Securing an appointment and filling out Intake forms for Dr. Penciu was easy. My appointment began on time and it lasted 45 minutes. I also enjoyed that it was a video appointment. Why I chose a Psychiatrist over a Psychologist is because their MD specialty allows them to teach their patients about the science of the brain and its effects and connections to the body and to the emotions. In addition, they share recent studies and their own research with you in order to help you understand your dilemmas and/or condition. Dr. Penciu clearly understood my dilemma and immediately began giving me tools to reach resolve. He has excellent bedside manner and I highly recommend him. Sincerely, Christine G. Padua read more

MCLA Psychiatric Medical Group - Dr. Penciu, MD and his patient, Christine G. Padua. - Doctors Near Me - Glendale, California

I worked for MCLA in 2018 and it has taken me this long to mentally and emotionally recover from working with some of the worst human beings I've ever encountered. I cannot imagine anyone going to this office in need of actual help because the staff is absolutely atrocious. I wish I had the courage to stand up to the bullying and abuse I experienced after my father's sudden passing from every single person who worked in this clinic. There was legitimately only 1 therapist who took the time to check in on me at work and understood how difficult it was to work in such a place while trying to grieve. I'm glad to hear it's owned by a different company, but if any of the doctors and staff are still affiliated with this practice, then I would avoid it all costs. I should have sued for wrongful termination and still would if it were within the statute of limitations. read more

I'm trying to get ahold of their billing department because I received a bill (it's Nov 2023) for services received in January & February 2022 because they claim I didn't have insurance coverage during that period; I've always paid my bills in full and seemingly on time so this was a surprise. FYI - their billing department closes at 3pm on a weekday. read more

My relationship with Dr. Penciu started out fine. I had been prescribed Concerta for over a decade and have a working knowledge of how it affects me and what my mental health needs are. I needed to continue my mental health treatment, but his approach treated me as if I did not know what my needs were. While he made helpful suggestions, he also used moments when I was out of my medication to suggest changing my medicinal treatment. I felt I had no other option but to accept his recommendation. After taking his advice and changing my medication after 10 years, I found that it wasn't working and needed tweaks. However, he outright refused to prescribe me anything else. I was left with a prescription that was not satisfying my mental health needs, and during a crisis, his attitude was that I had a bad attitude and needed to calm down. Being sensitive to a patient's needs, even when they are frustrated, is an important skill that Dr. Penciu lacks. read more

Why does this place still exist. Go to hell for abandoning all your patients. I ended up in the hospital form medication withdrawal and it was the worst time of my life. Report them https://www.breeze.ca.gov/datamart/quickStartMenuCADCA.do read more

Honestly, the only reason I am giving this one star is because my doctor is amazing. However, the staff for MCLA is absolutely useless. No matter what time you call - morning, afternoon (excluding their lunch hour), and so on, NO ONE ANSWERS, and no one gets back to you in a timely manner. I have called multiple times, and it's only when my doctor gets involved that anyone actually gets back to me (which isn't his job, FYI). This is the third time that MCLA is charging me the full amount for services and has failed to apply my health insurance. Considering that you're dealing they are dealing with mentally ill people, it seems counterproductive to send their patients into a crisis every time they are hit with a bill. My co-payment was confirmed countless times, both through my health insurance AND the MCLA billing department, to be $40.00, yet, I was just hit with a bill for $360.00... for a 15 minute follow up call with my doctor.... $24.00 per minute? My doctor is great, but I don't think so... wtf. I have called countless times. I've left voicemail after voicemail, email after email, and have received zero resolution to this prevalent and repeated problem. Every single time I am assured and confirmed of the actual co-payment amount, and every time the bills go out, I am charged the full amount. This office is a joke. You let vulnerable people get attached to great doctors only to leave them feeling ignored, defeated, frustrated and saddened by the lack of professionalism exhibited by the office workers. Honestly, if you're reading this, don't use MCLA. It's not worth the grief these people put you through - even if the doctors are incredible. read more

It's no longer MCLA, is now owned by a company called Lifestance. They no longer accept patients on Medi-Cal/LA Care so if you like your doctor, good luck with the $300 visit fee and from experience, trying to find a mental health doctor who takes that insurance and will continue your medications. I had finally found a good psychiatrist and someone who understood me, my needs, meds, issues etc and as of today 2/3/23, I get told she up and left the practice so I'm now stuck, barely any med refills and a new doctor will cost $450 for I'm sure, like every other doctor, a ten minute chat. Absolutely ridiculous. I've always struggled to pay financially for mental health care and medication so I can continue to try and function daily. I don't understand how a doctor can just up and leave mental health patients in their care, but I'm infuriated. Thanks for making it impossible to get mental health care now. read more

This is the rudest and most dismissive doctors office I have ever experienced in my life, The people who answer phones are assholes when they speak to patients. Leaving a message for refills is worthless as they never return the call, or respond. Seems they don't even pick up the phone. Don't understand how trying to schedule an appointment becomes the doctor is available next in 2 months is that OK? They don't seem to issue refills without paying to see the doctor each time you need a refill. If you don't like helping people or working in adoctors office, then get another job and stop treating patients terrible and like they are annoyances to you. I can't believe a Psychiatric Group behaves and functions this way. It ridiculous. STAY AWAY FOR YOUR OWN MENTAL HEALTH read more

YOU ARE DEALING WITH MENTALLY UNSTABLE PEOPLE. WE REQUIRE SPECIAL TREATMENT. TRAIN YOUR OFFICE STAFF. I live over an hour away. I was 8 minutes late due to an accident on the fwy and I was turned away because I had missed my appointment. Are you kidding me? E i g h t. M i n u t e s. Then I was informed that I owe $150 dollars for missing a previous appointment. An appointment that I had to leave a message to cancel because they RARELY PICK UP THE PHONE. I have never in my life been charged such an obscene amount for a missed appointment. Not from a doctor, not from a beauty parlor, not from a dentist. You can't justify charging people that amount, it's purely greed. On a petty level - The office feels like a sad, dank, technologically backwards, gross office from the 70's. Generally, I am an easy patient, but yesterday was the LAST time I will ever set foot in their office, and I left at a level 10 in anger. Those of us with mental health issues have limited options when it comes to psychiatrists, EVEN WITH decent insurance, and no one seems to be empathetic to the plight of us crazies. The hoops we have to jump through just to find a doctor, get an appointment, hope they actually understand our medical history, are up to date on current psych treatments (almost never the case), and then physically get to the office through perhaps unforgiving jobs, or even less forgiving mental disorders. They can do better. I can do better. You can do better. read more

This medical group gets one star for the doctor. My child has been to this office for over 7 years and although we love the doctor, the billing staff is incompetent and fail to do their job. I have left several messages over the course of weeks to return my call. I have a great insurance company. No contact has been made to let me know they have not been billing my insurance- and surprise, surprise! We have now been sent to collections. I have made at least 3 calls to have the superbills sent to our address so we can bill the insurance company directly and there has been no return calls, no invoices in the mail. Is this even legal? To bill someone and not give out an invoice or breakdown of your bill? The office manager and their billing department need to go. read more

I was given this office as a recommendation from doctor today. After reading the reviews I think I'm better off not going here and the fear they might make me worst. Wow horrible reviews. Why are they still treating people???? read more

The gross negligence and apathy of the Receptionists is abhorrent. I can't speak for the doctors because after two weeks of asking (and eventually begging) for an intake appointment, we've yet to be able to speak to someone who will schedule one. The ladies who answer the phones and theoretically return calls (thanks for nothing Alexandra) should be held liable for prolonging the suffering of potential clients. Their kind of work ethic and dedication can be fatal in this field. Go get jobs at a call center where people's lives AREN'T on the line. read more

Dr. Stanton is fantastic, and I feel lucky that she is treating me. I can't blame them too much about the wait times (though mine have never been more than 30 minutes) because our health care system is overburdened, and this is one of the only places that takes a variety of insurance options. So I appreciate that they try to see as many people as possible, and sometimes that means a longer wait than expected. However, the behavior and attitude of the front desk staff are less excusable. I just showed up for an appointment that's been on the books at least 6 weeks, only to be told "oh we called you and canceled it, the doctor isn't here, and there's nothing available for at least another six weeks." No one called me. No one spoke with me or left a message. It is extremely frustrating to have shown up for an appointment that *they* forgot to cancel, but what's worse is that I was offered no apology for the mistake or attempt to correct it in any way. I've just started a special treatment that my doctor had said she wanted to monitor, so going three months between visits is counter to her recommendation. But when I explained this to the receptionist, the response was a scornful "there's absolutely nothing I can do." I've spent many years working in front-facing customer service jobs, and I know how taxing it is dealing with stressed out people all day. But if someone is being polite and respectful with you, there is no excuse for not being polite and respectful with them. And if your mistake causes a patient problems and threatens their care, it's on *you* to try to fix it. read more

They withhold medication if you don't make continued appointments , without notifying you in any way. My pharmacy was contacting them for more than a week to make my refill and I didn't know about this until today when I need my meds. This has happened to me multiple times and it's such a hassle that I forget to switch to another psych office. This Is DANGEROUS because I get withdrawals & suicidal without my medication. It happened with them once before and I was in danger of hurting myself because of their utter incompetence. I've been on these meds for years and they force you to keep making expensive appointments just to get refills. No way to get continuous refills, not sure if it's just this office or it's how it goes. read more

Please do your research before going to this physicality for help. I canceled an appointment two week in advance, I remember because it took me many attempts to get through, I also requested someone to call me back to confirm cancellation which they did, a year later I received a bill for $150 for missed appointment also on the same statement I was charge for a missed appointment from 5 years ago $300 for missed appointments. I did nothing wrong someone needs to correct the incompetence of the office staff It looks like I'm not the only one having issues. I'm also posting compliant with the BBB a little bit of work but maybe someone of authority will take notice and correct this issue, the billing department needs to be audited . I hope this help others. read more

The office staff don't care if you live or die. Even worse, they don't care if you're suffering. They have no concept of how psych meds work. I'm having a problem now where I'm trying to get my prescription refilled, they are denying it because I need to make another appointment since I haven't been in in a while. I'm having severe withdrawal effects, I mentioned that, and instead of at least immediately refilling me for another month or two to cover the time, the office was making me quit cold turkey until I can get my next appointment. I kept calling in for help and the staff was never helpful. I called during the day, staff said my doctor is actually in the office but I could only leave a message on her voicemail even though it was an emergency. I had been trying to get through for three days, I was having mood swings, extreme anger, panic attacks and hurting myself. I finally actually got through to the doc via the emergency line after hours. It's way too difficult for someone with anxiety or other problems to get through to actual help here. The only good thing, Stanton is the first psych ever who listened to my fears about meds, and started me responsibly on small doses and increased them. I had way worse experiences before her and would advise anyone to research psych doctors as much as you can before going because one drug can screw up your life. I don't trust doctors until they prove what they can do for you. read more

When I first reached out to the MCLA Psychiatric Medical Group. I wanted to go to the one in Burbank, but the soonest appointment would be in Glendale. Which was 7 miles away from my home, but I was pretty desperate. I always felt like I had some undiagnosed issues and I wanted to get them diagnosed. I got an appointment with Levon Ter- Bagdasarian. My first appointment, I give him my life story. Proceed to tell him I suffer anxiety attacks, fits of depression, and went into certain details I won't post here. He then proceeds to hand me a piece of paper, with a series of questions. I fill out the paper, he looks at it, and says I only have mild anxiety and depression. Then, writes me a prescription for 25mg of Zoloft, and I was out the door. It didn't get better from there. Levon Ter Bagdasarian upped my prescription, his office didn't notify my pharmacy, and I've been without medication for over a month at the time of writing this. I tried calling his office twice both times directly to voicemail, and I just got a letter notifying me that my pharmacy reached out to his office and didn't receive a response. Don't go here! There are better places to get help. The appointments are too expensive, and the staff is curt and impatient, and my doctor treated me lie I wasn't worth his time, and frankly he's not worth yours. read more

Great group of people. They work very hard; I see the hardest of them all double the jewish last name, smokes, and is one of the most honest people I know. I am so grateful for his service, even though they have changed names on me like 5 times, and I just got a text about a bill (lol), I still love em, I'll pay when I have money I pay out of pocket for a reason its called good service. read more

Horrible byzantine phone system that does not work. My Dr moved and I was never notified. I subsequently tried to book appointments and was never told she was no longer there. The prescription desk is a disaster. They don't respond. At all. Ever. This may all work fine if you have time to spend entire days accomplishing simple tasks but.... I don't. Don't waste your time here. Truly. The Dr's may be fine but the front staff is a disaster. read more

You're better off going just about ANYWHERE else in the world than dealing with this supremely poorly run and managed facility. Notably the "reception" & "prescription" desks could care less that they are dealing with mental health issues. Zero sense of urgency or responsibility. Pretty much seems like a bare bones amount of effort on the staffs accountability & even after mentioning this to management nothing has improved. read more

Lukas Alexanian is a Waste of time does not help rude and condescending probably needs therapy himself. He seems like a angry belligerent man and I think his wearing a hair piece that aside he smelled like lamajou Armenian pizza and looked like he got dressed in the dark by a monkey read more

This review is for Dr Westmoreland, the least competent doctor I have ever had the displeasure of being treated by. She took me at least 20 late for every appointment with no apology and, most seriously, seems to have an extremely poor grasp of her branch of medicine. I truly fear for her patients' safety due to her gross incompetence and lack of professionalism. Example: This morning she looked at me and said "You have a rash on your face." She was talking about my freckles. FRECKLES. When I explained, "Nope, those are freckles," she started saying there was a cream for that. Very offended by the presumption that I would want to bleach my skin to get rid of the freckles and absolutely flabbergasted at how inappropriate this whole interaction was. read more

DO NOT SEND YOUR LOVED ONE TO SEE DR. LUKAS ALEXANIAN - THIS MAN SHOULD HAVE HIS PRIVILEGES STRIPPED FROM EVERY HOSPITAL HE BELONGS TO AND HIS LICENSE SHOULD BE REVOKED. If you are seeking real help, STAY AWAY. Easily one of the most abusive, aggressive, bullying doctors I have ever met. We had no choice but to use him as he is the only psych consult available at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. He never asked a single question of the patient, was rude, abusive, loud, obnoxious and absolutely the wrong doctor for someone who has just come out of a 3-day medically induced coma and respirator out of the ICU. He wants to check a box and collect a check from your insurance and that is all. Refused to consult with long time psychiatrist and psychologist on care of patient even though they had been working with her for years. STAY FAR AWAY. read more

Worst receptionist. They don't know the answer to any questions, rude, hang up on people that question the competence. What are they doi g working at a mental health facility when they dont know anything about mental health. Bad customer service patient services ever read more

This review is specifically for Sandra Jarboe...the woman I have to thank for my sanity (and I use that term lightly) ;) Anyhoo, when I was entering the final few years of my terrible 20's, I was a bit confused about my place in the world and really wasn't a happy camper. It's funny to think back to that time and recall what a friggin drama queen and emotional weirdo I was then, but thanks to Sandra she helped me work through the majority of my issues and was a joy to have as a guide through the trials and tribulations of my mind. I figured I would yelp her today, because I went through some real a-holes in the process of finding her and with so many terrible therapists out there, it's a joy to find one who gets it and will also say, ya know, i don't know if you need to come back for awhile, you seem right on course. Ahhh, refreshing. read more

Be very careful with these people. I was running a few minutes late to my first appt, so I called as a courtesy to let them know. The phone receptionist told me that the doctor would not see me if I was even 5 mins late, and I would be charged a $300 cancelation fee. I said I'm not canceling, I'm almost there, can I come or not? She said, "I don't know. You will be charged $300 and he will not see you." This has to be violating some city or state laws, no? So I came home, and asked to speak to the doctor. I was going to report him to every consumer agency I can find. She said, "he will not speak to you because you are not his patient. I will waive the $300 fee, but you can not come here." Hopefully I avoided getting taken by their scam. But if I receive a $300 bill, I'm going to go after them legally. Beware. read more

This office is horrible. The office staff and Dr. iskendarian. They finally got a new billing person to fix all the screw up from the last one. My husband has been seeing dr iskendarian for almost a year now, but we've had it. He's rude, doesn't care about you, only cares about prescribing drugs on top of drugs. Will see you for 5 minute and write a prescription. He won't allow refills, you must come into the office and pay for an appointment before he will do a refill. We got a new insurance and on our part failed to tell the office during the time of our last visit. Yesterday, i called to office because i got my bill in the mail stating insuranse said we had no coverage, so called to give them the new insurance info, i spoke with the new billing person, who seemed like she was the only one in the office who gave a crap about anything. My husband just ran out of his prescription so we called to ask about a refill (dr will only refill like 3 pils to get you to your next appt.) and also schedule his next appt, he had to leave a msg for the dr to call him back. About an hour later, the dr called and basically accused my husband of not having insurance and not paying his bills, said he wouldn't do any refills of his meds (mind you this is a suicidal depressive person) and that he wouldn't schedule an appt because he didn't believe that he had insurance. Now, if this office was communicative, he would know that we gave our new insurance info. Nobody deserves to be treated this way, especially if you are treating clients for mental health then bashing them and making them feel like crap. Never again will we go there. read more

I am forced to come here every few months to see a nurse practitioner - which is all I can afford since I don't have insurance - who seems vaguely irritated that I'm there as he spends 15 minutes scribbling out a prescription. Mind you, this is a prescription that my former psychiatrist - whom I adored and who retired, alas - had me on for four years before I came to this joint. So it's not like there was a lot of guesswork in figuring out meds or dosage. Nurse doesn't even particularly ask about side effects, or take my blood pressure or anything - he stares at his folder, nods, and scribbles. (Not that I'm looking for talk therapy with a psychiatric medication prescriber, but a little spark of humanity might be nice.) My psychiatrist used to write a year-long prescription for me. This place makes me come in and fork over a nice cash fee every three months just to get a refill. The place feels impersonal and perfunctory. It's not horrendous, but I just know that one can do much better. However, I have always had very pleasant interactions with the main receptionist and Melanie in the prescription office, who has been so extremely helpful. She's why I didn't ditch this place after the first visit. Today I called to see if I could postpone my appointment that was to occur in 22 hours - because I couldn't afford it this week - and the woman who answered the phone and spoke to me was about as helpful as a half-eaten sandwich. Woman On Phone: Well, that would count as a missed appointment. Me: Oh...then I guess I'll have to find the money and come. Woman On Phone: We could just bill you. Me: *Being there* isn't the problem. *Paying* is. I can't wait for Obamacare so I can find a real provider and some prescription coverage and get outta this place. Fingers crossed tomorrow's appointment is my last one at this place. read more

I have been seeing Physician Assistant Levon Ter-bagdasarian for almost 4 years and he has consistently gone over and above for me and helping me with my situation. I appreciate the help that he and my therapist also there Matthew Ghukassian have helped me through many crises and I would not be here without them. read more

MCLA Psychiatric Medical Group - Waiting area is spacious and there are lots of magazines. :) - Doctors Near Me - Glendale, California

I greatly enjoy going on my monthly visits to see Dr. Woodall, a therapist that hasn't been mentioned just yet. She's amazing, and sweet, and she gives me the time to explain myself. I adore her. The reason why I didn't give this five stars is the parking (you have to validate, and sometimes if you overstay it can get expensive) and the waiting room. I don't appreciate the classical music they play, and the waiting room is all but soothing. Other than that, the other therapists seem very nice, the secretary is a very polite, docile woman, and I would recommend M.C.L.A. to anyone in need of therapy and/or medication. Good luck! (Not that you'll need it here.) : ) read more

If I could give this 0 stars I would. I went to dr alexanian and I was Polly drugged horribly. I was put on a medication a benzodiazepine that your not supposed to take longer then 3 weeks I was on it over a year and the withdraw is hell I've been suffering now for 7 months . He diagnosed me with panic disorder and I've had 2 panic attacks in my life. I was prescribed 7 different meds... now that I'm off all my meds I'm having to go to therapy and much more because my anxiety is much worse. And no check ups from him , he just wanted to put me on more meds.STAY AWAY FROM THIS DR.. read more

Stay away. They are nothing but a money making organization of hacks. They double book. Every time I go my practitioner sees me an hour after our scheduled time. Matters that a normal psychaitrist would handle over the phone they insist on making you come in for an appointment. read more

I would advise anyone who is considering coming here for improving their mental health to do some serious research. My situation with them was not good. They should really do some work on their policies and inter office communication. I also found them harsh and un caring. read more

I've been calling for two weeks and filled out their online form but Pamela never answers or calls back! Why does the receptionist transfer you to a line when no one is there? Just say she's not there and tell me when I should call. I'm really trying to get help, it shouldn't have to be this hard, especially if you work 60hrs and are experiencing debilitating anxiety. Going somewhere else. read more

Okay, so I'll start by saying I've seen three psychiatrists here: Dr. Campeanu & Dr. Rosenberg, I think hate their jobs and don't really give two shits about their patients. Dr. Alexanian has treated me in the hospital before, he is a fantastic psychiatrist. My current psychiatrist is Dr. Stanton - I absolutely love her. She really gives thorough examinations, has a wonderful personality, and I've been feeling significantly better with her treatment. As far as therapy goes, I have seen Avo Soltanian in the past and he really helped me get in touch with my feelings. I have switched to seeing Mariam, and she is an absolutely wonderful! Very insightful, I consider myself quite a complicated person and she seems to really understand the way I function, I see her weekly and I often feel better after my sessions with her. I've heard some comments talk about the staff itself, yes there are some rude people but also some great people there! M.C.L.A. has a lot of psychiatrists/therapists. Some are not good, but the ones I have are great!!! read more

Obviously people who are going to MCLA are crazy (including myself), so take their reviews with a grain of Lithium...oh I meant salt. I'm not going to reveal my doctor because I don't want people flooding her because she is so awesome! She has protected me from workplace abuse and verbal harassment because I have severe Complex-PTSD resulting from childhood sexual abuse from the age of 5 to 16 years old. I had a brutal childhood. I have been seeing my doctor since 2005 because my Employment Assistance Counseling found her for me. It was difficult for them to find a Psychiatrist that suited my plethora of needs. I have never been protected from abuse, so for someone to have the level of compassion that she has given me for nearly 10 years is a blessing and I will forever be grateful for this. She put me on workplace disability 3 times. The third time recommended permanent disability and she immediately started the process to put me on Social Security. Because she had a novel of psychiatric medical records, but I also had over 5 years of employment, I immediately qualified for Social Security...without a fight with the government. My doctor is quick to respond to calling in prescription refills, and to return calls. I don't intend on being on SSDI forever, I would like to get back to a job that will not be in such an abusive environment. It's given me the ability to start my bachelors degree, and perhaps onto a masters. I have been able to take care of myself with her support. She is part of my recovery army and I have to say I absolutely love her. I give MCLA-Glendale 4 stars because I think when accounting needs money they don't make the automated appointment reminder. If I forget to put it on my calendar or just plain forget, I get charged $75 for the missed appointment. I hate that but it's not abnormal for a doctor to charge a cancellation fee. Mary used to be a receptionist but was promoted. I think she is pretty cool and I think she likes it when I say hi and recognize her. Chrystal, the assistant in Burbank, and occasionally in Glendale on the weekend, is super competent and really really sweet. I never had to worry if she was going to process paperwork. I guess it's your attitude that might have a negative affect on your experience. read more

I have two disabilities and was ordered to perform yet another Delphi Forensic test to receive a critical medication. The Doctors do not practice medicine but European politics. AVOID! read more

This practice is an excellent psychiatric practice. I have great respect for all the psychiatrists in the office. Also, I have shared cases with the therapists and seen one myself. They are very professional and thorough. They don't beat around the bush. They don't take Medicare, though. read more

Had my first appointment today with Dr Campeano. He is a very nice, compassionate doctor who listened to me in a very non judgmental way. He was very professional and appreciated all the preparatory info I sent in. The staff was extremely nice and efficient and I look forward to returning. read more

I can confirm that all the reviews about the office staff here are on point. Truly shameful behavior by the receptionists.