The Cheyenne Bryant fiasco has ignited a conversation around mental health, social capital, licensure and celebrity, but not in the way that you might think. For the uninitiated, Bryant popped on the scene with appearances on the Basketball Wives reality show and then years later, went viral after an interview with Cam Newton. She branded herself as a therapist and someone with multiple doctorate degrees. However, she has been unwilling or unable to verify her credentials. Her doctorate has yet to turn up in a database of such research.
For psychologists, psychiatrists, licensed therapists, the matter has been abhorrent and puzzling. If an unlicensed individual gives mental health advice for a fee, wouldn’t that be illegal and dangerous? Why would anyone build a platform on being a therapist, go on major platforms and claim to have a doctorate degree, yet be unwilling to prove their bona fides?
For many people, the issue is a case study in not automatically assuming those with social capital are experts. Not everyone with a large platform is credible.
This situation has led to conversations around the ethics of care and the importance of licensure, especially for marginalized communities. But what’s been missing from the national dialogue are the ways in which our lack of attention to mental health could impact our brand and long-term viability.
A lot of people think about career success in terms of technical mastery, relationship cultivation, and a degree of luck. But if you want sustainability in any profession, you’d be well served to simultaneously work on the technical aspects of your career, as well as your mental health.
Failure to tend to our mental health, to tend to issues of shame, possibly rooted in childhood trauma, can create a life of proving or attempting to prove that we are worthy. I’m not a therapist, but I would imagine that people who’ve not addressed underlying shame issues could struggle with needing excessive affirmation and wanting to be regarded favorably. Could that lend itself to fabricating or stretching the truth? Possibly. You’ll have to consult with a mental health professional. (See what I did there?)
I don’t know if Cheyenne Bryant is telling the truth, though I find her unconvincing. From the moment she shared that unmarried couples who wanted to test their discipline should “take a bath together,” on a pastor’s platform, no less, I was done.
If Bryant indeed does not have a doctorate degree, and is lying about it, the question is why? If Bryant has never been licensed yet called herself a therapist, the question is why?
Would a person cosplay as a therapist out of their own wounds? I’ll never know the answer, and the answer doesn’t matter. The lesson for you and me, is that tending to our mental health isn’t optional. It is as important as the work we’re aiming to carry out. It may sound cliché, but we can only go as far as our mental health will allow.
At some point or another if we don’t tend to deep-seated wounds, false belief systems, or unhealthy habits, our inaction will catch up to us. We may not be caught in a headline-grabbing scandal, but that doesn’t mean that our career and well-being will not be impacted.
If you want a strong brand, focus on caring for yourself first.
Jennifer R. Farmer is a crisis communications expert and author. Read her other posts here.