Catalyst Mental Health 1915 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55403

"Unfortunately had an overall negative experience with Theresa Crawford, who was my therapist for a little over two years of weekly sessions 2020-2022. I've had time to process the experience and want to share so other people can decide if they'd like to avoid her. Should have listened to my gut and terminated care right away when in one of our first sessions as I was bringing up my abusive ex in depth for the first time, she encouraged me to consider all the pressures men are under that can cause them to behave that way, and that I should consider how he may not have been an "abuser" at all -- obviously an interesting intellectual idea, but painful and confusing to hear right away for someone who has experienced years of abuse, which Theresa did not yet have full context for or much specific information about. She also seemed not to have a strong grasp on how to provide care for specific LGBTQ+ issues when I came out to her as trans-nonbinary, and sometimes educating her felt like an unnecessary burden. When I wanted to come up with a name we could use for the PTSD episodes I was having that were increasing in frequency (periods of being unable to speak, body parts going rigid, intense flashbacks and lengthy periods of disassociation), she questioned why I would need to name the experience, and progress around those episodes soon stagnated. She encouraged me to buy workbooks on CPTSD and mindfulness, which I did, though they were expensive for me. By the end of our sessions she made clear she thought I wasn't far enough along in them, even though she encouraged me initially to take my time and that I should go at my own speed because they can take a lot out of you. (They did, but I had completed 100 pages in a year and felt proud of my progress until her comment.) Care seemed to really break down in the last few months of sessions. She would often interrupt me when I talked, and would spend chunks of our sessions each week talking about her own family life in a way that felt gratuitous and unhelpful to me. In our penultimate session, my PTSD was triggered because of the specific way I did not feel heard by her, and I went into an episode like I described above. I could not speak, I could not move or make eye contact with her through the screen. Theresa went noticeably silent and did not implement any of the mitigation techniques we had been talking about (not sure why) as I struggled to remain present. Our time was up about forty minutes later. Forty minutes of silence as I disassociated and had flashbacks during a session. An incredibly painful experience that obliterated trust. I terminated care at our next session, during which she told me "I don't really work with people who are in crisis." I'm sure that's a healthy, though somewhat curious, boundary for a therapist to hold, but I wish she had communicated that boundary to me sooner and more clearly (and think she had a professional responsibility to do so) so that I could get the help I was seeking elsewhere. How she could interpret the steadily increasing frequency of my PTSD episodes as anything but dancing on the edge of crisis, I don't know. I was left questioning if she'd ever taken me at my word on anything I told her. In one of our last sessions she told me "you're not trying as hard as I am," I think in regards to the workbooks she'd suggested. ...I'm sure that's a feeling many therapists have to manage, but in what world is that a helpful observation to make out loud during a session?? Unfortunately I do not think Theresa was equipped to provide care for me as: 1. an LGBTQ+ person 2. a person with serious mental health issues 3. someone who has experienced abuse. I would avoid her if you fall into those categories. I saw her for so long because processing the pandemic, the uprisings, and my relationships was somewhat helpful, but in retrospect we reached a plateau quite quickly around my goals of healing from abuse and managing my PTSD episodes. Maybe she is the right therapist for you if you're dealing with more "minor"/less pervasive issues."

"I like my therapist there. They have a parking lot."

"Do you really think clients want to walk in and out of a building that has a HUGE sign stating what the building houses? On a VERY VERY VERY busy intersection? Nope. I am not commenting on the state of tolerence in 2018. I am speaking from PERSONAL experience. While you, as a company may feel proud, many who are seeking help do not. Many feel shame, insecurity, and down right fear. Isn't that why we come to you?? I ASSURE you...I am no "competitor", but a client who, just this week, told Tim that I will not be back. Btw...when I pulled into your parking lot, I had full view of your upper level offices and could CLEARLY see a client who was sitting on a sofa in her session. You may be proud of the new diggs...but I am not sure she wants to be on display. I parked in the nearest parking space to Lyndale...had I parked mid or rear lot, I would have been able to see the other person in that office...so in case you were going to rebute with the idea that I can't know if she was the client or therapist.. I COULD have seen them both had I chosen to look, or park in a different spot. It is not fair to force individuals to be proud to seek help. That may be YOUR philosophy, but not where everyone is at. THAT IS WHY WE SEEK HELP."

"Nicole is so awesome!!! She helps me to discover myself and safely recover traumatic memories to process and transform my thinking. I have severe ptsd with her guidance I have never felt better and made better decisions"