty doesn’t declare to be accredited. He mentioned the faculty “delivers properly written and devised core curriculum subject material particular to the sphere of psychophysiology and their software in numerous fields.
“College students who full Grasp’s or Doctorate degree levels are required to finish an intense course of research, in addition to (an) in depth thesis or dissertation authorized by the Dissertation Chair after which directed by a Thesis or Dissertation Advisor,” Perkins wrote.
“Our Advisors embody a 30+ 12 months veteran Investigator of (the) U.S. Division of Homeland Safety in addition to a current- serving Deputy District Lawyer within the State of California,” Perkins claimed. “As soon as a paper has been accomplished, it’s required to be defended by the committee and is evaluated earlier than a level is awarded.”
He mentioned the faculty has no workplaces as a result of it’s an internet establishment.
In an electronic mail, Veronica Maxwell declined an interview request however acknowledged she is also referred to as Sharon Rowley.
Net of inter-connected organizations
Perkins will not be solely the president and performing dean of the psychophysiology faculty. The work expertise part of his resume particulars his affiliation with a dizzying array of organizations, a lot of which he seems to have created.
This in depth community of self-described non-profit associations – stretching from California to British Columbia to Ontario to North Carolina – present coaching and certifications to cops and different first responders, for a charge.
These organizations, most associated to PTSD, serve to lend credibility to one another and to Perkins, who touts certifications from them on his resume and in on-line advertising and marketing.
Ezell likened it to a daisy chain. One group connects to the following, which connects to the following.
“You’re simply making a circle,” he mentioned. “You’ve got by no means left that circle.”
Perkins is the chief director of the Canadian Sensible Chaplain Affiliation. It shares the identical telephone numbers because the California Sensible Chaplain Affiliation, of which he’s additionally the chief director and chief of chaplains.
Its web site states it trains chaplains to serve in police and fireplace departments, firms, and prisons. Its graduates additionally work alongside athletes, together with surfers.
“Surf Chaplains have the chance to supply an affect within the browsing neighborhood by demonstrating a optimistic function mannequin in addition to a useful resource for all issues browsing,” the web site states. “In essence, the Surf Chaplain ‘Does Life’ with the browsing neighborhood and is a pleasant, acquainted face to help anybody dealing with the trials and tribulations of on a regular basis life each on and off the seaside.”
The Canadian Sensible Chaplain Affiliation Fb web page claims it’s a non-profit. The Ontario Enterprise Registry reveals the affiliation was registered as a sole-proprietorship entity in July 2017 primarily based in Toronto however grew to become inactive as of September 2017. The Canada Income Company has no on-line document of it.
The affiliation says it offers coaching to grow to be a licensed chaplain for $299.99 and as soon as licensed, a member can buy a uniform and a variety of chaplain’s badges, together with a browsing chaplain’s badge, for $149.99, or a badge pockets for $49.99.
On his LinkedIn resume, Perkins claims to have acquired certification from the Worldwide Fellowship of Chaplains (IFOC) by means of the College of Michigan in January 2003. A spokesperson for the IFOC in Temple, Texas mentioned they haven’t any document of Perkins and he or she mentioned they don’t supply programs by means of universities.
Two-for-one accreditation
The chaplain’s certification consists of two-for-one computerized accreditation as a Licensed Important Incident Stress Debriefer with the Ontario Important Incident Stress Basis, of which Perkins is without doubt one of the founders and serves as its government director. It claims to be a registered non-profit with the Inside Income Service in California however an internet examine discovered the state suspended the affiliation in 2019.
The inspiration says it affords its coaching in Canada, Australia and 12 American states. An internet certification course is $249.99 US and teacher coaching prices $1,000 US.
Perkins can be CEO of the Heart for Chief Psychological Well being Officers, which is now providing its certification program for US $1,495, greater than a 50 per cent low cost. It operates from the identical Anaheim and Vancouver postal outlet addresses because the School of Licensed Psychophysiologists.
Nassirian, the higher-education professional, mentioned it’s common for diploma mills to arrange “supporting operations behind the entity that’s truly engaged within the sale of credentials. And it turns into fairly sophisticated fairly shortly, with every kind of manufacturers and names that provide the phantasm of oversight.”
Perkins can be listed as a full-time school member on the Rhodes Wellness School, a non-public establishment in Vancouver. His biography on the faculty’s web site says he has levels in psychology, theology and utilized psychophysiology – however doesn’t say from the place he earned them.
Ezell mentioned it could be unattainable for Perkins to guide, or be concerned with, this many organizations in the event that they had been professional.
“There are solely so many hours within the day,” he mentioned.
When contacted by International Information, Ben Colling, the president of Rhodes Wellness School, mentioned regardless of what the varsity’s web site confirmed, Perkins will not be a full-time school member and was in the midst of the hiring course of for a two-week fall course.
“We had not finalized his contract and had been within the last vetting course of,” Colling wrote in an electronic mail. “On account of last vetting, Roberts Perkins won’t be educating for us at the moment and accordingly his info has been faraway from our web site.”
Well being and security of CPS officers at stake
A CPS officer with PTSD, who requested to not be named for worry of retribution, mentioned he carried out an internet search of Perkins and his faculty after viewing the inner announcement for the upcoming lecture.
“I began digging into him and thought issues simply aren’t including up,” the officer mentioned.
After viewing Perkins’ resume and the extraordinary net of PTSD-related associations, he was astonished that his police service would permit anybody with coaching from Perkins or accreditation from the faculty to counsel officers with PTSD.
“I feel it’s simply that threat of doing hurt, which is type of counter-intuitive, as a result of as a psychologist, and just about any physician that I do know, one of many very first issues they’re sworn to do is trigger no hurt,” he mentioned. “And I feel they’re working an actual threat of inflicting hurt.”
Nassirian mentioned the Calgary police have to develop some basic conflict-of-interest guidelines and protocols to confirm credentials for organizations with which it does enterprise.
“Much more vital than the duty to the general public is the duty to their very own officers when well being and security is in danger,” he mentioned.
