I have seen two different therapists there at Riverside over a few years. Everyone is very…read moreprofessional. The office staff is always nice and go out of their way to be helpful. I highly recommend this clinic.

From the owner: Riverside Counseling & Consulting in Decatur, AL, is a private practice counseling and consulting…read morecenter that aims to help you improve your life. Our caring staff has over 30 years of professional experience to assist you and promote change in your l

I came to Dr. Draa not long after finding myself in the unfamiliar (to me) position of living in a…read moresafe, stable home. Because my first few decades of life were essentially an indistinguishable blur of pain and abuse, I had a lot to sort out, and I assumed an actual psychologist could competently help me do so. I was wrong: Draa not only proved wholly incompetent, but she abused her position of authority to routinely dismiss me, gaslight me, and argue that I just "misunderstood" my own experiences. First: Draa is neither trained in treating CPTSD (complex trauma caused by long-term abuse), nor does she even comprehend its nature. As I now know, complex trauma cannot be treated with CBT, but that didn't stop Draa from ineffectually flailing away at my symptoms with its inadequate techniques. Thus, each time she brandished her magic CBT wand, I had to 1) go through my symptoms all over again, and 2) explain to this purportedly well-educated professional why her approach was misfiring. Over and over and OVER I tried to recount the psychological phenomena I struggled with. I know now that I was describing common CPTSD symptoms such as identity disintegration, emotional flashbacks, dissociation, etc., but I might as well have been speaking Mandarin as far as Draa was concerned, because her response never varied: a noncommittal "mm" before she simply changed the subject. And since she was the ostensible expert, I naturally (unsurprisingly) blamed myself for her failure to understand. It never occurred to me that she might just be unutterably ignorant, and complacently so. That, however, was exactly what she was. So when at last she'd exhausted every trick in her stash--and when each, predictably, had fallen short--she gave up. By this, I mean that instead of humbly admitting her fundamental ignorance and educating herself about CPTSD, Draa--with all the empathy of a bored robot--resorted to running out the clock while mechanically mirroring, reflecting, and restating her way through each session. The preceding failed sessions had already frustrated me beyond belief, but that final, ludicrous downshift to Counseling 101 cliches was too much. I don't know if she genuinely thought I wouldn't notice she was no longer even bothering, or if she was just hoping I'd give up and go away. Trust me, Dr. Draa: I noticed. All this was dismaying enough, but far more insidious was her persistent gaslighting. With a safe home life at last, I'd finally begun to distinguish between the kinds of abuse I'd experienced; per Google's policies, I fully consent to share this: I recognized I'd experienced SA, and so I did exactly what you're supposed to do--I disclosed the SA. Here was Draa's response: "I'm not convinced of that." What? What kind of "therapist" says that? I wasn't asking if she thought I'd maybe kinda sorta been SA'ed. I was TELLING HER I'd been SA'ed. Moreover, Draa didn't even bother asking for a single, clarifying detail before dismissing my disclosure. Shaken, I pointed this out. But as if her first response wasn't incredible enough, the follow-up was mind-boggling: With the sincerity of a text-to-speech synthesizer, she announced that "the key" was "not going back" to think about any abuse, because it would just "bother" me, and that whatever might've happened, I couldn't do anything about it now anyway, so I should just "move forward." Again I blamed myself, thinking I just needed to explain better, so that's what I tried to do. How did Draa respond? By not only defending my abuser, but by "coming up with different scenarios" (her exact words, not kidding) to explain what had "really" happened. Thank God she provided such clarity! Now I totally see that my decades of scream-awake nightmares were all because of "misunderstanding"! Finally, after 14 re-traumatising sessions, I understood: I wasn't failing to explain. Rather, Draa was simply unwilling to listen. And if dismissing me, gaslighting me, and shutting me down ensured she kept her ears plugged, so what? It's not like she went to school for this job or anything.

From the owner: We work with a wide range of emotional and behavioral issues. Our goal is to create a safe,…read morenon-judgmental, and caring place where adults, children, adolescents and their families not only feel heard, but understood. Providing individual and family counseling. Conditions treated but not limited to are: ADHD, Anxiety, Behavoral Issues, Bipolar, Depression, Grief, Trauma, Military related issues. Spanish Speaking Therapist License and State: 3589C Alabama

The office manager is incredibly unqualified and rude. The nurse practitioners don't seem to stay…read morelong so you have to keep changing to someone else. The office staff doesn't seem to care about anyone's personal privacy. They are low grade and don't truly care for anyone.

So far so good, just made my first appointment and looking forward to being seen…read more Everyone has been super helpful......

Julie is an incredible counselor. She is so caring and understanding and asks really meaningful…read morequestions that help you get to the bottom of whatever your problem might be. She is very dedicated to your wellbeing and extremely knowledgeable. Super glad I found her!!

From the owner: M. B. Whitman once said, "Keep your face to the sun and the shadows will fall behind you." This…read morequote represents resilience, having a positive outlook, and choosing happiness. Easier said than done, right? That is what I am here for. I am excited to help you become resilient and regain control of your life. Together we will work on exploring feelings in a non-judgmental environment, finding effective coping mechanisms, and improving areas that you wish to work on. My name is Julie Wilson, M.S., ALC, NCC and I am proud to be your future counselor. As an Associate License Counselor, I am under the supervision of Dr. Kelly Owenby LPC-S, NCC. I utilize and appreciate most theoretical approaches. I find myself often using a person-centered approach with cognitive behavioral techniques or dialectal behavioral techniques. I also have a love for art therapy and play therapy. Ultimately, my sessions are tailored to the client's individual needs for successful outcomes. As a counselor, I value the importance of building a successful client-therapist relationship together. I believe in collaborating to work on therapeutic goals. Together, we can work toward empowerment. I look forward to working with you and am so excited to be a part of your healing journey!

They take forever to send your medications to your pharmacy. They even sent it to the wrong…read morepharmacy. The people are sweet but they do not have a hurrying bone in their body.

This is a great place and the Nurse Practitioner is very knowledgeable and compassionate about what…read moreshe does and seems to be caring toward her patients. The only thing is that the Nurse practitioner is only available Thursday and Friday. I have referred several people to this place but because of scheduling availability and conflicts they have yet to get an appointment with her. Andra Katie Bright needs to be at this place M-F, not just 2 days a week because there is a huge need for her and others at this wonderful place!!