Warning: My experience with The Sterling Group in March 2025 consisted of misleading claims and unprofessional conduct that borders on an ethics breach.
I saw this practice's name as one of the few providers in DC of in-person group therapy which I was looking for, so I scheduled a consultation call. I was called by the leader of the group, Shelby Allen, LSGW who asked me some questions about what I am looking for, said that it sounds like I would be a great fit for the group and could benefit greatly from it, and then told me I could not join because the group was full. I was disappointed as this seemed like something to bring up before wasting my time but I was somewhat pleased that Shelby suggested I do personal therapy with her until finding a group, even though I was specifically looking for a group, that seemed like a reasonable compromise for what seemed like misleading and unprofessional communication regarding the group.
During my individual intake session at the office, I was asked all the basic questions about what I was looking for and I said that if I was going to do individual instead of group, I would prefer something other than cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). She said that she and the practice typically do CBT and I responded that I had not done one-on-one talk therapy in a while and would be willing to try it out and go from there. She then encouraged me to talk about my reasons for seeking therapy, i.e. my trauma, my insecurities, and even - in her words, my "experiences with grief and losing loved ones" which she explicitly asked me to share. Towards the end of the session, she told me that she would not be able to offer me therapy because it was "not a good fit."
Feeling gut-punched, I asked why it wasn't a good fit and she said because of two things I mentioned AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SESSION: That I had a preference for methods besides CBT and that I had been diagnosed with OCD. If that was the case, then it is grossly unprofessional at best and a breach of ethics at worse that she encouraged me to share some of my most sensitive and personal, private information under false pretenses. I never would have shared most of what I did with her if I had known what she knew; that we would not be working together in therapy. My experience was grossly unprofessional at best, and an ethics breach, predatory negligence at worst. read more