Clinical Psychology Associates Of WI Poor Therapyand High Price Menomonee Falls Wisconsin

Beware !!
My Experience with Clinical Psychology Associates.
About 1 year or so I was referred to CPA and a particular therapist by someone.

When I initially walked into the Building I noticed that it was a very old building and smelled moldy but thought what does that have to do with therapy and proceeded to the office.

The Office was a very poorly insulated office as I could hear actual conversations of therapists and clients when I sat down in reception area but that still didn't bother me much. When Meeting the therapist my initial reaction was that he was a very nice guy and that I would enjoy working with him. We Met and I was very Motivated for Treatment. I wanted to change my negative behaviors and develop some new positive habits. I found out that that he had another fulltime job was a minister for a and did therapy on the side. It did not bother me that he wasn't full time and still thought it would be a good fit. I was told that billing was handled by a person in the office and she would contact me soon about what was covered by insurance and what wasn't. I was asked for a Credit Card right away so it could be filed but decided not to give it at the time. In our first meeting we mainly discussed my childhood and I was given a Treatment Plan to fill out. I was also told to pick up a copy of a Book called The Child Within and begin reading it. I was very motivated like I said before so I picked up the Book and a companion workbook type book to go with it. I read it in about 1 week. I also filled out my treatment plan as best I could and the brief questionnaire that went with it. I have a good friend that is an actual therapist and after I read my Treatment goals to him he said that they were good, initial goals but that they should be further broken down and put into more measurable short term and long term goals. In the Meantime I was contacted by the Billing Lady via email and told that I would have to pay an $800.00 co-pay and sign a contract the next time I came in. Now we move to session 2. I came in and showed him my goals. He immediately said how impressed he was with my goals and that he couldn't have written them any better himself. I accepted the Positive reinforcement well but also remember that my friend had told me they needed to be broken down further. He also had the contract for me to sign concerning the co-pay but told me not to really worry about the money portion and just pay what I can until it was complete. He said that even though it was an agreement to make $200.00 payments for 4 Months it didn't necessarily have to be paid in that time frame. That made me feel better since 200.00 extra a month is not always easy to come up with. Anyway sessions kept happening pretty much on a weekly basis at first and then by-weekly or every 3 weeks thereafter. I had made my first initial 2 payments of 200.00 and then was falling behind slightly. I brought this up and he basically told me not to worry about that and pay when I can. Once again I got I am not worried about the money type statements. Anyway I was going to sessions and the main focus was my childhood and my father in particular. I was ok with this but I really went to therapy to change my negative behaviors. I would bring up of the top of my head something I wanted to work on and was given basic feedback but for the most part it was already stuff I had known that I just wasn't putting into action. I was also complimented for my great insight and ability to analyze myself. As far as Behaviors I was not asked what I was doing or if I applied any of this great insight into changing my behaviors from session to session. I became somewhat leary after I had talked with my friend and he was very frank with me and said that it sounded like I wasn't really making progress from what I was telling him. He said that it sounded like I was going in there and talking so I felt better after the session but it was a very temporary feel better and not really significant in making positive changes. He also said that he was concerned that we were almost exclusively focused on my Childhood and father and that it was letting me off the hook concerning changes that I need to make.
This was near the end of the summer, can't remember exact dates. One thing my friend asked from me was to have the Therapist produce the treatment plan and go through it together. He said that this is common practice within therapy and that he should welcome that. I brought that up and he agreed that we would do it next session when he could access my file. I was ok with that and kept focusing on talking about Childhood, etc.
Two session later! He brought in my original plan. Nothing had been further broken down or anything. It was exactly what I had written. After basically going over this and him complimenting me for all the great work I had done and having him twist everything into my childhood and how it affected me I really started to doubt if I was benefitting from treatment since nothing was really changing. I brought this up to not only my original friend that was a therapist but also a close friend of mine. I wanted to give treatment the benefit of the doubt. My other friend agreed with my friend the therapist about everything basically. He was not necessarily as frank and harsh about it though and told me to pose some serious questions to Tom about where he was taking me and what he was trying to accomplish with me. I posed these questions to him in October and got very vague, nonspecific answers. I realized that this year was now ending and that my new 800.00 co-pay would kick in the beginning of 2009. I now had paid 500 dollars and still owed the balance of 300.00 which I later found out I was being charged interest on.
After more thinking and talking with friends I decided that the cost of therapy was so much greater than the benefit of talking I was receiving. To be charged whether it's me or my insurance 150.00 for a 45 minute session and basically keep talking about childhood and not myself was a total waste of money. I decided to pursue other avenues for self improvement which by the way are working much better as I can clearly see Measurable progress and my goals are well defined and broken down. Anyway, I received a call from him about 1 week after I left him the message that I was ending therapy and that he could forward my bills to my address. He told me that he thought I needed to find normalcy and thought that I should take a break from therapy until after the holidays. He said that I had done a lot of hard work and needed a break. He said that instead of quitting I should place everything on hold and rethink this and that he would get back to me at the beginning of 2009 and not to worry about anything. I took this as I would worry about my bill after he contacted me and I had decided either way. I felt confused. Part of me wanted to believe what he was telling me and that I was making progress and needed time off. I stopped receiving bills from CPA during this period also and thought everything was ok. My friend was even more leary that a therapist would say take a break during the holidays and not see me . Holidays can be very difficult for people that are trying to deal with what I was. He also reiterated that I wasn't getting anywhere and should just end things. I thought waiting until after the holidays wouldn't hurt anything so I decided that I would wait for him to call me and tell him what I decided. November, December and January went by with no contact from him. February he finally sent me this email:
Hi Frank

I apologize for being late in touching base with you. I know we agreed to connect after Christmas, and I guess in a legalistic sense, it is still after Christmas, but this is WAY late.

Anyway, I just wanted to drop a line to see how things are. As I recall you were making a number of significant changes in your life and I suggested you take some time to establish a new kind of normal so that you don't end up reverting to the way things were in the past.

I hope you're well. I hope the fish are well too!

Give me a shout if you want to schedule something.

Thanks

Notice the word legalistic.
Within 10 days of this email I received a threatening letter from CPA concerning the balance that I owed which was now 346.00 because of interest. I had not yet even responded to his email. I was shocked at the content and wording of the letter. It basically said that they have made numerous attempts to collect what I owed and I ignored them. This wasn't true. It also boasted that if I didn't pay them that they would have no choice but to take me to small claims court and that they have never lost a case. It was a very nasty letter. One that I wouldn't wish anyone to receive. Not even from a collections Agency.

I felt that this was especially inappropriate to send to a client seeking therapy. I feel fortunate that I wasn't severely depressed or in a bad state of mind at the time. No telling what I might have done. I would not recommended CPA to my worst enemy.

Skepticalsammy
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
U.S.A.