Luckily, I only saw Don for a couple of weeks back in September of 2019, before finding my current…read moretherapist. I was referred to him after a hospital stay because I had tried to overdose on Benadryl. I've struggled with Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety, and possibly P.T.S.D. for 13 years. I've had 6 other therapists throughout my life now, I had somewhat similar problems with 3 of them, had to leave 2 of them for insurance reasons, and the other 1 is my current therapist. I never did call Don out, but I wish I had. Here's how our first session went. Don: "Why did you try to kill yourself?" Me: "I said horrible things to my mom and then didn't feel guilty about it." Don: "Well, is it ever ok to say horrible things to your mom, or your grandfather, or anyone?" Me: "No, but I don't care" Don: "Why don't you care?" Me: "I don't know... maybe because it's true." Don:(laughing) "Well that doesn't matter! If your mom asked you if she looked fat what would you say?" Me: (looking at him like he was the nutcase because I kinda still think he might be) "No?" Don: "See, it doesn't matter if it's true." Me:(clenching my teeth) "I know. I don't care." Don: "Well...what did you say?" Me:(thinking he should have asked that instead of going right from asking why I tried to KILL MYSELF to trying to make me feel guilty without knowing any details) "I told her I hated her, that I never should have trusted her to teach me how to drive, and she whined about me saying that in a graveyard, so I said go ahead and die." After that, he tried to help me work out how I could move so that I didn't have to deal with my mom. I guess opinions tend to change when you actually listen to what someone has to say. He also said he thought drinking more water would help with my back and stomach pain as if he thought I was too stupid to have previously tried such an obvious solution in the 13 years I've been dealing with those issues. The book he recommended, The Power Of Now, is unscientific and offensive. Here is a particularly stupid quote from it. "Have you ever seen an unhappy flower or a stressed oak tree? Have you come across a depressed dolphin, a frog that has a problem with self-esteem, a cat that cannot relax, or a bird that carries hatred or resentment?" First of all, trees and flowers don't have brains. Secondly, I absolutely have seen anxious and resentful birds and cats, and I probably would have seen all those other animals having psychological problems too if I saw those animals on a regular basis. Among many other terrible things, the book also has an unusual religious message, lumps antidepressants prescribed by a doctor in with illegal hard substances, and engages in victim-blaming when it comes to physically abusive relationships.

As a fellow psychologist, I believe BHC is the best choice for mental health services in Madison…read more Their ownership team leads with integrity, and they've built a clinical team that truly prioritizes quality of care.