What in the Actual F*ck?????

December 21, 2016

Okay, y'all, I have to take a deep breath here.

*DEEP BREATH*

I hope you all will bear with me, excuse my potty mouth, and help me with this because I actually do not know what to make of this.

I've noticed that Umar has been recording and posting on social media his counseling sessions. Frankly, I'm not sure that is appropriate, due to patient confidentiality and HIPAA laws, unless Umar has gotten authorization from his clients in the form of express written consent.

Okay...that is disturbing enough.

But I find this even more disconcerting...

In a video posted on December 20, 2016, Umar seems to be either advertising his speaking events, counseling clients, proving his "African-ness," showing off his African-centered gear, proving that he is a relative of Frederick Douglass, "proving" that he is a doctor and/or all of the above.

All of what I am going to speak on is excerpted from the video below.

Date: December 20, 2016

Advertising Speaking Events

Umar starts off the first three and a half minutes or so talking about his upcoming speaking engagements.

Question: Should advertising his speaking events be part of a session in which folks are calling in for advice? Can a psychologist have a dual purpose or a dual relationship with clients?

Example

How can a psychologist, in the midst of acting in his professional capacity, then kinda say, 'I know you are here for my professional advice, and oh, by the way, come to my lecture if I'm in your town'...for maybe $20 a piece.

That situation has the potential to be a dual purpose or a dual relationship, which would be unethical according to Principle 6, Welfare of the consumer, part (b), from the Board of Ethics of the Pennsylvania Board of Psychology.

Showing Off His Gear

First, he claims someone asked him about the wall hanging he has behind him. Now, that could be true. After all, it is interesting and could well be a conversation piece.

The next few things I notice are downright strange to me. But you all let me know what you think.

Straight Outta Africa

For some reason, while he is speaking with someone, Umar stand up and shows off his T-shirt. Why? Who knows?

Incense

He follows with showing himself lighting a stick of incense. Again, he doesn't explain why. But wouldn't lighting incense place him in the class of "dusty, Facebook, hotep, incense, shea butter assed Negros" who ask him about his credentials?

But anyways...

Cowrie Necklace

He goes on to find and put on what appears to be a cowrie shell necklace. Again, the reason for this is unknown.

Shield

Again, for reasons that are not apparent, at about one hour and 9 minutes into this video, Umar looks for a shield and holds it for a period of time.

Staff with Sankofa bird

After he hold on to the shield for a few moments, Umar gets up and go to get a staff with a Sankofa bird on it. Umar holds it for about 10 minutes or so. And again, it is not clear (at least to me) the reason for this.

Mind you...he is doing all of this while he's supposedly advising and/or counseling people.

Proof of What He Says?

Related to Frederick Douglass

Umar then, inexplicably, at about one hour and 36 minutes into the video, Umar uses this time, which is supposed to be for giving advice to parents about their children, to go on a rant about proving that he is indeed related to Frederick Douglass.

He does this by waving around and opening a booklet, which quite frankly, looks like something someone could have had made at a Kinko's store. And since I didn't see any birth certificates, marriage licenses, death records, results of DNA testing, or any other vital or medical records, this booklet really doesn't prove anything.

Doctorate Degree

Umar further goes into attempting to prove that he has a doctorate degree by showing a dissertation dated June, 2012.

But, wait, wasn't he claiming to be a doctor in 2010?

Besides, a dissertation alone doesn't really prove anything, even with the approval sheet signed. An approval sheet could simply mean that the dissertation was successfully defended orally. Other items are needed, such a letter from the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which would approve the study on which the dissertation is based, a transcript, which would be proof of coursework, and the actual documented study.

Some are not certain that Umar Johnson is the same person as Umar R. Abdullah-Johnson. So in my mind, waving around this dissertation doesn't prove a thing, either.

Is Umar Johnson and Umar Rashad Abdullah-Johnson the same person?

Further, if he actually has the doctorate, what is the big deal about posting it on his website(s) like every other scholar who has no issue telling people where they went to school, what they studied, and when they graduated, instead of going around the bend when he is asked these simple, basic and valid questions.