After 27 years of very mostly good marriage my husband and I began to realize that our methods of communication were not working for us. He's passive aggressive and I can be, well ... aggressive. The impetus for us seeking counseling was my husband breaking my trust - and I was very hurt. I made a joint counseling session but my husband had a work conflict so he couldn't attend, so I went myself. The appointment with Nadine was very bizarre. I was upset and wanted to talk -- but apparently she did too because she talked at me the majority of the appointment (about her own husband, her daughter, her own health issues, cost of therapy, another patient she treated who was dying/died of cancer). She basically convinced me that my husband was a fast talking salesman who was probably having an affair. She said she wanted to meet him individually to give him a chance to "shmooz" her. I told her he is a great guy and she would like him but she had made up her mind. She developed a ton of hypotheticals that she thought were going on in our marriage -- most of which were totally NOT on point; but that's not a surprise since she didn't really give me a chance to talk and in fact stopped me several times. I told her that I don't want to be the type of wife that has to check my husbands social media accounts and she told me that I have an "absolute responsibility" to check them. Not the point, I want to develop trust, not be a detective in my own marriage. At the end of the 45 minute session she said, "Was that helpful?" I told her yes, but honestly I was totally confused and upset when I left.
My husband then had his individual session. She met with him for an hour and 15 minutes (according to him) and asked him about his entire childhood. She asked him what he liked and didn't like about me. She asked him what we like to do together (she didn't ask me any of those questions) and when he mentioned that he likes "Jam bands" and I don't, she said to him, "Well maybe she should like your music." I was floored by that comment. We listen to a lot of music that we both like and I think it's crazy to think that two people would always love the same thing. I respect his love of jam bands, and he respects my love of show tunes -- which I don't expect him to listen to. Anyhow, he felt listened to during his session so I had high hopes that I would feel the same way after my second session with her.
So, my second session started with what felt like an immediate attack. She started by TELLING my that my approach with talking to my husband is bad and that if I want him to talk to me I need to change my approach. I told her I want to learn to respond so that he CAN be honest and she said, "can you handle that? Be careful for what you ask for." I acknowledge that I need to work on this, but it would be helpful to be listened to and validated BEFORE what felt like victim shaming. At one point I told her that in the midst of our troubles he left me in a parking lot for 45 minutes while he went into a bar with a woman I don't trust. She said to me, "Well why didn't you go? It was 3 to 2, majority rules." She then said, "You should have put your arm around him, gone into the bar and danced with him like you were the lie of the party. You need to claim your man." WHAT??? I was floored by her antiquated views on marriage. My husband will tell you that I VERY FREQUENTLY go with him to places I don't want to go because I want to make him happy and for Nadine to suggest that I should just suck it up was completely offensive. She then went on to tell me that since my husband grew up in foster care he probably didn't want children. I told her that he is a great father and was the one who wanted kids. She said, "He probably just told you that." Okay, our kids are 26 and 32 so isn't that water under the bridge. Ugh. She ended our session by saying, "Your husband is going to like me a lot more than you are through this process" and that her style is to "hit you with a 2x4." I guess I don't feel like being beat up at this particular moment. Anyhow, I left her office in tears and I can't tell you how frustrated I was at her method of guessing what our problems are (and mostly incorrectly) without taking the time to hear the full story. She had clearly taken a side after 1 conversation with my husband and determined that I was the problem. Shouldn't a therapist know that BOTH people in a marriage bear blame when things break down?
Anyhow, I don't often leave reviews because everyone's opinions about services are different, I felt compelled to share my experience in hopes of sparing someone else the trauma of a horrible experience with a therapist who would rather hear herself talk than listen.
by Jill P
xxx.xxx.131.2
November 11, 2019