Image Credit: FACEBOOK/ Susannah joy Schuilenberg
November 10, 2020 - 4:40 PM
A Kelowna therapist will no longer be able to refer to herself as a psychologist since an investigation revealed she doesn't have the credentials to call herself one.
Susannah Joy Schuilenberg, a Kelowna-based therapist, must surrender her supervisor status and master practitioner in clinical counselling status after it was determined that she doesn’t have a baccalaureate degree that she claimed she had when she became a member of the Canadian Professional Counsellors Association, according to the association’s discipline report.
She must also refrain from using the title of “doctor” or “psychologist.” Psychologist is a protected title in Canada, according to the report.
Although her credentials have changed, Schuilenberg may continue her practice as a registered professional counsellor as “professional competency was not shown to be lacking,” according to the report.
In June, Schuilenberg confirmed on her website that her master’s degree in counselling psychology was fraudulent. She said in the post that she was using the degree in “good faith” and that she “did not do a thorough enough vetting of the college’s status 13 years ago.”
She has since removed doctor from her title.
She may reapply for her master’s status after two years in good faith with the counsellor’s association or one year afterwards if she completes the association’s ethics course. She may reapply for a supervisor status two years after her master’s status has been obtained, according to the report.
The report was published Oct. 25.
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