Reviews of The Downtown Psychology Clinic (Psychologist)

Anna Karimian

I contacted The Downtown Psychology Clinic to schedule an appointment with a psychologist. Dr. Walker called my phone to get an initial sense of why I was looking to receive psychological services from her office. At the time, she advised that it may be a month before I see either her or her colleague but that she would be in touch within a week to schedule a first appointment. Two weeks later, I had not yet heard anything from Dr. Walker. Within this time period, I had a very difficult episode and urgently needed to see someone. I reached out to Dr. Walker by email to inquire if she had a sense of when I may be able to come in to see either her or Dr. Lazar for a first appointment. I explained the situation and I also asked if she could please let me know if there were any cancellations in the coming weeks. Dr. Walker responded very bluntly. She did not tell me when the next available appointment would be (even though she had promised to do so within a week during our initial phone consultation). She didn't even address my question about cancellations. She simply gave me the name of three other clinics to go to instead. I sent a follow up email thanking her for the information and asked if she had a rough idea of when her or Dr. Lazar would have time to see me, as I still would like to go with them if I could. She never responded. While I am not one to leave reviews, and I clearly never received psychological services from this clinic, I felt the need to advise people of my initial experience here. Being in such a vulnerable state, Dr. Walker's response (or lack thereof) triggered my episode even further. I clearly communicated to her what I was going through and instead of directly responding to my questions, she chose to either dismiss them or ignore them completely. I was not upset that she sent three other referrals. I was more upset by the fact that she 1) did not contact me within a week to schedule an appointment; 2) did not advise, when I followed up with her, when I could expect the initial appointment to be (even if to tell me it wouldn't be until next month); 3) did not even bother to answer my question about a potential cancellation; and 4) ignored my last email completely. I was incredibly disappointed, given the fact that she is a psychologist, and I felt that she should have a better understanding of what this kind of treatment could do to a potential patient who is just looking to get some help. I was also delayed in getting the treatment I desperately needed for several weeks (and at a time when I was incredibly triggered) because I was waiting to hear back from her about availability. While I managed to find someone else to take me last minute, Dr. Walker lacked the kind of basic professionalism and empathy one would expect to receive from an individual working in her profession.

laurellielee

Great Clinic! The staff are helpful and welcoming.

Steve

My experience with the Downtown Clinic exceeded my expectations, especially during COVID and virtual visits. In my experience, they gave a detailed assessment and paired me with a psychologist that best suits my needs. They were accurate and connected me with an excellent psychologist. I wish my insurance would cover more visits.