During our second visit, while I was speaking with the receptionist, my child was standing next to…read moreme at the front desk.
There were business cards displayed on the desk within reach. My child picked up one stack and was simply holding and moving the cards from one hand to another. The receptionist addressed my child in a noticeably rude tone and said, "Put those cards back."
I responded that my child had done nothing harmful to the cards. She repeated herself in an even harsher manner and stated that the cards were not meant to be played with and that my child had to put them back.
I took the cards and showed that they were not bent, damaged, written on, or torn -- my child had simply been holding them.
At that point, one of the doctors joined the conversation. He introduced himself as being in charge of the clinic and spoke in what I considered to be a nasty, aggressive, and disrespectful tone.
During the conversation, I told him that this was not an appropriate way to speak to people and that, as a psychologist, he should know how to communicate with people.
His response was, "Yes, and as a psychologist, I see what stands in front of me," which I found deeply disrespectful and dehumanizing.
Another issue that was brought up during this argument involved a small table in the waiting area.
During a previous visit, my child stepped on the lower support piece underneath the table and it broke.
At our next visit, the staff mentioned it to me. I apologized, and nothing further was said about it, so I believed the situation had been resolved.
However, during this disagreement, the doctor brought it up again and said that we had broken their table. I reminded him that this had already been discussed.
Since the table appeared old and the paint was visibly chipped and worn, I offered to replace it with a similar new table that I estimated would cost around $50. However, he stated that I owed him $200 for it.
The broken piece was not the table itself but a lower support piece that did not affect its functionality. What surprised me was that an issue I believed had already been resolved was brought back up during an unrelated conflict.
He then stated that clients like us were not welcome and asked us to leave the clinic.
I told them that we also would not continue visiting a place where staff raise their voices at children and treat families disrespectfully. I asked to cancel all future appointments and prepared to leave.
However, the interaction continued. The doctor remained angry, continued raising his voice, and followed us as we were leaving the clinic.
At that point, I said that I would leave a review about this clinic because people deserve to know how clients are treated here.
His response was that if I did that, he would sue me.
I asked what legal grounds there would be for that -- because my child touched business cards that were left openly accessible and were not damaged in any way?
In my opinion, a mental health clinic that works with children should demonstrate patience, emotional regulation, and respectful communication.
In my experience, the staff's behavior toward my child and toward me was dismissive, confrontational, and inconsistent with the supportive environment I expected from a children's psychological and psychiatric practice.
Parents deserve to know about experiences like this before choosing where to seek help for their children.
