I have never actually written a Yelp review, but I thought it was important that other people have…read moreaccess to this information. I was referred to Dr. Corrado's DBT group because I was working in the area. There were a few things that bothered me right off the bat, but I had been navigating the mental health system for only a short period of time and had never been in DBT, so I figured this things were just standard.
I understand that Bethesda is a wealthy area, but the fees were exorbitant. The intake alone for the group was at least $300. Each group costs $130, which is the same that I was paying for individual therapy- out of this $130, my insurance reimbursed me about $20. You need to pay for every group "like a college class," regardless of whether or not you attend and how far in advance you are giving notice (note: insurance does not pay for missed groups). I have been in 2 other group therapies and have never heard a policy like this. Within 6 months, you are probably going to have to miss a couple sessions because of illness, emergency, or just conflicts in life. In essence, you are expected to pay a hefty fee for services that you are not receiving. You do only have to commit to one module at a time (about 8 weeks), but you are committing to pay for 8 weeks without ever trying to treatment, which means that you need to pay for it even if you determine that it's not appropriate. You can do the math to figure out how much money Bethesda Psychological Associates is making off of each group that they run.
At the time that I completed my intake with Dr. Corrado, I had been seeing an individual therapist for approximately 4 months and I felt that I had good rapport with her. In this first meeting, Dr. Corrado tried to convince me to switch to him as an individual therapist. I am so glad that I took the time to think about this and did not do it.
On three occasions, I contacted Dr. Corrado regarding scheduling. On all 3 occasions, he called my individual therapist back rather than me. I cannot tell you how degrading this felt. I know that some clinicians have an idea that "everything is clinical" and think that people with borderline personality disorder "split" among treatment clinicians, but even Marsha Linehan disagrees with this. I think that in order for treatment to be successful, there needs to be an equal partnership between the therapist and the client- I definitely did not feel like an equal in this relationship.
In the end, I decided that this group was not an appropriate fit. I was changing jobs and felt that the commute would be unmanageable. Even though this possibility had been discussed at the beginning of my treatment, I had to fight to be released from my contract. I was able to join another DBT group, where I feel like I have been much more respected. In Dr. Corrado's group if I said a skill didn't work for me, I was basically told that I wasn't trying hard enough. In my new group, if I say that I feel like something isn't working, I feel validated and I'm provided with support and alternatives. I wish I had been in this group from the beginning.
This therapist/ group may be appropriate for you, but I would recommend that you look around outside of the Bethesda area for DBT groups before making your decision (all of the DBT groups in the Bethesda area are interconnected through the Metro DBT Consortium). There are groups that are a little bit farther away (Columbia, etc.) that may be a better fit. Most groups are less than 1/2 the cost of the group at the Bethesda Group and do not make clients commit to periods of time. I love that if something comes up, I can miss group with 24 hours notice without having to pay (which is important because insurance does not reimburse for missed groups). I also strongly feel that everyone should have a right to terminate treatment at any time for any reason. If your gut is telling you that this treatment isn't right for you, you shouldn't be financially bound to continue. You should only pay for treatment that you willingly receive.
Bottom line: Mental health treatment is very expensive and it is your wellbeing on the line- do your research before making any commitments.
