It looks like the negative 1-star review(s) here and elsewhere are for one specific therapist in…read morethis office. That brings down the rating for the other therapists there, which is a real shame. One of the therapists here, Debbie Jockin, is BY FAR the absolute best and most effective mental health counselor in the area. She is the *only* one I've found here who is trained to practice the CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) "modality" (method of treatment). That makes all the difference. Every other counselor our family members have seen over the years have just seemed like talking to a sympathetic friend. This made us feel better very short term, and which could continue for years with little permanent improvement. Almost none of the counselors never mentioned or advertised that they use any specific proven psychological methods / modalities. Wikipedia and other sites have good summaries of what CBT is. It's a specific method of retraining your brain to stop unpleasant negative thoughts and moods. It really worked, and fast. I was able to stop going after just 5 sessions. Also, with CBT, you can continue doing the CBT exercise yourself at home for free, using free apps and worksheets, and it helps you address new problems. With the usual talking therapy, you have to wait for an appointment and pay to go back in to be seen. Debbie is also very nice, supportive, flexible, and insightful. She does other types of therapy methods too. Her listings mentioned Christian Therapy. I was nervous that might mean she wouldn't be very compatible with some family members who are something other than Christian, but it never came up. Our various family members have seen literally dozens of counselors over the years. I think we've seen practically every counselor in the Fredericksburg area who gets good reviews and is accepting new patients.

I could not be happier with the services my daughter received at Behavioral Healthcare of…read moreFredericksburg. I had a real struggle trying to find counseling services for my 14 year old daughter. Debbie Jockin was recommended to me through a friend. She got my daughter in within a few weeks, where other places were quoting a several month wait. Debbie communicated with me, and my child at each visit. We discussed issues and goals, and I began to notice how the services were benefiting my child early in the treatment. Debbie not only uses conversation in the sessions but also utilizes helpful exercises to improve things such as active listening and maneuvering through moral dilemmas. Insurance/billing was communicated with the office manager Jen, who was always great, and got everything done in a timely manner. Overall, the experience with Behavioral Healthcare of Fredericksburg has been very positive, and I recommend this office to anyone with an adolescent who is in need of mental health services.

This was the finest Psychologist I have met. I was forced by pain management to be "evaluated" for…read moreany possible addiction issues (what a joke), as Virginia now does to all pain patients. Dr. Fray was delightful to deal with and his assistant equally delightful.

I began with rough time; but with the help of Andrew, I quickly settled down into a calm that i had…read morenot experienced for a long time. He helped me remember that the built-up anger inside me could be replaced by remembering how great the please and fun was of the experiences I had and I should remember that and be happy they are part of my history, not angry over their ending. Andrew helped me look inside me and build back the strength that I have always had. I cannot praise the gratitude I fell toward Andrew and his staff for how they helped me get over my anger. Dr. Russell Carter, former college professor.

regret having to come to this practice. The counselor was ok, only listened to me. I could done…read morethat with friends but I really wanted to give it try. As for the office manager was unprofessional and rude. For a year and half I was going there and they forgot to charge me for the copay ($10) twice when my information was in the system. This lady kept calling weekly about the payment or I will be placed in collections. I'm not of one to give financial information over the phone, in which I told her "next time I come I will take of it" she replied "No you need to pay now" My insurance Anthem by the way, paid 15x that amount every visit and she is after me for $20? I wanted to speak to her supervisor but she said I'm the supervisor. That was that. I Do not recommend this place thanks to the financial lady that was rude about $20.

Overcharges and blames insurance company for not terminating her contract, when that's her…read moreresponsibility, so charging out of network prices instead of allowable amount. Insurance rep stated she knows she her contract is active. I was willing to pay the out of network until I found out she was not being honest and when I asked for reimbursement of the overcharged amount she refused and refused to contact the insurance company. Very unprofessional. She also doesn't remember what was covered in previous sessions and doesn't stick to your goals. 8 visits and no treatment plan, you'll never finish so you'll continue paying.

I've tried different therapists over the year. I finally found Kandi and can't say enough good…read morethings about her. She listens and helps me understand where my emotions are coming from. She has helped me step outside my comfort bubble to enjoy life. I always feel like I can conquer the world after leaving a session with her. Highly recommend Kandi Rodgers

After 27 years of very mostly good marriage my husband and I began to realize that our methods of…read morecommunication were not working for us. He's passive aggressive and I can be, well ... aggressive. The impetus for us seeking counseling was my husband breaking my trust - and I was very hurt. I made a joint counseling session but my husband had a work conflict so he couldn't attend, so I went myself. The appointment with Nadine was very bizarre. I was upset and wanted to talk -- but apparently she did too because she talked at me the majority of the appointment (about her own husband, her daughter, her own health issues, cost of therapy, another patient she treated who was dying/died of cancer). She basically convinced me that my husband was a fast talking salesman who was probably having an affair. She said she wanted to meet him individually to give him a chance to "shmooz" her. I told her he is a great guy and she would like him but she had made up her mind. She developed a ton of hypotheticals that she thought were going on in our marriage -- most of which were totally NOT on point; but that's not a surprise since she didn't really give me a chance to talk and in fact stopped me several times. I told her that I don't want to be the type of wife that has to check my husbands social media accounts and she told me that I have an "absolute responsibility" to check them. Not the point, I want to develop trust, not be a detective in my own marriage. At the end of the 45 minute session she said, "Was that helpful?" I told her yes, but honestly I was totally confused and upset when I left. My husband then had his individual session. She met with him for an hour and 15 minutes (according to him) and asked him about his entire childhood. She asked him what he liked and didn't like about me. She asked him what we like to do together (she didn't ask me any of those questions) and when he mentioned that he likes "Jam bands" and I don't, she said to him, "Well maybe she should like your music." I was floored by that comment. We listen to a lot of music that we both like and I think it's crazy to think that two people would always love the same thing. I respect his love of jam bands, and he respects my love of show tunes -- which I don't expect him to listen to. Anyhow, he felt listened to during his session so I had high hopes that I would feel the same way after my second session with her. So, my second session started with what felt like an immediate attack. She started by TELLING my that my approach with talking to my husband is bad and that if I want him to talk to me I need to change my approach. I told her I want to learn to respond so that he CAN be honest and she said, "can you handle that? Be careful for what you ask for." I acknowledge that I need to work on this, but it would be helpful to be listened to and validated BEFORE what felt like victim shaming. At one point I told her that in the midst of our troubles he left me in a parking lot for 45 minutes while he went into a bar with a woman I don't trust. She said to me, "Well why didn't you go? It was 3 to 2, majority rules." She then said, "You should have put your arm around him, gone into the bar and danced with him like you were the lie of the party. You need to claim your man." WHAT??? I was floored by her antiquated views on marriage. My husband will tell you that I VERY FREQUENTLY go with him to places I don't want to go because I want to make him happy and for Nadine to suggest that I should just suck it up was completely offensive. She then went on to tell me that since my husband grew up in foster care he probably didn't want children. I told her that he is a great father and was the one who wanted kids. She said, "He probably just told you that." Okay, our kids are 26 and 32 so isn't that water under the bridge. Ugh. She ended our session by saying, "Your husband is going to like me a lot more than you are through this process" and that her style is to "hit you with a 2x4." I guess I don't feel like being beat up at this particular moment. Anyhow, I left her office in tears and I can't tell you how frustrated I was at her method of guessing what our problems are (and mostly incorrectly) without taking the time to hear the full story. She had clearly taken a side after 1 conversation with my husband and determined that I was the problem. Shouldn't a therapist know that BOTH people in a marriage bear blame when things break down? Anyhow, I don't often leave reviews because everyone's opinions about services are different, I felt compelled to share my experience in hopes of sparing someone else the trauma of a horrible experience with a therapist who would rather hear herself talk than listen.

If I could give negative stars I would. Athena is clearly a very intelligent person and seems to be…read morevery knowledgeable about the human psyche. If that was enough... On the 4th or 5th couples sessions with my wife and I she literally torpedoed my marriage in front of my eyes. She told my wife I didn't love her and that she needs to start preparing for the impending divorce. WTF?! You are supposed to be HELPING me and my wife make things better and strengthen our relationship. Oh, and I read the other reviews on Yelp only after this terrible session. Sadly, some of them were exactly like our experience. Athena pigeon-holed me into a particular type of man with certain characteristics that were 50% accurate at best. Fortunately, my wife and I continue to work on ourselves and our marriage...without the "help" of Athena. Oh, and she peddles her BS products outside of the counseling sessions as if $190/for 50 minutes wasn't enough. I am sure your book is great but don't I pay enough for you to just include a copy? Do yourselves, your marriages, and your wallet a favor - DO NOT COME CLOSE TO ATHENA! She is more interested in hearing her own voice and enriching herself than she is in helping people.

I went to see Athena several times to address marital problems and my own problems, which include…read moresex addiction. She is very knowledgeable and intelligent. Perhaps that gets in the way of her actually asking questions and listening to the patient. She spent too much time lecturing and too little time asking questions and listening, in my opinion. I wanted to understand why I had certain recurring fantasies, and she offered a theory, but did not help me delve into anything in my past that would help me understand. I felt sometimes like she had me put into a box in her theories without even knowing much about my history or feelings. I felt a little like when you go to a tailor who has only one suit to fit you, and keeps telling you how great it fits on you, even though it doesn't fit to you. The last straw was her telling me that I didn't know my own feelings and not to trust my feelings; kind of a reverse Obi Wan Kenobe. I had left a woman I was with for a year after I realized that I still love my wife and that I needed to address my sex addiction. I told Athena that I still had feelings for the former girlfriend and that was causing some emotional difficulty. I wasn't saying I wanted to go back to the former girlfriend, just that I was having difficulty. She told me I didn't love that woman; she said it couldn't be love because of all of the problems that relationship had caused. I agree that the relationship caused a lot of problems, but I don't think that means I couldn't have loved her. That's like saying my wife couldn't love me because I have caused her a lot of grief, or I couldn't love my father who caused me grief. I don't see the point of her insisting that I deny my own feelings; it doesn't seem like good therapeutic practice to me. She also told me I was cruel for telling my wife that I was having a hard time after my former girlfriend texted me on Christmas day. I didn't text the girlfriend back, and I was only telling my wife because I was reaching out for help. Like an alcoholic who doesn't want to take a drink or a drug addict who doesn't want to go for a hit, and reaches out to keep himself from doing it. I know it did hurt my wife to hear that, but I don't think I was being cruel, and I don't see the value of her insisting on that with me. When I wrote and told her why I was stopping therapy with her, Athena's response was basically to blame me. She felt that I was not sufficiently committed to the process to be successful, despite my having read an entire book and completed several written assignments for her; none of which she did much to follow up on. I wondered why she had my wife and I read Harville Hendrix's book on Getting the Love You Want, which teaches about Imago Therapy, then had us practice it only once, and certainly did not practice the techniques of mirroring, validation, and empathy herself when listening to me. I wish she had accepted a little bit of responsibility for the failure of her therapy to be very helpful with me. I accept my share of it, but I think she should also look at her own ego. I accept that Athena is well trained and probably did see things about me that I don't always see about myself. But on some things I think she was mistaken, and was very stubborn about continuing to insist on them when it was obviously not helping me. Her style of therapy may work with some people, but I would not recommend her to anyone.