I think I'd be more angry if they were wholly fabricated than if, in this case, she was still qualified to be a therapist (I think, with a masters, right?). Not that that makes it okay.

If I found out my therapist didn't have the qualifications she proported to have, I would ask two questions. 1) Is she unqualified? Ms. Wightman appears to have had a master's in the field, which certainly makes her more qualified than any number of practitioners who aren't challenged in this regard (I'm thinking about ministers of some denominations, radio talk show hosts, or bartenders, for example). I know this doesn't address the whole issue of being paid for ostensibly professional service, but my second question makes that point moot: 2) Is she effective? I say if you find someone who works for you, she's worth every penny, regardless of the piece of paper she has hanging on her wall.

Presumably one pays a therapist to listen to one's deepest thoughts and feelings without judgement, and going back to my second question above, who cares about anything else? It's a good story, though, the ex-stripper who lies about her past and somehow takes advantage of people in that vulnerable position. Was it a slow news day, or what?

If I was in therapy and found out she or he used to be a stripper, prostitute or porn star, I wouldn't care that's the past and obviously they got themselves out of that situation.

I would care if he/she had said they had a Ph.D when they didn't.

It would make me think they are lazy for not finishing, and it would breed distrust. If I'm in there spilling my guts, but my therapist has told a while lie to me, I'd be pissed.

I almost shrugged this one off. Then I imagined that this story was about my real-life psychologist. She happens to be an older woman who sorta reminds me of my grandmother, but who is a little bit younger. I think that the knowledge that she used to be a stripper would be really distracting.

Also, you have to put a lot of trust in your counselor, so finding out that she lied would be a major hurdle to overcome, especially if you have trust issues to begin with.

So, yeah, maybe the press is making a big deal out of it because she used to be a stripper. On the other hand, I would personally have a problem if I found out my doctor had been lying to me.

Speaking as someone who has been through my fair share of bad therapists over the years, I wouldn't care if my therapist was still working as a stripper if she was helping me with my problems. And it is not as though this woman is completely unqualified. No, you can't call yourself a psychologist without a Phd, but there are many very talented and very effective therapists and social workers who work with only a Masters degree. And there are plenty of licensed psychologists who shouldn't be allowed within the same building as a person in crisis. Her ability should count for far more than a piece of paper.

That being said, it is unfortunate that she felt a need to lie about her credentials, because, as she must know, dishonesty can be a very difficult thing to overcome in an intimate relationship and few are as intimate as the one that exists beween a patient and their therapist.

I have a friend who's a former stripper, and she'd make a good therapist.

if her clients don't care, why should we?

the issue--did she defraud anyone? a phd doesn't make you a better therapist--having empathy and giving sound advice, which can only be verified by her patients, is the only thing that matters.

however, the state may have a claim regarding the medical claims filed. but does it matter that she was a for mer stripper? well, it could be said that it makes her MORE qualifies because as a stripper, the ones who get better tips are the ones who know how to talk and listen to their customers. strippers who don't know how to emphathize and carry a conversation with their clients leave the business quickly because the other girls will take their clients. seems to me she did very very well in that endeavor, which translated into success in the "straight" world of therapy.

when you think about it, therpists are nothing more than emotional prostitution. why the hell would anyone need a masters of phd to practice in that field anyway? she's being crucified because people love salacious headlines

Hell no. And no matter if you like or dislike the sex industry, one thing that really hurts sex workers is the belief that they're scarlet women who can never do anything outside of the sex industry ever again.

Could it be that she was also involved in financial fraud, insurance scams and the like? If that's the case it would explain the harsh reaction. Perhaps these crimes were more malicious then the stripper-made-good story here would lead us to believe.

While the DA is most likely over reacting because this woman was a sex worker. Salon's Broadsheet and readers are under reacting about her unethical behavior for the very same reason. There is a reason for licenses, certifications and degree's. They are especially important when treating the psyche's of very vulnerable people. She lacked the training she claimed and put her patients at risk for financial reasons, it isn't all that difficult to finish a doctorate or instead become a clinical social worker (another licenced therapist who generally is paid less than a psychologist). As for the fact that many (but not all) of the patients are not angry really doesn't matter, these are intimate relationships, in a theraputic enviroment you really think of your therapist as a friend, sometimes as one of your best friends, someone that you tell things to that you would not ever tell anyone else. This intamacy is quite one sided, and thus the responses from it are very hard to judge.