Cumberland County Guidance Center

"This place is a joke and should be shut down. They continue to prescribe medications that make people symptoms worse. No one returns your calls so don’t bother leaving a message"

"Monday I call and leave two messages saying I’m severely depressed and want to make an appointment with a psychiatrist. No return call, Tuesday no return call. I left a message with Elizabeth the CEO. Then I get a call back from the intake person, I tell her I want to make an appointment with a psychiatrist. I tell her what insurance I have and ask her if they accept that. She tells me with the worst I hate my job attitude : “ just for medication.” I don’t know what she’s talking about and I tell her that . She repeats “just for medication not for therapy.” I still don’t know what she means. I ask her again what she means? Finally I gathered that I am covered to see a psychiatrist which is what I asked . Then she tells me there’s a waiting list and she’ll call me the following Monday to schedule . Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday goes by. I call back. She tells me she didn’t say she would call Monday but the Monday when there’s an opening. Then she tells me they have walk-in appointments every Wednesday at 8:30. If I would have known that I would have gone in the previous week instead of having to wait again until next week. I call Elizabeth the CEO again and asked her to call me back . She never does . Another facilitator calls me back. She’s nice and apologetic but when I tell her what transpired and that someone should look into it I know nothing will be done and the next poor soul who calls this place will have to deal with this same person who really should be working in McDonalds and not be the conduit between desperate people like myself and the center. Instead of getting the help I could have gotten in two days I’ll be going into my third week. Take this as a warning."

"I’m shocked to see all the low reviews for this office. The staff has always been super helpful even for someone like myself who always forgets appointments. And then there’s Dr. Duffy, who’s a lifesaver. She is always cheerful, and really makes you feel seen and heard. Best doctor I’ve ever had. All my visits have been televisits so I can’t comment on the actual location."

"I've worked with mental health agencies in South Jersey on multiple occasions. The Guidance Center is by far the most understaffed/unprofessional mental health agency that I've come across in my decade of experience. It's really that bad. Employee turnover rate is abysmal. The morals and ethics of the Guidance Center's staff are not on par with what is expected of an agency that handles ongoing mental health cases. If you are employed here, you will not find job security, reasonable salaries, or opportunities for future advancement. If you are a patient here, you will be frustrated. The Guidance Center has an agency wide personnel problem. Not one Guidance Center managed program is in stable operation. Not a single one. And quite frankly, I'm tired of watching their patients receive low quality, half effort assistance. I normally don't take the time to write reviews, whether positive or negative, but the situation over at the Guidance Center warrants more attention than it's getting...."

"One of your existing patients has been trying to call and schedule an appointment for weeks now (I’ve been assisting them). The phone prompt says to call between 10-3 but nobody ever answers. We’ve left several messages with callback info and nobody calls us back. It’s been at least a week since we last left a message… Still no response. What an absolutely shameful way to treat patients who urgently need mental health services. Do better."