Myself and my family felt a significant negative impact from working with Rita. The therapy felt very uncomfortable for me and my 8 year old daughter. When we expressed our concerns, it felt they were pushed under the rug entirely and were ignored. We did things that didn't make sense and werent explained, however we trusted in the professional so continued, but therapy was for example: we had to sit on the floor, with a cam-corder a few feet away taping us while she sat in a chair in the corner of the room, we had tasks to complete and one of the tasks was I had to apply lotion to my daughters arms, legs and feet. My daughter did not like this, and expressed this along with our other issues. The response from me and my daughter bringing up our concerns about how we felt this therapy was going, was not pleasant and felt very unprofessional. Her response was angry, hostile and defensive. I had a very bad experience, to which there is a LOT more that happened following me bringing up my concerns to her. Their were significant dominoes that fell after that. She didn't take it well when I told her we wanted to find therapy elsewhere, not continue with her. She appeared to take it very personally and her reaction was unwarranted and vengeful, rather than what i was expecting, something like "I totally understand not every therapist is right for every person. Here are some people i recommend____" Though, that wasn't the response i got. Far from it. What I suggest you to do, is look to your community to gather as much information as you can about your potential therapist. Research local online groups, threads, other reviews (from actual patients, not her family and friends leaving reviews), reach out to me for more information which I cannot share publicly. But if you look, you'll find a whole community of people who had similar experiences to mine, who are linking arms for support and that should be able to give you the answer you're looking for. read more

Rita Vatcher, LMHC RPT - If you would like more details, please send me a message, it will save you a significant headache doing so. - Counseling & Mental Health Near Me - Natick, Massachusetts

I found Rita through a provider search while looking to enlist a therapist for my children, ages 8 and 5, who had recently experienced something traumatic. Her qualifications as an LMHC, Certified in play therapy and EMDR really aligned with the soft approach I was looking for in helping my kids process what they experienced. Rita was prompt to respond to my inquiry and following our initial consultation via phone call, I felt heard and reassured that I was taking the right steps for my little ones. We scheduled an intake appointment where I provided Rita with medical and developmental histories of both kids to prepare for their initial therapy sessions, which were scheduled for a few days later. Rita asked for some more information pertaining to the event as well. We discussed some concerns regarding our coparenting situation as it pertained to this issue. She was adamant that I withhold visitation (including supervised) with their non-custodial parent until she met with them and had her initial session with each child. Three days later, she spoke over the phone with the other parent. Directly following their conversation, I received an email indicating that I should go forward with all visitation, including unsupervised and overnight, despite her extreme concerns and contradicting suggestions just days before. Further, she recommended that my son meet with a Psychiatrist and start on a 'small dose of medication' to help with his 'impulsivity'. Rita had not yet had one session with my son. Further, she had not obtained any medical or academic records to support that my son struggles with inpulsivity. (My son was diagnosed with ADHD via school evaluation in Kindergarten, but did not qualify for an IEP or support services as his academic and social emotional function was not being impacted by any symptoms of his diagnosis. This has been the case for the past three years of his schooling.) I was appalled that she would draw such drastic conclusions without having spent any time with my son. Further, my trust was impaired given the rapid change of trajectory (suggesting absolutely no visitation, then saying to resume as usual) following her conversation with their other parent. While I know these were merely suggestions and she has no legal jurisdiction in our custody arrangement, we were both trusting that her professional opinion was in best interest of our kids during this process. I expressed these concerns and stated that we would not be moving forward with her as a provider for the reasons explained in this review. Rita's response was hostile and frankly, bizarre. Rather then maintaining professionalism, and maybe referring to other providers- she reiterated her qualifications and 'high regards by her colleagues'. Further, she doubled down on her suggestion for medication, stating that it is my job as a parent to 'weigh all options'. Again, I replied that I standby by my beliefs and m not looking for further analysis of my son's ADHD diagnosis as this was irrelevant to the reason we saught services to begin with. I'll leave you with the last email she sent before I had to refer to blocking her. Our family is enduring enough right now, and I'm just glad to have recognized her bias and unethical practices before she spent time with my kids, potentially causing further damage. I was so tunnel-vision on getting my kids professional help and I probably should have spent more time looking for reviews from other clients, which oddly, I only found the one below, despite her MANY years in practice. Please be vigilant. Just because someone holds certain credentials, it doesn't mean they are reputable. Never let someone intimidate you into conforming, and you don't need a 'reason' to terminate care or go in a different direction. You are your child's biggest advocate. If something feels off, trust your instinct. This woman should not be in practice. read more

Rita Vatcher, LMHC RPT - Counseling & Mental Health Near Me - Natick, Massachusetts

Rita is a compassionate and caring practitioner that I would suggest to children, individual, or families in need of gentle emotional healing. read more