Crossroads Counseling 801 Lighthouse Avenue, Monterey, CA 93940

"Edit: Future reader, notice how she challenges nothing of what I allege, from the poor treatment (especially the scoff) to the text of "resources" that wasn't in proper English. Be wary, for she even contacted me directly after reading my review to outright challenge my reasons for seeking therapy, so be careful when providing contact details. --------------------------- I have a huge problem attempting to open up to people due to bad social anxiety. After a breakdown last week, I finally decided to make the effort to use my company's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to find help and start working on myself. Friends and family were ecstatic, and it rubbed off on me, so I was hopeful when I made first contact to set up an appointment. 6 minutes later, and I was in worse shape than before, and I urge others seeking therapy to be wary of this woman. There was no back or forth: I told her what I sought treatment for, and was greeted with the most snide, bitter remarks from someone I have never offended (she even told me so when I asked if I had upset her). She vocally scoffed when I finished describing what I was looking for, and said she would just text a referral to me. She then hung up without a valediction, and I received the referral email address in the absolute least professional message I have ever received (from their publicly-listed number, it read "4 help senda msg to [email address]," AND I was so spineless I apologized to HER for making me miserable -- I need help). Her website says that she knows "what kind of client" she wants, but I caution that this should be read as "she will waste no time in making you feel like you are a lost cause if you dare to waste her time." The interaction was so unpleasant, I have spent orders of magnitude longer writing this just to get the thoughts out. That's how bad her behavior made me feel. Needless to say I let my EAP manager know what happened, and they were aghast the whole time, saying that they had never heard of such conduct from a professional. I showed them the consistently negative reviews, and I have never heard someone apologize for another person's behavior so many times in a short period. Indeed, I was shown more courtesy by someone in HR than a self-styled professional. Her approach is aggressive and unfriendly, and all you need to do is read her responses to the comments to get a gauge of how malicious she is willing to act publicly. She clearly does not care that anyone researching her can see her vindictiveness. I should have investigated her so I could have spared myself the experience. And to you, Miryam (yes, I see that you go after everyone, so I embrace your oncoming venom), I have this: no, I will not take down this post, because I believe that others deserve to know how you behave. My manager is "cool and collected" in his client-oriented environment and guests are delighted to be around him, whereas you acted like the type of person we warn new people about because they spoil people's mood for the day. You were abrasive and discourteous, and I am genuinely saddened by the knowledge that you have done this to other people who YOU KNOW are in a vulnerable mental state. They approach seeking your help, and I would not be surprised if your deliberate actions have caused people to leave your presence worse off, like I was, or caused them to give up seeking help. If that's the case (and be honest with yourself, you know it is), then I believe you have dealt a grievous disservice to others, and I cannot imagine a self-respecting practitioner being ok with that. It took me talking to another person experienced with finding people care to put your callousness in perspective: we did not cordially "decide it was not going to work," and discontinue our communication. You treated our interaction antagonistically, acting like a manifestation of how I fear others wish they could treat me (despite their smiling assurances they would not). I will continue my search, and I am sure that ANYONE I find will be an improvement."

"We spoke for about 2 minutes over the phone and I knew instantly she would not be my therapist. Extremely rude. Hung up the phone before I could say goodbye. I called my provider back to file a formal complaint and request another therapist immediately. As a mental health professional, I expect my therapist to speak with intentionality and care. It is apparent that Miryam has no regard for the way she communicates with her clients which is a core part of the work she would be doing. Easiest no for me."

"This woman is incredibly rude. My husband and I stopped sessions with her after two because of the way she spoke to us. It’s a middle and maiden name. We definitely had a couple of sessions with you. You said you give homework and that if I said my husband beats me, you’d tell me to leave him. To your response, I mentioned that part to let you know i did see you. Business tip, people read your responses to these reviews. If you’re rude to people who are low rating you for being rude, you’re just proving the point. 3 one stars that you leave snide comments to isn’t doing you any favors. And no, you can still have etiquette and do your job. I found a counselor who can."