FairSky Ferndale

"FairSky was the most toxic work place I have ever worked. I was terminated by the Executive Director for “incompetence” after 2 years. Anyone that worked with me at FairSky knows this is untrue. The Executive Director passed responsibilities that should have been handled by him as the ED often. There is also a high level of favoritism in the organization and that seems to get you far in the organization with certain benefits. This organization has been poorly run since the beginning with complete chaos. To be honest I am so glad I no longer work for this organization."

"It depends who you see ofc, but i was connected to new therapist Daniel Vissel and overall it’s easily been one of the best therapy experiences I’ve ever had. I’m incredibly thankful that Fairsky has made therapy so monetarily accessible for me. Daniel is exceedingly professional, thoughtful and educational. I for can one highly recommend both him and Fairsky :)"

"This is going to be long so strap in. I initially thought FairSky was a godsend. Drew was warm and comforting, and they worked to find a clinician that fit my needs. I was matched with a therapist named Spencer. We had an initial zoom call to familiarize ourselves, and hit it off. Spencer and I both agreed we were a good fit. The only downside was that I would have to wait two months for my appointment as they had no openings. We agreed on a date but not a time. Spencer said they'd would reach out with a time as the date approached. The relief I felt knowing that I’d found a therapist was unbelievable. I wrote the date on my calendar, and for the next two months, each time I felt depressed or anxious, I soothed myself with the knowledge that I’d be seeing a therapist soon. As the date approached, I realized that I had not heard from Spencer regarding a time for our session, so I reached out via email with a simple inquiry. I got no response. The next day I called the office and left a voicemail. No response. This triggered a wave of anxiety that she had either A. forgotten or B. didn’t care. I called the office again and Drew assured me that this was a fluke and said that Spencer was usually more responsive. I finally heard from Spencer the afternoon before we were scheduled to meet. Her tone was formal and she didn't acknowledge the lapse in communication. She said she had a meeting the following day and would not be able to meet with me. They offered three possible dates to reschedule, I chose one, thanking them for their time, and she said she'd email me a confirmation. Two days passed and there was no confirmation. Normally I’d think nothing of this (therapists have lives). But after two months of waiting and the anxiety I was feeling about the entire situation, I sent Spencer another email. I told them that the lack of communication was triggering some anxiety that my care wasn’t a priority for her. I explained that this type of anxiety is the reason I'm seeking therapy in the first place and asked for better communication. Spencer responded by curtly telling me to refer to their 48 hour email policy. There was again no acknowledgement that she’d dropped the ball on communicating. She also failed to acknowledge the fears I’d expressed in my email or reassure me that my care was important to her. I was hurt and felt that vulnerability was being treated like an annoyance. Also, I was waiting on an email confirmation from her! For more than 48 hours! Her response made no sense. Here we are a week later and my long awaited appointment is supposed to be tomorrow. However, today, less than 24 hours before, Spencer sent me an email canceling altogether and informing me that 'after some reflection', she would be unable to provide care for me. I was suddenly no longer a ‘good fit’. She pasted the contact info for two of her colleagues (from different practices) at the bottom of the email and advised me to call one of them instead. I'll be straight up, this experience has been devastating and caused a massive relapse in pretty much every maladaptive behavior I have. I’m upset, hurt, and absolutely exhausted by this entire process. This is unprofessional and deeply antithetical to mental health care. I am right back where I started two months ago! My symptoms are raging and I have to start searching for a therapist all over again with a heightened fear that whoever I find will disappear if I express boundaries, discomfort, or needs. Update: This was ten months ago and Fairsky has yet to address it. I received an email about a week later from someone asking if I wanted to talk to anyone at the practice about what happened. Mind you, no apology or accountability, just a general inquiry as to whether or not I wanted to discuss it further. If they were genuinely concerned about patient care, Fairsky would have picked up the phone and called me. Y'all have my number. I am happy to say that I feel amazing and have found a genuinely dedicated therapist who communicates. They exist! Hang in there folks."

"Avoid this place at all cost. Words cannot describe how bad the treatment I got here was. I reached out because I had suicidal ideation at the time and was in a severe depressive state. Anna Orletski was the therapist I met with. She not only brushed past these concerns but dropped me as a patient mid session our second time seeing each other because "we didn't vibe." I got the help I needed elsewhere but I will never forget that treatment. I even mentioned my apprehension to seek therapy again after terrible experiences before in my life, 10 minutes before she dropping me as a patient. Billed me for a full session as well. I tried calling the office and reaching their staff and never heard back from them."

"I had a contract with my therapist for $65/session. I paid out of my HSA account “out of pocket” or “private pay”, not going through my insurance because they didn’t take it. My therapist switched over to working for FairSky Foundation. Never once was a change in how much I would be charged discussed or mentioned in any paperwork or meetings. A year later FairSky billed my insurance $2700 ($145/session), of which I am responsible for $100/session of, for an entire year worth of sessions ($1600) all at once. When I initially contacted my therapist they said, “no refund”. I was flabbergasted and requested a meeting with their management. I had a Zoom meeting with the Therapy Manager and she admitted fault, agreed it was wrong and unethical and said she would do all she could to fix the situation and get me a refund of the overcharged amount. Today I received an email letting me know that “After reviewing this case with our team and seeking additional legal consultation, we recommend that you contact your insurance company directly regarding the claims in question. It is the beneficiary's responsibility to be aware of costs associated with your coverage, as detailed in the Explanation of Benefits provided to you by your insurance company. Your consent to charges made by your insurance company is a legal contract between you and the insurance company and is not negotiated by FairSky.” Yea, so they are trying to blame me for not noticing they were charging me more than agreed upon when they weren’t billing me for over a year. I would say they never gave me the information I would need to make and informed and consensual decision about my mental health care and costs. This “foundation” is a non-profit scam in my opinion. STAY AWAY!!! This is only the tip of the iceberg with them, I could go on about other unethical discrepancies with billing etc…just STAY AWAY!!!"