CCBH is not a safe place for your loved ones, and hopefully Pedro will do something about someday. CONNER stopped seeing his Psych patients without informing them, even though he is still with CCBH. It was a hard NO when I asked if Conner would continue with any "existing" patients. Very bad business, and "ethically" horrible, avoid at all cost. read more

My son was under the care of Dr Pedro Guimaraes and died. My husband and I met with Dr Guimaraes following the death of our son. Dr Guimaraes informed us that his office made numerous mistakes while under their care. After reviewing our sons medical records, we discovered that our son was only being prescribed medication, no counseling or monitoring was been done. I would not recommend this office to anyone. It was evident that the office is under staffed and prime focus is high volume patient with very little effort on patient care. High volume equates to collecting money from insurance companies but not providing care. Patient records are not maintained, under staff and Nurse Practitioner directed me to seek counseling when I informed staff my son was having a mental breakdown will resulted in my sons death. read more

Pedro Guimaraes,MD - This is the treatment you'll receive at this office. Focus is on profits not treatment. - Psychiatrists Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

Dr. Pedro Gumires is a highly trained Neurologist who specializes in Psychiatry my past experience with Dr P.G was exceptional and he is very knowledgeable, since his departure of his office he may not be aware of any issues that may be occurring.. As a result I will do my due diligence to try to inform him. And many times people will report out of distaste , it can be a tricky thing when treating mental illnesses. read more

My son was seen in this clinic for depression and anxiety. He called early on a Friday to cancel a Monday appointment that he had a conflict with. There was no answer even though during working hours, so he left a message. He did not receive a call back, and then he began to receive bills for $115 no show fee. A letter was sent explaining that he did call to cancel, but nonetheless received a bill stating it was going to be sent to collections unless paid. read more

The receptionists are some of the rudest people I have ever met. I just got off the phone with one who cut me off several times while I was talking and kept asking "what's your name" "what's your question". I had a question regarding medication and she would not transfer me to the appropriate person and tried to deflect my call. She then inappropriately asked "what's your medication" and when I calmly asked her if she was a clinician and told her I want to talk to someone licensed about my dosage she defensively responded, "we don't change medication unless you've seen a psychiatrist." She then put me on speaker phone and aggressively asked again "what's your question?" I literally dread calling this place because of the experiences I've had. One time I called and in the middle of me talking, the receptionist said to her coworker "It's almost 5, you know what that means" and then proceeded to laugh. Another time, I called to double check that my appointment had been rescheduled and before I could finish, the receptionist demanded "You need to pay the no show fee. I don't see a message, you need to pay!" I don't understand how and why these women work in the mental health field. I feel like I'm calling some horrible customer service line or something. They obviously are miserable people based on the way they treat others, but their behavior makes navigating mental health services even more difficult than it already is. For identification purposes, the women sound Latina on the phone. As an organization, you should be completely disheartened. read more

They never call in my rx when requested. I always have to call and find our who's not doing their job. Do i need to apply to do the job for them? read more

This practice is what's known as a "Pill Mill". Our son was a patient who did not receive a standard of care that an ordinary and reasonable person would expect. After our sons death, we met with Dr. Guimaraes who admitted to "many horrendous errors" that his office made. Upon obtaining the medical records, we discovered there were NO notes for five months of visits, just more scripts. Beware. And please feel free to contact me for more information. read more

The most unprofessional and incompetent staff I have ever encountered. I've been seeing Dr. G for almost 9 years and the staff turnover is so fast and they just keep getting worse and worse. The office staff is rude and doesn't know what they are doing. I've been seeing the same nurse for a couple of years now and I like her but one of the office staff changed me to a different nurse today without telling me. The appointment was useless and a waste of my money. Don't waste your time here if you want professional help. read more

First of all, the website is completely misleading. They claim to address the biopsychosocial spiritual model, but in all actuality, they are a run of the mill psychiatrist office that is more interested in writing scripts than actually treating patients. My appointment was NOT with a psychiatrist but with a nurse practitioner (Mary Meiselman) who seemed cold and somewhat rushed in her assessment. The staff is incompetent and argumentative. The assistant manager (Sean) obviously does not know much about medication (which is absurd because he is the one responsible for calling in medications to pharmacies). He informed me that he would be calling in a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT medication than what was discussed with the prescriber. When i questioned him about his error, he became defensive and completely denied what he had told me not three days prior. When I inquired about psychotherapy services, Mary Meiselman advised me to look online for therapists in the area. I was in shock. As an educated person (BA Clinical psychology, Masters Clinical psychology in progress), I know and understand the process that should be followed and the care needed when dealing with those who have a mental illness. THIS OFFICE POSSESSES NEITHER. It is a shame that they were unable to provide the care that they advertised as I was very hopeful that this was in fact not just another prescription pushing psychiatrist office. Do yourself a favor and find an office who is competent and caring enough to treat you properly. read more

I loved him when I first started going there, which was about three years ago. He did my psychotherapy and prescribing. He was very attentive and caring. I was suicidal and he helped me a lot. I was able to wean off of drugs after about a year. I went back after approximately a year of being off of drugs because I started feeling like I could be lapsing. Everything in the office had changed. He had several NP's and it was all about handing out pills. After not being there for quite some time, I was only seen by an NP who didn't even bother to ask why I was there or how was feeling.. She put me on my last max dose of an anti-depressant and sent me on my way. That max dose made me incredibly sick. I will never go back. read more

Only reason I put a one is due to their system always being down and when I call 48 hrs in advance to cancel an appt they charge me anyway. They then rescheduled me unbeknownst an charge me for missing another appt. Bridget the nurse there is lovely and such an amazing help but I will not be returning because I am tired of fighting obscene charges for mistakes on their end. read more

They never gave a thought that I'd been there for 10 years! Doc didn't care that I had seizures going through cold turkey withdrawal off numerous meds. I'm finally ready to report this office to medical authorities! They also send me bills, what a joke. They are straight cash for drugs business! Don't understand when Dr. gave up on integrity. read more

I recently moved to SLO and was transferred from the behavioral services in my previous country to the services here, where Dr. Guimaraes became my new psychiatrist. I'm surprised at the negative reviews here. I've had many psychiatrists because of the unfortunate "doctor of the month" nature of county funded services. Dr. Guimaraes is among the better doctors I've met, including private practitioners. My experience was that a nurse first spoke to me about how I was feeling, and then the nurse, myself, and Dr. Guimares would talk. I haven't seen this technique used before, but I find it very helpful in expressing my needs to the doctor. Dr. Guimares suggested medication changes and fully explained why he would prescribe those medications in particular. He did not force any change to the medications on me and the decision was left up to me. I have been to this office both when it was relatively quiet, and when it was quite packed, and the wait time seemed reasonable to me in both cases. I once misremembered my appointment time, came an hour late, and found that the staff were still willing to fit me into their schedule. Very kind people. Most importantly to me, Dr. Guimaraes seems to be up on his medical knowledge and his knowledge of prescription protocols and office type things. This is very helpful, especially if you have medications that need monthly filling and an insurance company that needs 'prior authorizations' 3 days before you've run out of pills. Dr. Guimareas--or likely his office staff--have been very quick about responding to those issues. I never feel "left handing," which has been my experience with many other doctors. I think it's fair to say Dr. Guimaraes is a busy doctor that perhaps can't give every patient the amount of support they might find in more expensive clinics with less patients. That said, the way he's integrated nurses into patient care, the amazing competence of his office staff, and the way he treats me when he does meet with me, have all combined to make me feel more than safe with this doctor and his staff. tl;dr: I'm very pleased with the level of care I've received here and I hope others aren't intimidated before their appointments. read more

I was a patient for 7 years- because no other Dr took my insurance & accepted minors. He is incredibly inattentive to his patients & spends little time with them. He stands by the door during appointments with his hand outstretched for the door handle- he doesn't want to listen or spend time helping you. He had prescribed 5 different medications at once when I was 14. Meds to supplement other meds, meds to counteract the side-effects of other meds, etc. All of these medications were incredibly expensive and he always pushed more and more medications. He prescribed me benzodiazepines for anxiety when I was 13, there was no warning about their addictive effects, no warning to my parents. The only saving grace was my nurse practitioner, Bridget, she cared and listened, but even she ended up leaving. I am not the type to leave a bad review, but my experience with Dr Guimaraes was very bad. I feel others need to be warned about the psychiatric pill mill he's running. read more

I started seeing Dr. Guimaraes about five years ago during my second trimester of pregnancy. I was in such an emotionally unstable and low place in my life and was very frustrated. More than anything I wanted to feel present, happy, excited about the upcoming birth of my first child. Dr. G spent a great deal of time with me on my first visit - both listening to my story and history and then also by explaining verbally how our brains work, pulling up actual scientific research on his computer to show & read to me, and even getting out various medical books to show me. I really felt like he took the time to help ME. He genuinely wanted to help me while taking my pregnancy and any possible negative drug interactions into account. I left his office that day with a feeling of hope that I had never had before. I saw Dr. G personally for every appointment during my pregnancy and during the first year of motherhood. My daughter was born healthy as can be and I now have an awesome, happy, goofy little 4 yr old! As others have mentioned, Dr. G slowly phased out of my appointments and I was matched up with one of his new hires, a woman by the name of Johanna. In the beginning, Dr. G was always sure to step in and see how I was doing during these transitional appointments. I never felt abandoned. Eventually, Johanna moved on to a job elsewhere to further specialize in her psychiatric career. It was a sad parting of ways for me because she is wonderful, intelligent, and caring! I was then seen by a couple different RNs & NPs, which was a little confusing and frustrating. However, I was kept informed about all of the changes going on in the office and again, never felt abandoned. I am now a regular with Bianca who is a PN-C. She is just as smart & wonderful as Johanna and I remain a happy and grateful patient. Bianca actually took the time to go back to the very beginning of my file and read through all the notes taken during each of my visits to better understand where I had been, what I had gone through, what medications I had tried, and what I had reported in regards to taking each. She even took notes and then spent the time to go over them with me! Mind blowing, right? While this seems like it should be standard practice for any doctor taking over another's patient, in reality, it's simply isn't. In addition, I never feel like Bianca (or anyone I have seen) is pushing pills/medication on me. If anything, I feel like the goal is to minimize the amount of medication I am prescribed. In short, I have always felt that my best interests are at heart. And even though I don't see Dr. G personally anymore, I know that he's there if I need him. I would simply need to specify this when making my appointment. HINT HINT: to those of you who have expressed frustration with not seeing Dr. G personally, I recommend trying this approach. The next time you make an appointment, tell them specifically WHO you want the appointment with! Seems pretty obvious to me. Others have mentioned their surprise and disappointment in some of the low ratings Dr. G, his office staff or NP's, RN's, & PA-C have been given. Having been a patient of his for so long and going through the move between offices in addition to a period of dramatic growth for the practice overall, I can certainly see how some patients may have felt like they didn't get the care they deserved. In defense to the office as a whole, things can get a bit chaotic during times of great change! However, I do believe that Dr. G and his core staff did an exceptional job given the pressure that running this type of office inherently brings. In addition, Dr. G has obviously been very particular about who he hires to work with him. I have seen several come and go as he expanded his business to meet the community's demand for service. To me this says that Dr. G and his core staff listen to the feedback from patients regarding the quality of care they are given and make the necessary adjustments by letting some new hires go in pursuit of finding the right people to fill the job. My tip to anyone reading this review is the following: Remember that you and only you are in charge of your body, health and well-being. Doctors and their staff are human, they are not gods. They are fallible, as we all are. If you aren't happy with something, change it. If you had a particularly negative experience, don't let that stop you from advancing. Perhaps you feel the need to seek psychiatric help elsewhere - that's fine. But don't let your mental health be a crutch to seeking and asking for the type of care that best suits you. Try going to the source of the problem so that you and others who follow can benefit. I honestly believe that if I ever had a problem with how something was handled during one of my visits, I could ask to see Dr. G personally, address it with him and ultimately come to a positive solution. That is just the kind of guy he is. read more

I have been seeing Dr. G and his Nurse Practitioner, Mary, for a short time now, but am already impressed with their knowledge, professionalism and compassion. read more

I don't have a bad word to say. I feel safe & comfortable there. And the office staff is top notch. Thank you

He seemed to be a competent doctor at first, but over the 4 months I saw him, he began prescribing medication that disrupted my system and made me feel worse. Finally, my personal physician recommended I seek another psychiatrist after learning that Dr. Guimaraes had prescribed thyroid medication that gave me noticeable tremors. She ordered blood tests that showed that my thyroid levels were quite normal. His office double-billed me on two occasions, and he billed my insurance company for $355.00 for each visit. I never saw the doctor for more than 4-6 minutes per visit. He has either social workers or nurse practitioners do the intake and relies primarily on their input rather than (the patient's). His main interest is in seeing as many patients as possible, as quickly as possible in order to make as much money as he can get. I had a friend who started seeing Dr. G' shortly after I began, and she "fired" him after their second encounter. He also prescribed thyroid medication for her with similar results. I would strongly advise against seeing this quack unless he's the only doctor in town you can afford. read more

If Yelp had a zero star rating, that is what I would truly rate this place. I called to schedule an appointment for my daughter and the lady I talked to was disorganized and was hard to understand as she was mumbling. I was then put on hold and was never attended to. I called three separate times just to get someone to pick up - in a time of crisis. My daughter was seen by Bridget who diagnosed her with all sorts of mental illnesses. Apparently this lady is a nurse? Since when were nurses licensed to diagnose? As I was checking my daughter out, the front desk ladies were unorganized and demonstrated their incompetence as they told me they were unsure the amount I would be charged and that the would simply "bill me later"... whatever that means. This place is disorganized and I'm sure this environment adds to the stress patients are already experiencing, as it sure added to mine -- and I am not even a patient. read more

Save yourself the pain and suffering and DO NOT go here. This Dr basically spends 5 minutes to charge you money and write you prescriptions without even hearing what is bothering you. And then if you have a side affect from the medication he will write you another prescription for that and if that gives you side affects he will write you another prescription for that. I landed in the hospital for a full week because I trusted this doctor. It has taken me 4 months to get to a point on my medications that I feel somewhat normal. These types of doctors are seeing very venerable people who are desperate for help and the doctor should be far more responsible when doing what I would call "pushing" meds. On top of the horrible position I was put in both mentally and financially by this Dr. his office staff is horrible. He has literally one person working there that has any common sense. They are always telling me that I owe them money that I don't owe them. I have had to spend hours on the phone with my insurance doing the billing departments job. Now I haven't been there in months and they sent me a past due notice for $10. I called them 3 months ago and left a message with the receipt number, they never called me back and now I can't get ahold of anyone to resolve this. Also, if you are on the medications prescribed by Dr. Guimaraes don't expect to ever get a quick refill. I had to wait a full week at one point and had to get an emergency refill and go through a lot of frustrating phone calls to just get them to call in my refill. Oh, and now I requested a copy of my records and they are charging me $30 to get them. This charge is something I have heard of but they also charge for every other document you would ever want from their office. If you want a note for school or work (a whole date and signature) it will cost you $5. Seriously, you already charge enough for your horrible services, now you are going to nickel and dime people. Please Please Please NEVER go here. I would not wish this treatment on my worst enemy. read more

It really disappoints me that there are so many negative reviews about this place because I am seen every 2 weeks and I have NEVER had any such nasty experiences that previous reviewers have reported! I was treated with so much care and kindness and treated fairly by everyone I spoke to in the office. I called and needed an appointment and i got in the same week that I called, and yes you are seen by both Dr. G & a PA, R,N or NP and after being seen by a few of the providers there, I have no complaints! It's not like they go in blind. They are all under Dr. G, and you have to understand the only kind of providers that actually NEED an M.D with them, is an R.N. and they all have been trained in the field so I really don't get what the big deal is. They all were very understanding and not in anyway "pill pushers." They take the time to listen to your wants and needs and respect your decisions regarding your care as long as you speak up about the kind of care you would like to receive. Most other providers in this area, get you in and out and don't take their time with you and actually get to know you on a personal level. If you don't speak up and tell them Hey i'm not comfortable taking x kind of med, can we try something else" Instead of just automatically complaining that it is a bad business... their job is to make you better, and since society looks down so much on mental health, the only people left to make it an important staple is the providers and patients themselves, so by down talking providers for doing their job, that is less funding and access for those of us WHO NEED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. Plus, psychiatry gets knocked down in my opinion just because some people abuse mental health services and ruin it for the ones who need care. Those who are looking for a way to get their fix of meds through this route since primary care won't give it to them, and then they go on review things like this and complain because the psychiatrists are doing their jobs correctly and doing their best to keep the patient wants/ needs in mind without breaking the bank, not just prescribing hardcore meds up the ying yang to fill their pockets, because it really doesn't work that way anyway... anyways... The office itself is VERY nice, beautifully decorated and one of the providers office's always smells like cookies, so sorry if you just hate cookies this place is not the place for you... lol. Regarding the meds that I was prescribed, any time I ever had a problem, If i ever had one, I was able to get in for an emergency apt/ or talk to a provider over the phone about my med issue without hassle. And for those of you complaining about the meds prescribed, do your research more thoroughly. Just because they give you a non psych med doesn't mean it won't help your problem. Lots of meds have side effects that will help certain psych issues. And also, please GOOGLE IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL. For ex. Prazosin is a hypertensive med, but the side effect is it effects dreaming/ sleep So if you are having nightmares, boom! Take this instead, which is cheaper anyway than a psych med since so many insurances hardly cover psych services anyway. You won't necessarily find that on google right away, it takes some digging and accredited research. Google and wiki are not and should not be your dr. You should be thankful there are people willing to go into this literally crazy field and going around the bush to HELP YOU instead of ripping into your wallet. Like I said, people that go into this field are definitely not here for the money... Regarding the Billing... I mean its common sense people, ALL THE FEES ARE OUTLINED IN THE NEW PATIENT PAPERWORK so by signing the documents you are agreeing to be responsible for any of the fees you procure, so by saying that you got charged x amount etc etc it's probably because you never gave them the correct insurance info at the initial appt, forgot to pay your copay, or not cancelling your appt atleast 24 hours in advance. Sounds like simple company policy to me, and I believe anywhere else you go, the policies will be similar anyway. They have an entire page just regarding their prices and fees and there are signs in the office, so by saying "Oh i didn't know there would be fees" is ignorance on your part, not the business... Being in the psychology field myself I know some of the things that go on in the background and I think a lot of the other reviewers are forgetting that no one is perfect and a lot of people do not understand the difference between psychiatry (medicine) vs Therapy/ Psychology (talk therapy, etc. If you are not wanting pills at all, then don't come to a psychiatrist... that plain and simple. P.S neglecting your mental health care just because someone at a front desk who all they do is make your appt, not really having to do anything with your actual CARE shouldn't deflect you away from seeking services because you are just feeding society's negativity about mental health. read more

Dr. Guimares literally saved my life. He is a PTSD specialist and I recommend him to any Veterans who require treatment. He received his medical degree from Yale University. The doctor is kind, soft spoken, understanding and very knowledgeable. I am a health care provider myself and I have great confidence in his treatment and appreciate his compassion. read more

Like Meg R. I'm discouraged about the negative feedback for Dr. G. I've read all the reviews I could find on Yelp. Most people just whined about the office staff or billing and more. Some wrote about how disappointed they were with the amount of time face-to-face with Dr. G. Please remember, when reading these review, that there are a lot of people who like to bash others, in a relatively remote and relatively anonymous way. Also, Please note that few or none of the reviewers addressed whether they were helped by the treatment they received. I'm also dumbfounded by the number of people, who believe they know whether or not a psychiatrist's office is a good one or not. How many have they compared Dr. G with? There was just an awful lot of whining about problems that you can face in any physician's office anywhere. Let me say that I have been in some kind of treatment for over 50 years. I'm 67 years old. I have seen offices in Texas, Tennessee, and California. When I arrived at Dr. G's door, I was deeply distressed and depressed. That was a year ago. He evaluated me, prescribed meds, and saw me weekly to begin with. I was in deep trouble. I had no problem reaching him or one of the practitioners; and I needed to reach them quite a lot to adjust dosages and try new medications. He wasn't pushing meds at all. In fact, he had to titrate me off a medication that was terribly addicting, a drug I had been prescribed for over 15 years; and it took him and me almost a year to reach that goal. No physician can please all of the people all of the time. For me, and maybe for you, Dr. G can be a "Godsend". He has very carefully and positively brought me back from the brink. Whatever your preconceptions are, just be patient, and see what the outcomes are for your mental and neurological functioning before you write sweeping, negative comments. In this case, it's not about the surroundings, the waitresses, the staff, or the food. It's about your progress and the outcome you seek. Please evaluate your outcomes from your visit to your Psychiatrist. Don't write about the surroundings, the accounts payable, or whether or not you were inconvenienced. For me and my wife, we are so grateful for the treatment I have received over the past 12 months. And one last thing. Try not to pay too much attention to the reviews that are over a year old. Please, Yelp, remove the comments on the photos of staff and office building. read more

I have been seeing Dr. G since he first started his SLO practice on broad street. And to the person who stated she had been with him for 10 years, sorry only if you started seeing him in Santa Barbara. Dr. G and is staff are great. I do miss a few of the nice ladies at the front desk that knew me just by my face but that is ok. Amanda is the best and working with her, I have not had to bother Dr. G is a while. Amanda knows me and to think how many people she sees per day, per week, per month and she knows and remembers stuff (ok if she takes great notes, wow, i don't care). I always feel comfortable there, not like a doctor's office. They truly help. And if I wanted to see Dr. G for any reason all you have to do is ask, and the PA goes and gets him (unless it is monday, he doesn't work monday). I have been with Dr. G through two moves and moving to AG was not convenient for me but hey he is a an awesome doctor and has awesome people, like Amanda, working for him. read more

I can't remember ever being treat worse in general. First of all, you barely ever get to talk to Dr. Guimaraes. He must either not spend time with patients by choice or picks only a very select few. So, if you really want to see "The Psychiatrist" you better have an inside invitation, offer to pay alot more (That might do it---Money talks in this office), or have a connection. I had to request his participation twice before I saw him at all and then he spent maybe 5-10 minutes. He seems smart and seems to know his stuff but he won't talk to the patients or at least not to me. You end up seeing his NP---Mary Meiselman. She is ALWAYS late even if you are the very first appointment first of all. Wouldn't you think that a Psych office would try to keep close to on time with patients that have issues to start with? Second, she is always in a rush, never prepared in knowing your situation, and simply does not seem to care or want to listen. Then the Kicker!! I recently went off my Company insurance and on to Medicare. I have a very top notch supplement F program with United Health Care through AARP. After my appointment the other day they informed me that they would not accept my insurance anymore and I would have to pay alot of CASH each visit or go elsewhere with no recommendations. ARE YOU KIDDING?? Any and All AARP Members and elderly folks in general should avoid and boycott this office as I will now and always. Just being Honest!! read more

Horrible experience. The office called to cancel my daughter's appointment one hour prior to her scheduled appointment, which we had waited a month for. When I asked the reason for the cancellation, they told me new patients get bumped if existing patients call and need to be seen right away. I explained that she was nearly out of her medication that a previous doctor had been prescribing and it was critical we see the doctor to get a new prescription. I was given the choice of coming in the next day at 1:00 (which meant again leaving work early and taking my daughter out of school) or waiting another month for another new patient appt. And again, no guarantees that she wouldn't be bumped if an existing patient suddenly needed to be seen. I ended up making an appt. with another child psychiatrist after verifying they don't bump new patients. The receptionist was shocked that Dr. Guimaraes' office operates that way, and assured me they don't bump new patients. read more