Richards Michelle J

"A terrible terrible Doctor and person! It pains me to even call her a Doctor because she literally knows nothing haha. All she does is insult you and not even try to get to the root of any problems or issues. It's been many years since I have seen her and I'm hoping that people see this review and make the choice not to be abused and to go elsewhere. Horrible person again and a terrible Doctor."

"I truly appreciate the work Dr. Richards and I accomplished! My coworkers and former coworkers even noticed a difference in my behavior and attitude. I worked a second job just to be able to continue my sessions, it was that valuable to me. I utilize my toolbox daily. I had trauma and anxiety that I need manage primarily. I would love to return when I’m able to for maintenance. I highly recommend her! Please give yourself time so that you may live to enjoy life!"

"She was not a good counselor. I was not treated with very much respect on some of my visits. The last straw was when she very aggressively told me that I could not have a drink (my water, in a cup, with a lid) in her office, even though she was drinking something right in front of my face. It was summer and I was dehydrated from working in the heat all day, which she knew about. Also a clock watcher. Evidently, her taking 10 minutes to process my card every time was part of the counseling sessions as well. Not because my card was bad, but because she had a bad card reader and had to type it in manually. She also kept my mothers credit card information and charged it without permission for a session that we didn't have. Just an FYI for those considering."

"I have worked with Dr. Richards for a little over 3 years now, and I have learned a lot from her. I don't know exactly what goes on in session, but what I can see is encouraging. Every client we have does a phone consultation with me before seeing Dr. Richards. I hear their tragic stories, their struggles, their fears and their hopelessness, and if I think Dr. Richards is a good match, we schedule an appointment. Many times I have seen people with broken lives come in, and 45 minutes later they come out looking hopeful. Although I can't hear what's being said in session, I often hear laughter from people who I'm sure don't laugh enough. Over longer periods of time, I've seen people turn their lives around. If you are not sure whether Dr. Richards would be the right therapist for you, you should give us a call, and I will do my best to help you figure that out."

"I'm sure that this review will give away my identity; however, I think that I had some valuable experiences that others should know about before going to see Dr. Richards at the Joyful Life Institute. Working with Dr. Richards did not work well for me. I originally went in to work on sexuality, gender, and gender identity issues. Granted, I had multiple, pervasive layers of trauma to work through (and Dr. Richards is an excellent trauma and anxiety therapist!) and I was in the middle of a divorce, but I do not recommend Dr. Richards' methods and expertise for anyone who may be questioning their gender or sexuality, especially if you may be transgender. I appreciate that we began our work together with the caveat that I was Dr. Richards' first trans-client (even though her bio with Psychology Today said that she accepts LGBTQ clientele). I was willing to give it a try and work with her through the inexperience. As time drew on, I became frustrated with being given the role of educator in the therapeutic relationship. I provided books, definitions, things to read/watch to help her hear me better. Repeatedly, sessions would begin with "I didn't have time to read this.." I did not want to be responsible for educating my own mental health care provider about the LGBTQIA community's struggles, language, and culture. Moreover, I became feeling less and less safe as subtly transphobic commentary emerged. These comments included statements such as: "Wow, you're *so* a fascinating [referring to my queer and trans* identities]," "your case is just so intriguing," "I find it so fascinating that you don't want breasts" etc. I felt like a case study or a laboratory specimen rather than a person. Why are my struggles and experiences of gender incongruence so "fascinating" to you? They are deeply painful for me. At the time, I didn't feel like I had the ability or power to point out how and why these comments made me uncomfortable since I was still learning about what it means to be trans*. Finally, I felt extremely uncomfortable with Dr. Richards' use of the DSM in my presence. Among the trans* communities, there are different belief systems regarding the role of the DSM and GID (gender identity disorder) diagnoses. I protested the use of the DSM in our therapy session when she explained that we would be doing the process of diagnosis together. Rather than hearing me and listening to me about my feelings on the DSM, I felt pressured to accept this diagnostic tool as a guideline for our therapy. I was diagnosed with GID despite not feeling like I had a disorder at all. This denied my self-determination and personal empowerment and I felt ignored in the therapeutic relationship. I appreciated the work we did around family and trauma history. I learned about what it meant to find my own identity (distinct from my family of origin) and how to cope with triggers in my everyday life, but overall, I felt extremely unsafe as a trans* and queer person. I do not recommend that LGBTQ-identified or questioning clients seek services from the Joyful Life Institute."