If I could give zero stars, I would. As a former customer, let me educate you on the scam Dr…read more Hafeez and her firm have going.
Over the past couple decades, the diagnostic criteria for and general awareness of the autistic and ADHD neurotypes have greatly improved. (That's why there's been an explosion of both child and adult diagnoses in recent years.)
Unfortunately, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses and other medical professionals capable of diagnosing someone autistic or ADHD (especially an adult) rarely accept insurance. Out of pocket, a diagnosis could cost thousands. That's where Hafeez's scam comes in.
Despite having very little understanding of either of these neurotypes, Hafeez offers to test for them and is one of very few providers in the New York Metro area who accepts all major insurances, attracting those who can't afford to go out of pocket (or, like me, refuse to pay exorbitant rates to medical professionals who only take cash).
My experience with Hafeez, her colleague Dr. Connolly and her office staff was initially positive (with the exception of the months-long wait between appointments, questionable charging of my insurance for days I was not seen virtually or in person and Hafeez not showing up to our first virtual appointment allegedly due to an injury). However, the other shoe really dropped at the end of the diagnostic process.
During my final virtual appointment with Hafeez, she just rattled off a list of diagnoses she had settled on. Among other things, she confirmed my previously established ASD diagnosis and diagnosed me ADHD as well. I was elated to find out I was an AuDHDer and looked forward to exploring my newly recognized ADHD neurotype. However, that elation didn't last long.
When I got the formal diagnostic report by e-mail (a PDF protected only by an easily guessable password), I was horrified. Beyond lazy mistakes, like misspelling my name and misgendering me halfway through a clearly copied-and-pasted stock paragraph, Hafeez accused me of lying about the neurotypes and conditions I openly discuss and masking an unspecified substance-abuse disorder. She basically wrote in the report that her formal diagnoses should be treated with a grain of salt and that any medical professional treating me should take into account my non-existent dishonesty and addiction before deciding on any course of treatment. She also used language equal parts ignorant and ableist, like labeling me "mildly autistic."
After e-mailing back and forth with Hafeez, I came away with no revisions (not even the minor ones, like correcting the misspelling of my name). Hafeez accused me of disrespecting her expertise and refused to change a single word. She said one of the self-administered personality tests she had me take told her I was lying and masking an addiction and that she couldn't override what the test concluded. She said, if I wanted, she would add an explanatory note, but wouldn't make any other changes.
Hafeez completely ignored or hand-waved my concerns, including the very real concern that any medical professional reading the report would likely refuse to prescribe me stimulants to accommodate my ADHD neurotype. She also didn't take seriously my outrage over being falsely branded a liar with a substance-abuse disorder (not that anyone living with a substance-abuse issue should be stigmatized; they shouldn't be).
While I believe Hafeez's ADHD diagnosis was sound, I've been left with a useless report I could never show to any medical professional, government agency or employer without redacting at least half the document.
I also personally know multiple people who have had even worse experiences with Hafeez, who apparently likes to invalidate and disrespect Autistic and other neurodivergent patients and deny them formal diagnoses altogether. My therapist has also told me they have heard horror stories from several of their other neurodivergent clients. Two major Autistic-led organizations in the New York area have even removed Hafeez from their list of recommended diagnosticians because of these consistently terrible experiences.
If you're considering seeing Hafeez for any kind of diagnosis for yourself or a loved one, I urge you to reconsider. You're better off hunting down another provider who takes insurance (a Herculean task, I know) or saving up the money to pay a provider out of pocket. Hafeez will leave you traumatized and without the documentation you need to access support or accommodation, so there's no point in seeing her no matter how desperate you are.
If you've also been a victim of Hafeez's scam, know that you're not alone. I strongly urge you to not only leave a negative review here, but also to report her unethical behavior to the New York State Department of Education (the state agency that oversees psychologists) and to your insurance company.