Reviews of Clinique de Psychologie du Couple (Psychologist)

Bruno-Pierre L.

(Translated) 5 out of 5 for me. 9-month consultations with Jessika. Very cool clinic, I recommend it to everyone! (Original) 5 sur 5 pour moi. Consultations sur 9 mois avec Jessika. Clinique très cool, je recommande à tous!

Shannon Lise

Very disappointed with my first (and last) session with Melanie Dixon. She made me feel like she was only interested in money. I’ve never left an online review about anything before, but I don’t want other people to have the same experience I did. During our initial telephone call, I was uncomfortable with how, even before we’d had a chance to establish a connection, she immediately brought up money (how much she charged, what kinds of payment methods she accepted, how payments must be made before the session, etc.). But I told myself it probably is important to have clear expectations from the beginning; maybe she’s had issues with that before. So I went ahead and made my first appointment. During our first session, I started by sharing some of the reasons that brought me to therapy, which naturally involved a certain vulnerability. However, when I was finished, instead of acknowledging and respecting that vulnerability, Melanie almost immediately directed the conversation towards financial obligation and commitment, explaining that sessions would be weekly, with no exceptions, and if for any reason I couldn’t attend a session, I would need to pay for it, even if I let her know in advance. She didn't seem interested in expending any energy to know more about me or my situation until she knew I would be a reliable source of weekly income. Not exactly the best way to build a therapeutic alliance. (Btw, payment isn't a problem for me – I’ve never made a late payment in my life. And I paid Melanie before our session began, so it wasn’t as if she had any reason to think I might have issues paying on time or anything). I explained that I felt I needed a little more flexibility, considering that I do have quite a busy schedule (as a full-time student who is also 5 months pregnant). I would be happy to start with weekly sessions, and certainly willing to pay for any last-minute cancellations, but I would also be interested in an option to eventually have bi-weekly sessions and I do feel that if I notify my therapist well in advance that I can’t make a session for some reason (doctor’s appointment, etc., (did I mention I’m pregnant?)), I shouldn’t necessarily have to pay for that. I also asked about what would happen when I was absent this summer on vacation for several weeks; surely she wouldn’t charge me for those weeks, too? Instead of acknowledging my concerns and trying to work with me to find a solution, she simply said there won’t be any exceptions and suggested I might not be ready for therapy, because she interpreted my preference for flexibility as ambivalence or fear. As this is our first meeting and she hasn’t taken much time to get to know me, I can’t say I appreciate her jumping to that conclusion (which I really don’t feel is accurate). I should mention that she did specify that if we had to cancel a session because she couldn’t make it, (because, in her words, “life happens”, and it’s always possible that something might come up preventing her from being there) then I wouldn’t have to pay for that session. She said this as if it were a concession, as if it were very charitable of her to not make me pay for sessions she cancelled. The absurdity is comic. At this point I was pretty sure this wasn’t going to be a good fit for me, but I thought I would ask if she could tell me a little bit about the kind of work she does and what it would look like (thus far, all she’d said about it was something vague about accessing the unconscious). However, she wouldn’t provide anymore information and said the fact that I needed to know more probably meant it wasn’t going to be a good fit. I felt like she was trying to get rid of me. Needless to say, I won’t be going back. Her attitude was very hurtful and the whole interaction made me quite anxious and discouraged. It’s hard enough taking that first step to get help, and it takes a lot of courage. So it’s incredibly discouraging when our vulnerability is met not with the appropriate understanding, empathy and accommodation but with a dismissive, condescending response.

Edith McRae

(Translated) I propose to refrain from reading the negative message implicating Mélanie Dixon, because she is no longer part of the clinic. She must have been a supervised student at the time. It is therefore no longer relevant even if it is very relevant as an opinion! I will come back to you after my first consultation in couples therapy;) (Original) Je propose de s'abstenir de lire le message négatif mettant en cause Mélanie Dixon, car elle ne fait plus partie de la clinique. Elle devait être une étudiante sous supervision à ce moment. Ce n'est donc plus d'actualité même si c'est très pertinent comme avis ! Je vous reviendrai après ma première consultation en thérapie de couple ;)