Infinite Sunshine

Review of Directions for Mental Health, ...

Over 2 1/2 years ago, a friend's current counselor...

Over 2 1/2 years ago, a friend's current counselor referred him to Directions For Living. Someone was supposed call him back to explain intake. Didn't happen. He called to follow up and was told to come in at 8am first come first serve despite the referral. He went and was sent home without being seen.

Several months later, he tried again. He showed up on time. They sent him home after 1pm because they were so busy. Said he should come back. He didn't bother. Would you go for a third strike?

About a year ago, my friend attempted suicide and again was referred to Directions For Living. I was present when he managed to get an appointment over the phone. He showed up on time. Waited for hours. Eventually spoke with someone and because it was getting late, he was sent home with a huge questionnaire to complete.

We spent over 2 hours completing the form together because he could not do it alone. He took it in and was told someone would call him to schedule an appointment. That took more than a month and a few calls by him, at my urging. That appointment turned out to be a couple months later. I nagged him to call back for an earlier appointment. He was told they were short staffed and hiring more counselors, that he would have to wait. He waited.

In the meantime, he was mailed a copy of a summary which significantly diminished what seemed to be the purpose of the questionnaire. I called Directions For Living to find out why the summary read as if it were about another individual. There was no explanation. Discussion was forcefully changed and abruptly ended.

Months later he was given an appointment. He shows up on time. Came home saying he wasn't sure what happened, that he had been sent home without seeing a counselor. I called this time and complained to a staff member who scheduled another appointment. After that, I began calling to follow up because he had given up. This went on for months until he went to an unrelated appointment at Pinellas County Health downtown Clearwater. There he asked for counseling and it was suggested the Directions For Living counselor at PCH might have more time.

I went with him to that appointment to be sure he was seen and treated respectfully, because prior to that appointment, his new therapist called me (my friend was using my number temporarily) expecting to get him. Because he was not home and a release of info had been signed, I began telling the counselor what was going on. At first she listened, then she laughed when I told her the medication he was on made him loose control of urinary function and he peed his pants while asleep. She thought that was so funny. I was appalled. I didn't tell him about that until he had seen her once more. When he seemed uncomfortable and wouldn't say why, I urged him to change therapists. He did.

Between untreated anxiety and depression, deep sadness, and frustration with medication that led him to withdraw from school, he began behaving way out of character such that I had to call police for intervention. He also ended up in the ER, where a psych nurse said he should be Marchman Acted. I called Directions For Living explaining that coping with these kinds of things is beyond my ability and asked that his next appointment be scheduled sooner. He was scheduled for two days later.

The new therapist shoved AA groups at him. A full year has passed since the suicide attempt. Alcohol was never the core problem, but what he went to when meds did not work. Individual therapy would surely have helped a great deal during this past year. Instead, he continues to struggle alone with nightmares, extreme anxiety, extreme depression, panic attacks, bruxism, severe leg cramps at night, intermittent bowel and urinary problems, ED, cannot drive or work with or without medication (mobility / coordination is such that he walks crooked and cannot ride a bicycle), and chronic insomnia due to pain and anxiety and depression.

This is how Directions For Living has 'treated' him for more than 2 1/2 years.