Since he lives and practices in New York State, his non-profit corporation is supposed to be on file with NYS Department of State. However, anyone can search NYS Department of State The Corporation and Business Entity Database and see that it is not there. The current information messages by this database [on March 25, 2011] are the following:
NYS Department of State
Division of Corporations
Informational Message
The information contained in this database is current through March 24, 2011.
No business entities were found for The Center for Healing Spiritual and Cultic Abuse.
No business entities were found for The Center for Healing Spiritual & Cultic Abuse.
No business entities were found for The CHSCA.
No business entities were found for CHSCA.
John Knapp started his website in the beginning of March and claimed to have created The Center for Healing Spiritual and Cultic Abuse as a non-profit corporation, but it is still not on file with NYS Department of State. The only conclusion I can make is that his non-profit corporation is non-existing or illegal.
As far as I know, one of the main reasons for John Knapp to supposedly create his non-profit corporation is to attract more clients. However, I would warn people about hiring him as a therapist. Here is a report of one of his former clients: http://tossandripple.blogspot.com/2011/01/john-m-knapp-lmsw.html. I know of this situation and am aware that he caused a serious damage to this person.
Another problem with his counseling is that he practices online counseling, using Skype and similar programs. Many therapists have doubts regarding this way of counseling because Skype has security flaws and because there is a great difference between seeing somebody in person and on video. According to my understanding, the position of the NYS State Boards for the Professions, that is, the organization that certified him as Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) is that they do not tend to consider online therapy as true therapy.
In Ethical Standards for Thought Reform Consultants, section II, point A, sub-point 5:
A subscribing consultant will not employ methods or techniques such as neuro-linguistics programming, hypnosis or Ericksonian hypnosis or other techniques similar to those employed by cult groups without fully informed consent of the client.
I know that not all the thought reform consultants, exit counselors or whatever they call themselves, subscribed by these ethical standards. Although these methods are not illegal per se, they are used by cults. This is why most professionals who work with ex-cult members (including those who did not subscribed by these ethical standards) consider that it is unethical to use them.
Since John Knapp is LMSW, he is required to have a supervisor who is LCSW. His supervisor and her husband are certified NLP trainers. John Knapp and his supervisor even have offices in the same building. Well, there is nothing illegal with having a supervisor who is a certified NLP trainer, but it definitely indicates that John Knapp seriously studied NLP. People usually study NLP to use it, not just to have information about it. I have never been his client, but I used to be a co-moderator and a co-administrator of his forum and I can testify that he used NLP techniques toward me.
Although I wrote three posts about John Knapp in my blog, I did not use his name. Now I think this is the time to say that he is the person mentioned in the following posts as "anti-cult leader" and "anti-cult Professor Moriarty":
http://lemanal.blogspot.com/2010/08/anti-cult-activism-and-anti-cult.html
http://lemanal.blogspot.com/2010/10/anti-cult-professor-moriarty.html
http://lemanal.blogspot.com/2011/01/donations-and-fund-raising-in-anti-cult.html
PS. John Knapp keeps posting in his new Twitter account that certain people joined his Center for Healing Spiritual and Cultic Abuse. I doubt that this information is correct. In any case, I will not join his new organization under any condition. In the past, he tried to involve me there, using manipulations. I have never given my agreement to join it. Although he still lists me in his forum as one of moderators and administrators, I am not a moderator and administrator of his forum since August 1, 2010. I had no contacts with him since this time. I do not endorse him and will not work together with him any longer. This is my firm position and I will not change it.
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5 comments:
(Note: This is comment reply 1 of 2.)
Hey Lom,
I read your blog entry shortly after you let me know you had posted it.
I wasn't sure how to respond, until within the last hour.
I visited the Facebook page of the CHSCA. I no longer have a FB account; I found the FB page via a link on Twitter. The FB page is called "The Center 4 Healing."
As I perused the FB page, I thought I was going to throw up, literally.
Before reading finding/viewing that FB page, I was thinking this morning as I was reviewing Dr. Lalich's book,"Take Back Your Life, "How did I end up here again?"
It's an odd feeling reading the book (mentioned above)that helped me in regard to my own recovery from cultic abuse, reading the book that Knapp used with me in helping me through the myriad aspects of confusion, loss, grief, self-blame, doubting my reality, and other stuff that comes with toxic relationships...the very book that helped me...well...now has a triggering effect.
I guess it's kind of like the guidebook (such as the Bible in Christianity) that helped people that then triggers them. They have to find other resources or another version. The difference is, I never took Dr. Lalich's book as "the absolute truth" or as "god-breathed." And my abusive experience wasn't with Lalich; it was with Knapp.
Once the professional investigation is complete, I may at that time publicize the summary of the complaint.
I will state the following in italics, quoting from something I've written elsewhere:
"[Practitioner] used four of my deepest vulnerabilities against me. Those are self-blame, self-distrust, fear of abandonment, and intimidation when relating with certain authority figures. Not to mention other issues I have worked to overcome, which include low self-worth, shame, and thinking I am unintelligent."
And also:
"I have experienced the following in varying degrees since the trauma. The following list is reprinted from How Therapists Abuse Their Clients:
* Complete devastation and despair (feeling like Munch's The Scream)
* Self blame and feelings of failure, guilt and confusion
* Loss of self-confidence and self-esteem [...]
* Withdrawal and inability to talk about the abuse; and feeling also that no one understands
* Doubting your own perceptions and reality
* Emotional detachment or "shutting down" (leading among other things to loss of empathy and lack of emotional response within oneself)
* Intrusive negative rumination/intrusive negative thoughts/flashbacks
In addition to the list above, I have experienced a sense of loss; wanting to forget and pretend my past never happened; grief; feeling I was crazy and making things up or had done things that I didn't do; feelings that I am unintelligent, childish, and stupid; wanting to disappear or become obscure; depression; anxiety; bad dreams; and some episodes of anger. I have also had to take more Xanax than I've needed all year previously and have had physical somaticizing symptoms which include lung and back pain. I started back on Paxil in September."
(continued in next reply due to length..)
(Note: This reply comment 2 of 2, as my reply was too long for Blooger to fit into one comment.)
(cont'd):
In hindsight, I wish I would have heeded concerns that folks expressed to me about Knapp not long after I first hired him, and that I had listened more carefully to certain doubts and my own intuitive thoughts as I observed some of Knapp's words and behavior. But I trusted him and thus rationalized those nudges.
I too am still listed as a moderator and administrator on his reactivated Knapp Family Counseling discussion board. It disturbs me that John did not honor my clear resignation that I sent him via email at the beginning of August.
As far as the non-profit and corporation status of CHSCA, I guess time will tell. I would find it difficult to think that John would make such claims and state that the org is applying for tax-deductible status, if the org is not incorporated (if that is the right word). But...I also found it difficult to admit that the person who I trusted as my therapist to help aid in recovery from toxic relationships would end up emotionally and verbally abusing.
Well, that's a long ramble.
You are welcome to share this reply comment elsewhere as you feel appropriate.
To life,
~carol
PS: As my manner is, I've had quite a few after thoughts since posting my two previous comments.
One of those is that I struggle with feeling embarrassed that I would be affected so deeply by what has happened. I wish I could just brush it off. In comparison to other trauma, it's small. Yet, I have to remind myself that my responses over the last seven-plus months are understandable. I have to acknowledge and honor those response, while at the same time regulate them utilizing various tools from my emotional tool box.
This past week, two people who know the situation shared with me that the intense anxiety I'm experiencing is a normal response to cognitive dissonance. I don't recall ever hearing it put that way before.
Of course, I've been reminded that my anxiety is a normal response to an abnormal circumstance.
And I am thankful for all the good in life. There is much to be grateful for. I wrote last night that gratitude is a great equalizer.
Thanks Lom for sharing your thoughts and experiences.
~carol
I agree with the people who said you are having a normal response to an abnormal situation, Oneperson. You are courageous to be speaking out and coming forward and you have nothing at all to be ashamed of and much to be proud of.
Thank you Monica!
:)
~carol
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