Albizu University Miami Campus

"With the rising interest in mental health, and the shortage of mental health professionals, it's very likely that a lot of idealistic people will seek a profession in psychology—please, please, don't seek it in Albizu University. Many years ago I went to Albizu to become a psychologist, to become a source of healing, especially to my hispanic community. My experience at Albizu ruined my life instead: left me with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, and without the opportunity to seek my education anywhere else after they exhausted all my available funds. They failed to help me with a tested and documented learning disability that made it very hard to pass one particular course. I had experienced this learning disability as an undergrad in Nova Southeastern University, but there, they helped with tutoring and accommodations that helped me, not only overcome the disability, but passed the course with an A. To this day this experience stands as one of the proudest moments of my life, thanks to the assistance of the great people at Nova. In contrast, Albizus response to my request for help was to encourage me to take the course that I struggled with 4 times—at a cost of over $2,000 per time—and when my federal loan money was all spent, they discarded me. Discarded me in spite of having completed all my courses, having passed all my qualifying exams, and being actively working on my doctoral dissertation. Even when I have fought to manifest my vocation as a healer, creating a center to help people with mental illness and addiction, the scars of trauma and losses resulting from my experience in Albizu continue to hurt to this day. How could it not? I invested, my whole self in the pursuit of my vocation: I struggled for over 10 years, sacrificing precious time with loved ones that I will never get back, sacrificed earning more than a meager income that sustained me as I pursued my dream, sacrificed my future financial security getting into debt to finance my calling, and be of service to many as a psychologist in the course of my life. But, worst of all, I live with the scar of being betrayed, and discarded by the school that I trusted to educate me, to train me, and help me succeed. Instead, leaving me broke, with no means to get an education anywhere else, and a huge debt that still haunts me. This is the first time that I share this, after many years. So, why now? Because mental health treatment has never being more important. And, it has never been so crucial that the people seeking to be healers are trained, educated, and nurtured, not exploited. So, it is my professional, ethical and personal duty to help you in the process of seeking your education and your dreams. To warn you not to give your trust, precious time, and resources to an institution that will not nurture your calling, and not support you, especially in your worst times. Your entire future can be determined by this decision. You have my respect and support in becoming a healer in our beloved and noble profession."