Dr. Sarah Smith, PHD

I saw Dr. St. Germain Smith for a couple of months. I found it difficult to communicate with her and felt like she didn't understand what I was trying to convey. She was not flexible about developing a treatment plan that would work for me at the time, and wanted treatment to occur in one specific way. She was not thoughtful about taking into account patient preferences. This was concerning given that other recommendations I received varied from her own. Who would want to jump into a treatment without being sure it is the correct one? She made me feel invalidated and left me confused about recommendations. She refused to fully answer my questions. After having a neuropsych evaluation, I was grateful I hadn't followed her treatment suggestions. She missed a big medical component that was contributing to my symptoms. I do not feel that she respected me or considered pertinent cultural, medical, or environmental factors. I left feeling deeply disappointed about my experience with her.

My therapy experience with Dr. Smith was not positive. She did not seem to listen to or understand my reservation as therapy progressed. She went too fast in terms of therapy. She made recommendations that were not the right fit for my needs. Dr. Smith missed a huge medical component to the symptoms I was experiencing. While she seemed nice at first, I found it very difficult to communicate with her. She works in very rigid ways and only under certain conditions. These were not made clear up front. She was not at all flexible and didn't seem to reassess with new information. Her interactions with me, at times, were unprofessional. I was able to meet with another therapist after seeing Dr. Smith, who pointed out some of the shortcomings and harm that came from working with Dr. Smith. Ultimately, I was able to see someone else for CBT for anxiety and had a much better experience. I wouldn't wish what I experienced with Dr. Smith for my loved one or myself. She made me feel worse.