Brook Lane Frederick Outpatient 4540-B Mack Avenue, Frederick, MD 21703

"I couldn’t recommend Melissa Crigger and the team at Brook Lane enough. It’s been a year since I last saw Melissa and every day, I’m reminded of the good that she’s brought to my life. Melissa was the very first counselor I ever went to and in my fear, I was met with grace, kindness and a listening ear. Because of the way Melissa intentionally listened and asked thoughtful probing questions, I felt seen, heard and known. It has been the privilege of my life getting to be known by Melissa, especially through the pandemic. No matter how full her schedule was, I knew that entering into our time together meant I was walking into a safe space. The hour always passed by too quickly and I always left feeling lighter and braver. Melissa is kind and warm, sunshine personified, and I am a better person because of her care and insights. Thank you, Melissa and the Brook Lane team for creating this safe space in our community, I’m forever grateful!"

"This review is for James Schiller. When he was my therapist I felt like he didn't help me at all. Happy to have moved on. I didn't like the way he spoke to me. I told him that I believed that I was misdiagnosed and he showed me the DSM book. I feel like it shouldn't have been handled this way. If I'm telling someone that I am concerned that my diagnosis is incorrect I'm not going to verbally dispute who I am with someone who only knew me for 2 days at the time. Please save yourself from his therapy sessions. He puts words in your mouth - what therapist does that? My last therapy session was ridiculous and was the last straw."

"do not go to dr. james schiller. i can confidently say that he is the worst therapist/counselor i've ever been to. incredibly rude, no sympathy or understanding. sides with the abuser rather than the victim. also, made rude comments about my appearance, while brushing it off as a joke. never cried during/after a therapy session until i went to him. i stopped going after the experience at my last appointment - i was a bit late, at no fault of my own (my mom drives me, and at the time she was just getting over a bad illness). when i got there, he proceeded to angrily rant at me for five minutes about being late and how i'm "just wasting his time". it made me feel horrible. that was my breaking point, so i stopped going. i was 17 at the time btw, so obviously he doesn't care about who he's being negative to. this was a few months ago. only positive thing i can say currently is that the front desk ladies are nice."

"I was diagnosed with chronic depression after my mom passed away in 2006 and was having a very hard time finding a therapist that I was comfortable with. Emily Cunningham was the first therapist I tried at Brooklane and I had a good vibe on the first session. I've gone through several therapists and Emily is the first therapist I've had in years who I look forward to sessions with. I did have a negative experience with one of the psychiatrists and asked to transfer to someone else. The process only took an approval and I was put with someone else for my very next session."

"I have been a patient with Emily for several years. She is relatable, professional and truly cares. She makes contact in between sessions, especially in times of acute crisis. She remembers details sometimes I have forgotten, she has extended her workday to get me a session because of how desperately I needed it. I cannot say enough good things about her. I have generally not had a bad experience with the office staff in Frederick. My only gripe with Brook Lane is the billing department. They billed the wrong insurance for over a year. Then when I tried to correct it by explicitly stating who needed to be billed for what they continued to do whatever they wanted. Due to the type of insurance and authorizations required I needed to pay out of pocket for family sessions. However, when I attempted to pay, the front desk clerk said “there is a note here to not accept client payments”. After many inquiries and 6 months of letting my actual insurance take over and BL has to refund and rebill, etc, it turns out I have a hefty refund owed to me. In summer of 2021 I asked for it to be returned to me. I was told they were short staffed and those requests were taking 60-90 days, which is fine. But I’m still waiting! My treatment has been amazing, billing (which can cause lots of anxiety for people) needs help."