When you ask questions you get the truth. Why was it ok for Bierman, Bierman's wife and Lumley to be involved with CWDHS and do whatever they want? Was there something special about Bierman, Bierman's wife and Lumley? What happened to the guidance department at CWDHS?

Question: Is there any evidence (scientific or otherwise) that Bierman's p,c.t.c. was a good thing for teenagers to be involved in?

Answer: There is no evidence (scientific or otherwise) that Bierman's p,c.t.c. was a good thing for teenagers to be involved in.

Bierman's psychology experiment

Some one from the College of Psychologists of Ontario made the following statement:

" In 1971, the professional organization similar to the College of>Psychologists of Ontario was the Ontario Board of Examiners in Psychology>(OBEP). I understand from my file review that you corresponded with and that>your complaint was considered by it. The Psychologists Registration Amended>Act, which was in effect in 1971 stated that: "No person Shall represent>himself to be a psychologist unless he holds a certificate of Registration">and " A person represents himself to be a psychologist when he holds hinself>out to the public by any title, designation or description incorporating the>words "psychological", "psychologist" or "psychology" and under such title,>designation or description offers to render or renders services of any kind>to one or more persons for a fee or other remuneration". "

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During the summer of 1971 I was one of eleven high school students from Fergus and Mount Forest who participated in a peer counsellor training course (p.c.t.c.) at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo Ontario Canada. I cannot describe in detail everything that happened during Bierman's p.c.t.c. in this blog. We stayed in a residence at the U. of Waterloo during the course.The p.c.t.c. was about eight weeks long and involved activities five days a week. The p.c.t.c. was conducted by Charles Lumley who was a graduate student with R. Bierman at the time. R. Bierman's wife along with some university students were also involved in the p.c.t.c.. The purpose of the p.c.t.c. was to teach us how to help our school mates and children with their personal problems. The p.c.t.c. involved very stressful encounter groups that were degrading, humiliating and embarrassing for sensitive, intelligent, naive and immature teenagers. We were only involved in one orientation session at our high school before we started the p.c.t.c. at the U. of Waterloo. R. Bierman's wife along with some of the university students were not involved in the orientation session at CWDHS. Mr. Lumley did not prepare us at the orientation session for all the activities we were involved in during the p.c.t.c.. Mr. Lumley did not prepare us for the stressful encounter groups at the orientation session at our high school.


No one cried during the orientation session at CWDHS. Some people cried during the encounter groups that we were involved in during the p.c.t.c..

I don't know if any teachers from CWDHS were involved in the orientation session for the p.c.t.c. at CWDHS.

I was one of six students from CWDHS who were selected from a group of about twelve students to participate in the p.c.t.c.. We were selected after an orientation session at our high school that involved about twelve students. I think R. Bierman and some university students from the U. of Waterloo were involved in the orientation session when I was selected to participate in the p.c.t.c.. I guess the staff at CWDHS selected twelve students who they thought might be good peer counsellors. I think one of the reasons we were selected was because we seemed mature.

I didn't ask R. Bierman to become involved with the guidance department at CWDHS in 1971. I was selected to participate in the p.c.t.c. by the staff at CWDHS and R. Bierman's entourage.

The p.c.t.c. was conducted with the co-operation of the guidance department at Centre Wellington District High School (CWDHS) in Fergus.

I think the p.c.t.c. was part of Mr. Lumley's master's thesis in psychology.

What knowledge of psychology does a seventeen year old have?

R. Bierman, R. Bierman's wife and Mr. Lumley had much more experience in encounter groups than any one else involved in the p.c.t.c..Before, during and after the p.c.t.c. we wrote personality tests that I assume were used to monitor any changes in our personalities. Friends and family members also answered questions about us.

We were paid to participate in the p.c.t.c.. I think R. Bierman received public funding for the p.c.t.c..

R. Bierman's p.c.t.c. involved two public high schools. Any activity that involves a public high school should be open to close public scrutiny.

In 1971 R. Bierman was not registered with the Ontario Board of Examiners in Psychology (OBEP). The OBEP is now called the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO). In 1971 R. Bierman was not a member of the Psychology Faculty at the U. of Waterloo. In 1971 R. Bierman was employed in a Human Relations Unit in the Arts Faculty at the U. of Waterloo. The department R. Bierman was employed in at the U. of Waterloo in 1971 no longer exists. I don't know if R. Bierman, R. Bierman's wife or Mr. Lumley were members of any professional organization for psychologists in 1971.

At the present time most psychologists who are involved with public high schools in Ontario are members of the CPO.

I have filed two complaints with the OBEP regarding R. Bierman's p.c.t.c.. My first complaint was filed in 1991. In 1991 the OBEP did not tell me that R. Bierman was not registered with the OBEP in 1971 during the p.c.t.c.. In 1991 the OBEP considered my complaint against R. Bierman and took no disciplinary action against R. Bierman.

My second complaint about R. Bierman's p.c.t.c. was filed in 2005 with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. In May of 2005 I received a response from the CPO to my second complaint against R. Bierman. The complaints committee at the CPO dismissed my second complaint against R. Bierman for various reasons. The response from the CPO to my second complaint said that R. Bierman was not registered with the OBEP in 1971 during the p.c.t.c.. I didn't know until May of 2005 that R. Bierman was not registered with the OBEP in 1971 during the p.c.t.c..

R. Bierman says his p.c.t.c. was based on Rogerian Facilitative Conditions Theory. Mr. Lumley never explained at any time the psychological theories his p.c.t.c. was based on. We wouldn't have understood the psychological theories very well any way.

At the present time R. Bierman is a psychologist in Toronto.

Most doctors tell people the truth.

The following are some of the fair, appropriate and very important questions I would like answers to:

1) Was R. Bierman's p.c.t.c. approved or scrutinized by any professional group of psychologists, psychiatrists, teachers, parents or medical doctors?

2) Was R. Bierman's p.c.t.c. approved by the Wellington County Board of Education ( now called the Upper Grand District School Board ), the Arts Faculty at the U. of Waterloo, CWDHS, or the Ontario Ministry of Education?

3) Were the methods used by R. Bierman during the p.c.t.c. thoroughly tested and used by other educators to teach similar courses to teenagers?

4) Why did R. Bierman come all the way to Fergus from Waterloo to conduct his p.c.t.c. ? Did the high schools in the Kitchener-Waterloo area want nothing to do with him, his wife or Mr. Lumley ?

5) Who determined that R. Bierman's p.c.t.c. was a good thing for sensitive, intelligent, naive and immature teenagers to be involved in ?

6) What happened to the guidance department at CWDHS ?

7) Do people in Canada have access to freedom of information ?

8) Why was R. Bierman's wife involved with the peer counsellor training course at the University of Waterloo ?

9) What professional qualifications did R. Bierman, R. Bierman's wife and Mr. Lumley have during the p.c.t.c. ?

10) How much experience did R. Bierman, R. Bierman's wife and Mr. Lumley have teaching a course to sensitive, intelligent, naive and immature teenagers ?

11) Are there any documents or records any where regarding R. Bierman's p.c.t.c.? Is there some way I could see copies of those documents regarding R. Bierman's p.c.t.c.? Where are the documents that confirm that Mr. Lumley prepared us for the p.c.t.c. before we went to the University of Waterloo ?

12) Where is Mr. Lumley's " Masters Thesis " ?

13) What rules and regulations were in place in 1971 to protect high school students from people like R. Bierman, R. Bierman's wife and Mr. Lumley?

14) What moral or ethical standards did Bierman follow when he developed his p.c.t.c.?

15) What's the truth about R. Bierman's p.c.t.c.?

CWDHS, Mount Forest High School. the Upper Grand District School Board, the Ontario Ministry of Education and the U. of Waterloo could not help me answer any of my questions regarding R. Bierman's p.c.t.c..The Upper Grand District School Board asked a former principal and teacher at CWDHS some questions about the p.c.t.c. The teacher and principal said that they couldn't remember any details of the p.c.t.c..

R. Bierman has not responded to any letters or emails I have sent him regarding the p.c.t.c.. In May of 2005 I spoke to R. Bierman's wife on the phone. R. Bierman's wife works in his office in Toronto. I had to ask her to let me say something because she kept interrupting me. I said I wanted answers to my fair, appropriate and very important questions regarding the p.c.t.c.. She said that the CPO would answer my questions. After about thirty seconds she hung up the phone on me. R. Bierman doesn't seem to care about a p.c.t.c. that was supposed to teach teenagers how to help other teenagers and children with their personal problems.If R. Bierman is confident that his p.c.t.c. was a good thing for sensitive, intelligent, naive and immature teenagers to be involved in I think he wouldn't hesitate to answer all of my questions.

I am also interested in answers to the following questions:

1) How can I get R. Bierman to answer my questions regarding his peer counsellor training course? A lawyer didn't seem to think there was any legal action I could take to obtain answers to my questions about the p.c.t.c..

2) Why would the OBEP have considered my complaint against R. Bierman in 1991 if R. Bierman was not registered with the OBEP in 1971? The CPO will not tell me why I was not told in 1991 that R. Bierman was not registered with the OBEP in 1971. The CPO will not discuss R. Bierman's p.c.t.c. with me at the present time. I did not appeal the decision made by the CPO regarding R. Bierman's p.c.t.c. in 2005


Mr. Lumley told me he threw out some documents related to the peer counsellor training course.

Question: Is there any evidence (scientific or otherwise) that Bierman's p,c.t.c. was a good thing for teenagers to be involved in?

Answer: There is no evidence (scientific or otherwise) that Bierman's p,c.t.c. was a good thing for teenagers to be involved in.

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The following letter was published in the Fergus - Elora News Express on May 22, 1991. The Fergus-Elora News Express is a small community newspaper published once a week in the Fergus-Elora area in Ontario Canada. The following letter was titled " Participants ":

Participants

To the Editor,

During the summer of 1971 , I was part of a group of 11 high school students from Fergus and Mount Forest who were selected to be trained as peer counsellors at the University of Waterloo.

The course was led by Charles Lumley who was a graduate student with Ralph Bierman at the time. The course was conducted with the co-operation of the guidance department at Centre Wellington District High School. R.Bierman and Mr. Lumley were also involved in other activities with the co-operation of CWDHS.

I have quite often thought of this experience at the University of Waterloo as a psychology experiment that involved naive, immature teenagers.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who was a participant in this psychology experiment or in other similar activities. Thank you for your assistance.