Cynthia Henrie, LMFT, LA Therapy Network Dishonest. I requested a 1/2hr free consult & she charged me for a session after going over time even though she was the one who could see the clock, not me. Los Angeles California

Upon arriving to my free consult with Cynthia I clearly expressed that I only wanted the 1/2hr free consult, not a full hour consultation for $50, as I'd rather have that money go towards an actual therapy session. I asked her to confirm my request and she said "why don't we talk first?" Given I had already expressed my clear request, I went ahead with the initial conversation. The clock was in front of her (behind me) so I couldn't see it, only she could. At 20min I happened to turn around to the wall behind me and I reminded her that I wanted to stop the consultation at 1/2hr and she said "yeah, I know you have to go soon." 

We continued with the consultation thinking she's keeping track of time, since I can't. She asked me about my past but spent most of the consult going on and on about how one of the therapists in her network (including her) could or couldn't be a fit for me and why. Eventually I looked at the clock again and we were 50min into our consultation. We actually went over such that by the time I left it was 10min past the hour and her next patient was waiting outside. I figured that she had been generous in helping me find the right therapist. The next day I found a $50 charge to my credit card for from her. WTF! 

I wrote a review about her on her yelp page in Los Angeles. Below is Cynthia's response of my review of her. She acknowledges that I only wanted 1/2hr and claims that she doesn't know why we went over. No where does she take responsibility for going over my request for a 1/2hr initial consult, after I repeatedly requested this so that I wouldn't have to pay $50 for an hour of her telling me which therapist in her network (including her) would or wouldn't be a match for me. What a dishonest, unprofessionaly therapist. 

"Hi, I read your Yelp review. I am sorry you had such a bad experience. I wanted to respond to you. In therapy, there is a concept of holding the frame, which means you maintain consistent boundaries of the time, fees, rules around therapy. In a consult, the purpose is first to find out more the reason someone is seeking therapy, then to determine whether you as a therapist possess the appropriate knowledge and skills to help someone, and then to inform them of how you may be able to help them. 

In addition to go over the boundaries of therapy if someone is going to start treatment. I am not sure why we went over the 30 mins if you only wanted the 30 min consult. I usually don't do 30 min consults because it just isn't enough time and I figure most people want the time to tell their story and hear if I can help them.... I was surprised to hear that things went how they did and that it caused distrust. I am glad you wrote something so I myself know the feedback. I wanted to reach out to explain a little bit, to explain that you were charged because I would have been holding the policy, which is important to beginning any therapy, and to apologize for it being a bad experience! I hope you found the therapist who was right for you! Cindie"