These people are dangerous, and I have not come to that conclusion lightly. What they've done is…read moreso serious that I will post a part 2 and possibly a part 3 under new accounts that I'll create specifically for this purpose in order to finish the review.
I started seeing a counselor in 2016 after having gone through multiple versions of every life change one could have...loss of both parents within a short amount of time, multiple moves, a break-up with a long-time boyfriend, job losses, etc. It was a cascade of crap, and I found myself thrust into a midlife crisis I didn't want.
Part 1 - Therapist 1 - Feel free to request the therapist's name
I was attempting to heal from that when my therapist's girlfriend became her boyfriend. He started taking testosterone, which didn't bode well for me. I'm non-binary transmasculine and WAS a singer as is/was my therapist. I never wanted to take testosterone. It was even stated in my initial letters for top surgery that I did not and was not going to take it.
However, my therapist kept pushing it every couple of sessions, saying that it really improved her boyfriend's mood, that it would improve mine, and that it might even lift the depression from which I was suffering altogether.
Eventually, I succumbed to the pressure and aside from not wanting the changes associated with it, I lost my singing voice. It was destroyed. And no, I can't just sing lower. I had to leave behind all the groups in which I participated, the solos, karaoke. I lost my main and most important coping mechanism and went from a source of joy to one of frustration and pain.
You don't have to like trans people, believe in it, etc., but regardless of those beliefs, no therapist should have been suggesting hormones in general, especially one I explicitly said I didn't want and was concerned would ruin my voice.
She also wasn't connecting with me in the sense that when I couldn't get through to her regarding how or who I was as a person, I'd send short clips of characters from shows that I felt represented me. But she wasn't receptive, wasn't getting it.
I'm neurodiverse, and it has been suggested to me by several people who have worked with people on the spectrum that I get checked. When I brought it up to the therapist, she said I couldn't possibly be on the spectrum because I displayed empathy on several occasions. Neurodiversity covers a wide range of things, but anyone on the spectrum or who experienced difficulty getting diagnosed knows how utterly ridiculous and maddening it is to have someone say it's not possible because you display empathy.
Also, since I could make her laugh with my traumatic stories, my trauma was brushed off and in most cases, completely discounted. After pseudo-confronting her about it, she said that I PROBABLY suffered some trauma but she didn't have the DSM in front of her. After all my stories and two years of meeting, she needed that book to determine whether or not I was suffering from the effects of trauma or even had it at all? REALLY?
The tipping point was when an incident occurred with Dr. Choi (see my review) at the Center. She knew he and I didn't get along to the point where I asked her to attend or drop in during my meetings with him in the hopes that he would behave. After the actions detailed in my review, I felt that my therapist should have stood up for me in some way regarding him and his behavior towards me. But she wouldn't. She said that she didn't want to make a fuss because it wouldn't do anything, etc. because it was his last week...well wouldn't do anything except show that she cared and didn't think I should have been treated that way.
I mean I seriously gave this a chance to the extent that I was still on the fence when I met who was to become my new therapist. I was at the Center late one night. She was there, and we ended up talking for a while.
She initially started as a researcher who would occasionally provide resources for me. But I expressed an interest in her becoming my therapist. My original therapist initially made it sound as if it was going to be very difficult to switch but then said it was as simple as a name change on a form.
So now I have a new therapist. But though I wasn't aware at the time, this was just the beginning.
More to come...MUCH more and none of it is good.
The sad part is that once finished, despite everything, I will still have afforded a level of care and protection that wasn't but should have been afforded to me.
If someone knows how to file a formal complaint against the Center due to grossly mishandled situations and a grossly mishandled dismissal that shouldn't have occurred and was done with a profound lack of care and consideration, please message me as I've been left with no other options. I've tried numerous times with numerous people to be amicable, reasonable, logical, etc., but nothing has worked. Any help/information/guidance would be appreciated.