Ellen Mechling, LMFT

Ellen provides terrible care to those who have experienced traumas. If you are looking for a trauma-informed therapist don't go to her. Expect to be retraumatized and then have no recourse to help recover from the distress you are put into. Also, her knowledge is outdated and she lacks serious comprehension of adversity. She will pretend to make you feel heard by telling stories from her life that sound somewhat similar or even say that she is the same thing you are. For example, if you told her that you are a horse she would parrot back 'I am a horse too.' Be ready to be stigmatized and have deranged thoughts being thought about you. She doesn't provide a safe space to heal, only harms you further. Sometimes it even felt like she turned the therapy session into her own therapy session so she could vent about her life. I do think professional lines were crossed. Really Dignity Health?

Overall, I would give her 3/5 stars. Pros: -wait time was always fairly short -friendly and inviting -provided packets of information on conditions, symptoms, and coping -did not go under the time for appointments Cons: -the office is very disorganized and cramped, I felt distracted and uncomfortable -at times I felt like she wasn't fully focused on me or she tried to relate in ways that seemed unneccessary (ie too much personal info) -did not make much progress