It has come to the attention of the IPA that there are individuals in the province who claim to have qualifications, credentials, diplomas or certificates in Parapsychology. It is believed that these individuals may be using these claims to gain access to private residences, public buildings or places of employment. The IPA would like to make an appeal and put out a warning to the public in order to advise individuals to be vigilant as to whom you allow access to your home, family or business.These diplomas/certificates are not recognised qualifications in parapsychology and in most cases are purchased via the internet with no formal training involved. In a small number of cases, individuals may take a series of short lessons over the internet or from home to gain these endorsements. We would like to stress that these ‘qualifications’, which are not recognised Parapsychology qualifications, can be obtained very easily by virtually anyone with a credit card and an internet connection. We would appeal to the public not to allow individuals into your homes who claim to have these qualifications as they are being used as a short cut for people lacking experience in paranormal investigation in order to gain access into your home or place of business.
In order to become a "professional, academic parapsychologist" it is necessary to have both undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in Psychology. It is not possible to get a degree in Parapsychology. Many parapsychologists obtain their first degree, a Bachelor of Science or B.Sc. in Psychology often followed by a Masters of Science or M.Sc. in Psychology, which is then followed by a Doctorate in Psychology or a Ph.D before moving to specialise in Parapsychology. Diplomas, Certificates or any other credentials purchased on the internet or achieved upon the completion of short courses or home study ventures are not academic credentials to substantiate the claim of being qualified in parapsychology and any individual claiming to have these credentials should not be allowed admittance into your homes or premises.
After much discussion, we have taken the recent decision to step back from private home investigations as we feel we can be of limited assistance in resolving these cases. Occasionally with pyschological issues contributing, we feel a moral and professional responsibility to ensure these cases are dealt with by the correct people. We will be spending much more time on research, experimentation and investigating claims of paranormal ability.