Lauren Polotono is an extravagant member of BCS and a main reason I stick with tjis company. Weather it was getting my personal confidential records to me in a fast secure manner or coming up with an affordable payment plan when I wasn't as financially stable. She is the absolute best in assisting scheduling my appts with my psychiatrist - Dr. Massey. If you forget to make it, she'll make sure you are scheduled so you don't run out of meds. She is very flexible if you miss the call too and that helps make sure ai received the best care. Brooklyn Center should hire more employees like her. My therapist has been with me for many years and I have no complaints and she is outstanding As well. I recommend booking an appt at this institution read more

I have tried going here twice now (three years apart), and had the same experience both times. I was assigned to a person who is leaving, so I would have to switch. The first time, I did an intake, got assigned to someone who was leaving in a couple weeks. Then, I was switched to someone that then was leaving a few weeks from the time I got switched to them. This time, I was assigned to someone who is leaving in three weeks. If you want consistency, this is not the place. read more

I have been a patient since 2017. I have had excellent therapists. I have had three different ones and all were professional and caring. The first one saved my life. The psychiatrist I have, Dr. Masse, has been kind, attentive, helpful, and professional. I am surprised by the terrible reviews. I have only had great experiences with everyone even the billing department and receptionists. I refer everyone to them. They truly saved my life. read more

So how does going to therapy mean that you already have to be in good mental health? I told my therapist, Mackenzie O'Brien, that I smoke weed and he and his supervisor automatically decided that I was actually in need of a substance abuse program. Without even consulting me!! I supposedly got a phantom voicemail stating this, but they also just decided to casually go right ahead and discharge me and cancel my treatment. They also left my emails unanswered for a week and his voicemail states "email is the quickest way to contact me." I sat waiting in the zoom room for almost an hour for... nothing. And on top of all that, he was so cheery on the phone, as if he didn't just make my life extra hard all over again. He wished me a "good luck out there" before hanging up. Excuse me? What kinda shit is that?? Maybe give more of a shit about individual patients instead of stuffing your books to the gills. If you want to experiment with people you're supposed to be treating, go the fuck back to school and get a PhD. I am quite upset and these people are sleeping fine at night just cancelling people's treatment. Disgusting- would give 0 stars if I could. read more

I inquired about this group,as I was looking for a psychotherapist and went through an intake over the phone.I was asked background information,name and insurance ect.I was initially told that there was no availability and that I would be put on a waiting list and contacted when a suitable match became available. 15 minutes later I received a call back where they asserted that my psychiatric history and medication regimen disqualified me from their network of 40 independent providers. This loose network of mental health providers that fall under the umbrella of Brooklyn Counseling Services,refuses to treat people whom have certain psychiatric diagnosis as a matter of policy. I honestly answered their screening process,admitting a diagnosis of bipolar and anxiety.I was asked about previous psych hospitalizations.I answered truthfully in the affirmative that 28 years ago I was hospitalized for a 5 month strectch.I also mentioned that I am currently under a private psychiatrists care. I have always been seen by a private psychotherapist as well.I have been stable for 28 years and unfortunately my current insurance has caused me to leave my last therapist.They initially said they take my insurance and would put me on their waiting list. They had the chutzpah to try and refer me to a clinic based on some generalized criteria,rather than treating me as an individual.Instead of having a professional asses me as an individual,a secretary gathered my very personal information.Once the administrator saw the presence of an actual diagnosis,that involved several medications prescribed by a psychiatrist,the Secretary was immediately instructed to make a referral to a clinic,without a real evaluation! This approach shows the limitations of their providers and that they are not patient centered.I would think twice before you trust your most sensitive life issues with such an unprofessional outfit. What is most disturbing is that mental health providers have not progressed ,and still after so much advances in the treatment of psychiatric disorders,continue to perpetuate stigma! read more

Brooklyn Counseling Services - Counseling & Mental Health Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I really wish I had something good to say about this place. Went for family/couples counseling after suffering a profound loss. Had 1 zoom meeting, the next week the "therapist" was sick and couldn't make it, ok no big deal - life happens. However I was never contacted again. I called and was given the Royal run-around. Convinced this is nothing but an insurance mill and plan to have a conversation with my insurer regarding same. Plan to have the physician CEO looked into as well. read more

Judgmental. Invalidating. Lack of direct and ethical communication. I do not recommend this practice. Therapy is suppose to be a place that is nonjudgmental. One issue from my perspective is that as of Aug 2022, according to BCS Intake, this practice has 200+ therapists and four supervisors. Which means four supervisors oversee the work of 50 therapists. How can 4 supervisors create 50 relationships that support competence for care providers? Visual observation demonstrates many young therapists. My experience is that their bios do not reflect how they show up in session and not one therapist I worked with came through on their end of creating a space reflective of their bio - this is an accountability, truthfulness, and ethical issue with BCS. I found each therapist I worked with to, often enough, make comments or express opinions that were invalidiating to me as a person or my traumatic experience. This is called an insensitive affront. Based on my experience, there were too many communication practices that demonstrated power over dyamics verus the role of the therapist in coming alongside to meet me where I was. I do not think each therapist I worked with cared to meet me where I was or would have the skills to do so. I found their relationship to not meet my needs for understanding, trust in their theraputic competenect, warmth, and growth. Overall, there are issues with competencey at BCS likely due to an inexperienced, young staff and overworked supervisors. When I spoke about ending therapeutic relationship, and finding a better fit, two of the female therapists communicated defensively, made negative comments against me, one used a baby talk voice (this is not okay) and took what I said out of context to likely support her agenda, gave me advice that was not relevant to my experience but reflected why she was not a competent therapist for me. This same therapist never once asked me about my mental health or symptoms I was experiencing related to my mental health diagnosis. This is not okay and not therapy. Overall it was a bad experience and from my pov based on trying to give feedback to Dr. Pallota and Bethanie Pacheco, both communicators left me feeling dismissed, they didn't solve the initial problem, with any concern for care, respect, urgency, when their intake department "accidentally" removed my name from the therapist schedule and I had five weeks of no care. When I spoke with Dr. Pallota about the insensitive affronts of a new therapist and accidentally being taken off the schedule my concerns were dismissed as cultural differences and as "he said, she said." This is not okay. I understand her need to support her staff but her attitude and choice of perspective are a hinderance to improvement, competence and a more empathetic world that businesses like her, according to their website, are trying to create. These are authenticity and integrity issues where their marketing says one thing and the skills of the staff don't measure up to it. BCS hasn't taken responsibility for improving the competence of their staff for offering streamlined therapeutic care and applying principles of direct and ethical communication for themselves and staff. However, If you are looking for someone to talk to and don't mind insensitive affronts, this practice could be a good fit but if you seek therapeutic support when trying to work through something important and traumatic, please find a care provider with training outside of BCS. read more

I do not recommend this service provider. If you are in need of quality mental health support with experienced providers, I advise you look other places to find a good fit. Many reviews below express concerns about uncaring and unprofessional service delivery and that was also my experience with a few providers and the management at this business. Please look elsewhere first. read more

Don't know where to start. This place is the reason I made it through my adolescence stage of life without hurting myself or someone else. It is the reason I have not had 1 simple anxiety attack in 30 YEARS. And now it is the reason my 7 year old son is struggling alot less in school and at home with emotional and psychological stress. He looks forward every week to his talk therapy, and it helps him so much. I have been convinced for a long time, Nicoletta Pallotta is an Angel on earth. I highly recommend Brooklyn Counseling Services to anyone who may be feeling symptoms of stress or any mental health issues. I can only imagine the positive impact this place has had on entire neighborhoods wherever they offer services. God bless. read more

In keeping with all other negative reviews, I never received HIPAA or registration forms to sign with 3 separate therapists over 3 years. Just found out I've needed them because I was asked to sign forms if I wanted to continue with "free-now-insurance-only" group "therapy". The therapists are never wrong, violate basic boundaries of interpersonal communication, and will gaslight you/retaliate if you ever mildly question invalidating, retaliating, non-ethical communication. Mostly therapists "phone it in" and initiate ZERO treatment planning. That means you get nowhere-to-minimal help from session to session while your insurance pays them. ZERO session structure and guidance, horrible intake screening, ZERO CBT materials and/or worksheets even though their profiles state they offer CBT. Every therapist I've had there is NOT PROACTIVE and they will scold you for not asking them sooner about registration forms to sign or for the CBT materials/services they claim to provide. Meanwhile, these are staff and therapist responsibilities. The staff are rude and crude, will not help you find the right people to speak to if you have questions and problems. One other review says they have 200+ therapists and 5 supervisors. They do not have psychiatrists they work with or recommend, they do not have psychologists they work with or recommend to do very basic neuropsychological testing, which is the crux of competent assessments for appropriate therapeutic interventions. No, these therapists do not do a nearly adequate job of screening or understanding and treating the conditions their bios purport to treat. This has been stated in some other reviews. I'm so glad I stuck with another clinic for neuropsych testing for OCD and the highly competent psychiatric NP for the meds I need. I found a great therapist who actually has the education and training/experience relevant to my treatment, WITH A TREATMENT PLAN. None of the therapists at BCS have an educational bio on the website. You can never know what their real training is and as consumer, we're supposed to be entitled to that information. The staff insist you ask the therapist for that information in session and pay for it vs. knowing in advance like more consumer-centered mental health orgs. They also insist you terminate in session and continue sessions until they find your next therapist. No, this place doesn't deserve ongoing insurance payouts when you do their work for them. This place has caused me enough stress. My insurance payments will go to competent therapy orgs and therapists. read more

Terrible and unprofessional. Therapists are unhelpful and don't say much to be helpful.

The office billing staff and sneaks and vultures. Run. Under covid emergency guidelines they tried billing for months when i should not have been billed. Harassing daily by phone and email. Thank God I never gave a credit card. And then i just received notification from insurance company that all telehealth from March 2020 to Aug 2021 no copay needed..yet again these vultures harass over a non existent bill. Run run fast away from this establishment read more

Intake was very professional and made a connection to a therapist right away- BCS Group is great and I can't recommend them enough. The administration is always willing to go the extra mile. My counseling is the main reason I was able to get through this pandemic. Thank you BCS!! read more

BCS.. helped me change my life! The staff is caring .professional and always available when I need support - which makes a difference ! I trust them and highly recommend their services. read more

Brooklyn Counseling Services - Counseling & Mental Health Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Worst clinic ever. Very unprofessional. I was going through a very difficult time, and scheduling did not allow me to come in for two weeks at my usual time. My therapist (Sandy) said she would email me to reschedule but never did and I had to go two weeks with no contact. I had a crisis after that, and reached out to let my therapist know I would need more sessions. She initially said she could accommodate and then told me the next day that she could not. Only a week later, she told me she would not see me at all anymore and would discharge me completely, even though I was not able to find treatment elsewhere and most other clinics have long waitlists. She had never sent me consent forms she was supposed to send to speak with my family, and also was supposed to send me a referral that she never sent. She spent the last session taunting me and blaming me for my problems. She is the worst type of therapist, who causes you more trauma and engages in victim blaming. She is a very evil and vicious person and I couldn't believe that she works as a therapist. If I could give this clinic zero stars, I would. Worst place ever, stay away if you care at all about your mental health. Supervisors are also completely useless and don't even care. This clinic should lose its license with the Office of Mental Health. read more

I have been a client of Brooklyn Counseling Services and Dr. Nicoletta Pallotta for more than a year and I feel that she has provided extremely beneficial assistance. Through the efforts of her office, many issues that concern me have been clarified and better understood. We speak on a weekly basis and she has even made time when I had concerns outside of our usual session times. There are times in life when we need someone to hear and guide us and reaching out to have our emotional concerns heard is so important. I feel very fortunate to have such a compassionate and empathetic therapist and everyone who I have dealt in the office has helped to make a difficult situation easier. read more

I first started going to this place back in the beginning of the year. My therapist was great. Her energy was calming, I felt a connection with her and I felt she was actually listening. Unfortunately, my work schedule changed which took me out of the time frame we'd been using. Although it was hard, I let her transfer me to another therapist. The second therapist's who's name I can't remember for the life of me because she was just that unforgettable was just not what I wanted. I felt absolutely no connection to her and the two sessions that I did have with her I felt like I was drowning and the lifeguard threw me an inflatable kids floatie! I would say something and be met with a blank stare and lots of low pitched "Yeah, yeah wow that's a lot" or head nods with no real contribution to the conversation. During the second session I explained to the therapist that my schedule changes and she basically said to me well in order to make it worthwhile I would need you to give me a set day you can come in otherwise you'll have to see someone else. So after leaving her office I decided that I felt absolutely no connection with her and did not want to go back. I called Ms. Forgettable to ask to be transferred to someone else and she never answered me. I text, I called again, I called the main line, I asked to be transferred to her number and she still never picked up or answer the message that I left her. So I waited a few days called the main line again and was told that Ms. Plain Vanilla Yogurt would be doing the transfer paperwork. Since that call I haven't heard from anyone. I called again today and was told that Ms. Bland Potato Salad should have done the paperwork but the woman who answered wasn't sure why it wasn't completed. This has been going on for weeks now so that's weeks of sessions I have missed because Ms. Yeah, Yeah head nod won't do the paperwork. You know it's a shame that you reach out for help and this is the kind of service that is given. I am going somewhere else where I may get better service. read more

This is my first negative review but it's a must. This place is the most horrible to deal with. There is no compassion, humanity or any professionalism whatsoever. They speak to you like they can't be bothered and they are incompetent. Therapy? Don't expect to get any kind of help here. Nobody is interested in helping you at all. DO NOT see "therapist" Laurey Dachs. She is incompetent, unfriendly, cold, unwilling to help in a crisis situation, lazy, gives excuses for everything, has absolutely no interest in helping or reaching out to others who can help (wait, I thought helping others was their JOB and why they went into this field to begin with?) She wouldn't do anything to help but give excuses as to why she wouldn't. No listening skills whatsoever. Who would give this person a degree let alone hire them? What a disgrace. Also, this place has FALSE ADVERTISING. They advertise group therapy and according to Laurey Dachs, they don't provide that. STAY AWAY. read more

Absolutely horrible place. I never ever write negative reviews but this place deserves no stars. It's a shame how a place like this even exists for people who truly looking for help and positive enforcement in their life. The staff is just really rude, unprofessional, careless and the worst part is they waste your time. I had a terrible experience here, I'm truly disgusted & I don't recommend this place to anyone and most definitely will not be coming back!! read more

I have been a client of Dr. Pallotta and Brooklyn Counseling for many years, the level of care in which she extends to me ( and from what I see all patients) is outstanding. Her support staff are wonderful to speak to, and helpful in working with your schedule. I couldn't ask for a better experience. I even once had an emergency and the counseling center was able to get Dr. Pollotta on the phone for me while she was on vacation. That is the level of dedication, I got from her and the support staff. I am very grateful to her for her compassion, clarity and understanding. read more

I have been a patient at BCS for years and enthusiastically recommend them to all family and friends. The staff is friendly, supportive, professional and always accessible to patients. My therapist and I connect on both a personal and cultural level and she has increased my focus and confidence. BCS is a tranquil environment where you feel good energy which has helped me live a more productive life. I look forward to my session every week. read more

I have had an AMAZING experience @ BCS. Their staff is compassionate and caring. My therapist has helped me so much over the past year - I don't know what I would have done without her. I recommend BCS to so many people i know! read more

Absolutely a horrible place. I'm trying to look for a new therapist since I have insurance now. I reached out to them via email and they got back to me right away. Ok great. I asked how much the copay was since I don't make a lot of money. The woman told me to call and a secretary will let me know. So I called and asked about the copay. She was SO NASTY. I said I spoke to someone via email and she told me to call and ask. "Who was it?" Um seriously? She asked my availability, I told her. She said well I don't have the schedule in front of me(who doesn't have the schedule when that's your JOB). She said she would call me back. It's been a week and nothing. I had to do an on the phone intake questionnaire which was weird as well. My friend also was going to try this place out and they treated her the same way. So if you're looking for help don't go here or even waste your time calling. It's hard reaching out to begin with. It's even harder when you're treated like a piece of garbage! read more