The Cambridge Psychotherapy Institute (CPI) was founded in 1973 by Peter Gill to train therapists according to Gill’s distinct philosophy. The organization, which initially had about 80 members, was first based in Gill’s home in Newton, Massachusetts, later relocating to the town of Marblehead.
Gill started his career as a school psychologist in Newton from 1955 to 1964. He also conducted group therapy at Walpole State Prison and counseled alcoholics at Massachusetts General Hospital. Despite a Harvard and Boston University education, Gill often described himself as the “black sheep” of his family, many of whom were prominent mental health professionals.
In 1983, a former patient filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Psychologists alleging that Gill’s treatment of his wife had led to the dissolution of their marriage. He also accused Gill of breaching confidentiality, exerting undue influence, and maintaining dual relationships with patients who were also therapists at the institute.
The complaint initiated proceedings to revoke Gill’s license, and the former patient also filed a malpractice lawsuit. In 1984, the American Psychological Association voted to expel Gill, who responded by resigning his membership. On July 16, 1985, Gill voluntarily resigned his license, asserting that this action placed him outside the board’s jurisdiction.
Both the board and the American Psychological Association refused to accept his resignation, arguing that a practitioner under investigation could not simply resign. Following a 1985 ruling by a magistrate who found insufficient evidence to support the charges, Gill physically tore up his license.
After a three-year effort, the Board of Registration of Psychologists eventually dropped its case and accepted Gill’s resignation “with prejudice,” which meant it was a final resolution without an admission of the allegations. Gill, however, maintained that the charges were not based on merit but were a result of a “clubbish” psychological establishment trying to maintain a monopoly.
The CPI’s methods, which include a “lifetime engagement” in therapy, depart significantly from conventional practice. The institute promotes a “total way of life” centered on atheism and the rejection of supernatural concepts. It emphasizes a scientific approach to understanding human existence.
These beliefs are intertwined with the tenets of the Society of Natural Science, a religion Gill registered in 1985. The society’s philosophy holds that the scientific process is the only reliable method for finding truth and that “Mother Nature is God.” It also posits that free will is nonexistent and that human behavior is learned.
The close link between the institute’s therapy and the society’s beliefs has led to accusations that the CPI operates as a cult. Critics argue that Gill’s approach fosters indefinite dependence on the community rather than promoting a client’s reintegration into society. Some of the Institute’s practitioners, who are not licensed mental health professionals, do not explicitly mention their affiliation in their professional advertisements.
Gill, who moved to Marblehead in 1990, continued to practice without a license. He argued that since there was no law at the time requiring psychotherapists to be licensed in Massachusetts, he was not breaking any rules. Gill maintained that a therapist should be accountable to a judge and jury, not a regulatory board. He concluded that he was a “rebel” and a “maverick” whose followers were “way out in front” of the mainstream establishment.
Key Sources:
Anderson, H. (1995, May 28). Peter Gill: A Persecuted Pioneer? The North Shore Sunday.
Foreman, J. (1985, September 15). Board Takes Step Toward Revoking Psychologist’s License. The Boston Globe.
Wooton, K. (1987, February 22). Institute’s Brand of Counseling: Therapy, Religion or Both? The Marblehead Reporter.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 