My experiences as a client working with intern counselors from City U, in Vancouver, have been mixed
The two that I worked with were a good fit for myself and the intern counselor.
I worked with both counselors for about 3 months each.
For both me and the counselor the professional therapeutic relationship was clearly communicated, and felt, to be very healthy and going along well.
Although what shockingly happened from the last intern I worked with was has traumatized me badly.
The last intern I worked with for ~ 3 months, named Karen Brodie, was very familiar with my trauma history and with the disturbing behaviours of counselors I've worked within the past and understands my damaged level of trust.
everything was well and productively for the 11 sessions with Karen, although she became very hesitant and defensive when I asked about the name and contact information of her supervisor.
It is a requirement of interns at City U to provide that info to clients.
I continued to ask Karen to provide me with that information and she became visibly defensive and failed to provide the information for over 4 sessions.
Finally she emailed me her supervisors name and contact info in mid January this year.
The series of disturbing events that happened next is what has actually not only hurt me but caused me painful harm.
Out of the blue, and very inappropriately I received a phone call from an unknown number on January 22nd ( a scheduled counseling apt date )
I didn't answer
The same number called less than 2 minutes later.
It seemed urgent, and I had recently applied for a few apartments so I answered it.
It was karen's voice on the other end and she sounded Very anxious.
It is Very inappropriate of a counselor to call a client without the clients permission.
I was quite jarred and shocked to hear karen state very anxiously that she can no longer work with me as ' it was out of the scope of her practice '
I made a comment about her not providing me the name and contact information of her supervisor and that this had harmed my trust in her and hung up before I became more upset.
There was authentically zero communication or even sense or vibe of my needs as a client being ' out of the scope of her practice ' whatsoever over the 11 sessions.
I am certainly aware of the level of training of each city u counselor ( they are working on their master's degrees in city u counseling. )
Empirically speaking, I feel strongly and sense the real reason why karen decided to stop sessions with me is that she had become very defensive about my inquiry to her supervisor's name and contact information.
I see and experienced that karen has prior issues of being reprimanded in working with intern clients.
I reached out to her supervisor, whom I requested to email, and not call, me to set up a time to talk on the phone.
Instead, and very upsetting to me, her supervisor - judith pratt - called me at 9 am on a Saturday morning only to leave an over 7-minute long voicemail which sounded like she was mumbling and whining to herself.
So I emailed the director of city u, and karen, to ask ( once again ) that judith does not call me randomly and rather that she emails me to set up a time to talk.
Instead, she called again the next Saturday morning to leave another inappropriate long incoherent voicemail.
I asked all city u stiff that the director only emails me.
the stiff member, jacquline mann, called me randomly, she sounded empathetic and agreed to my needs and she agreed to email me to arrange a phone call with me.
Instead, over a week later I received a very cold email from her with a ' summary '
Most upsetting is the many aggressive and demanding behaviours and communication patterns of the City U of Vancouver stiff member named
'' dr. ' steven con away ''
During and after my last course with the 1st intern, and with karen - he left me several very aggressive, and threatening emails.
I am more than hurt, I am harmed, and very disrespected, by these series of inappropriate ill communication and misconduct from city u intern and stiff members.