No consistency, always canceling my 8 year olds appointments tried counseling for him but EVERY time we went there his counselor was not working there anymore. Don't recommend this place if you want serious help! !
Very poor patient care.
Poor quality providers.
Reckless prescribing of narcotics.
Promoting addiction.
They never answer the phone.
Avoid this place.
These dumb assed gave me medicine that caused my bipolar and anxiety to sky rocket and tried telling me that I had multiple personalities instead of trying to fix what I had already been evaluated on.
Their contract with Eckard was terminated for a reason.
If referred by CPI they treat you as worthless felons who beat children wether you are innocent of any anonymous tip or not, make you sign all of your basic human rights and civil liberties away all under duress of "losing your child if you don't sign/cooperate" (even though it's technically voluntary by client) and bribe you with "less stress and constant surveillance If you use our company psychiatrist." All the while have no legal authority to mandate anything at all... They dont call any references or docs like they promise, and they never explain your rights or privide any pamphlet or coordinators to contact about questions or concerns.
Cheap home UA tests, no access to clinical lab tests to properly and legally refute, scare tactics--- the list goes on. And each Directions employee from all rungs of the ladder in their kafka-esque beauracracy have different methods, ethics, morals, and expectations.
IF YOU ARE INNOCENT
GO TO COURT
PLEASE!!!!!
Also have heard 3 personal accounts about their docs shoving major anti psychotics/sedatives on patients Who do not meet the criteria and are essentially drugged into a comatose oblivion or attempted suicide
It's worth the money for a real lawyer or real psychiatrist.
They are funded by the state but do not follow proper state laws .
My boyfriend waited over a month for his appt and he has schizophrenia. He showed up 15 mins early at 9am it is currently 1pm and he still hasnt been seen and this is his first appt. The mental health issue in Florida is not taken seriously I would suggest somewhere anywhere else. Disgrace tax dollars are wasted on staff that is unable to treat serious human issues.
I just want to say I give Mary (case manager )and Stefanie ( Therapist) 5 stars. I would give them a billions if I could. These ladies are so amazing always there. I do not know how I would have been able to get through things that I have without them. Loving, caring, kind and great at their job!!!
In November I was scheduled to see doctor for January 2017. On Friday they called and cancelled and asked me to call and reschedule. I have been on hold for over half-an-hour!
I've been going to Directions since I was a little kid. Ever since they switched to diterations for living from directions for mental health, they are less kind. They have more issues. All the staff I grew up growing up are gone except 1 person. Ever since then I felt like they are about the money and not about helping people. I miss the old directions they cared. The only 1 person that is left she is amazing. She is the only person there that cares about helping people. Also they are so unorganized now. They mess up appointments, prescriptions, etc. This is not the place it used to be.
Not ashamed to say that everyone needs a good mental health professional sometimes, this place is fabulous!!!!! Everyone there was awesome, better than awesome. Don't expect them to keep their appt's though - you may drive or walk a long way to get there for nothing - it's happened twice now - not good on that for sure.
No matter when you call you're always on hold for at least 30mins- 1 hour. Its more effective to drive all the way down there just to make an appointment.
I am very relieved I never have to deal with this place..I have been going here for over 15years I had no choice to go any where else. My doctor would not even look at me the whole 15min session . I have had at least 7 different doctors in 15 years. Your medical assistant team should be fired they are the rudest people I have ever had to deal with. Direction for living needs to be permanently closed.
They were of no help finding me a place to stay while I was homeless.
The Clearwater location had wonderful caring help for me. It was amazing how comfortable Bernadette and Carrie made me feel at my first appointment after the financial screen was done. They did everything possible to get me help. And therapy for my aphasia after leaving NYC is going to be proactive in getting my original voice back. They were interesting, intelligent and informed in mental health . I m certain that it is the right place for me.
I've been going to the doc office for about 6 years till Saturday they make me come up to the Clearwater office beginning of a year ago and ever since I've been getting new doctors they are when I call I have to wait on her there in about half an hour anyone to answer then when they do her until they asked me to be on hold again when it's been saying I'm fosting line and that's the point they never keep talking to anyone they always ask me for a hold and then they don't keep their doctors they always switch every month so I felt like what's the point of getting to know the doctor when they're just going to get a new one anyway so we're not to go there I don't get to know the doctor because what's the point of getting to know him and the month I'm going to get a new one so what's the point again you want talking to someone when I know I'm going to get a new one
You can come out of the hospital and need to be seen by a doctor and they give you the runaround it takes forever once you get an appointment you go for that day only appointment they say to you they try to get ahold of you but they needed to reschedule the next appointment 2 months later you're mentally ill you're going to kill yourself you need help now
As a teen who had been through so much in foster care it was hard to trust someone but i grew to put my trust into my counselor then she switched me to another counselor without a word. I had then been switched to a new counselor who did nothing but judge meand be rude to me. I was switched again to a woman who sent me to a program. I was Tricked out of my home and blindly taken to this place that looked like a jail where i got locked up for 5 months. I was never a violent kid never had problems with the law. I was a good kid just hyper with ADHD and was adopted by my uncle and his wife who hated me, this woman told my 'parents' to lure me to this lock down facility where i was molested by staff and beaten up by kids.. that ruined my life because after that i couldn't go to any 'regular' schools so i had to go to a lock down school after that where i was bullied straight out of school. if i hadn't ever gone here i would have had such a better life! Would have graduated. I am 22 now and i blame this hell hole for my losses.
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.
They are very helpful and would do whatever they can to help whom ever needs it.
I wouldn't recommend this program to anyone even if they offered me money. They break families apart. They get paid to be home wreckers! Please go thru another program if you have the choice. These people are not here to help you. All they do is judge you.
When I first arrived everyone was very friendly and helpful and the very first person I spoke with was very nice about everything. The second time I went I spoke with someone else she was very rude insinuated I was on drugs that I was lying when I told her I wasn t I was there for mental health due to a domestic violence issue I therefore did not go back because I don t believe going to a counselor that s going to call you a liar I believe this person should be fired because she s not there to help people if she s going to call you a liar I do not recommend this place to anybody. I went to the one off of Belcher Road and Clearwater
I am supposed to be calling to make appointments to see a psychiatrist... and apparently they schedule me with the employees that I should be seeing AFTER THE PSYCHIATRIST. . I dont get it .. directions FOR LIVING _ THEY CANT EVEN TELL THIER LEFT HAND FROM THE RIGHT HAND IT'S CRAZY! Judge caseworker SOMEONE NEEDS to let me trying a new phacility cause this place is making good crazy in a real way! One star is to high to rate this place
I have been going to my same psyc doc to for... 12 YEARS...lol....my life is amazing., just because of the point that, her, Dr. Desai, no matter, what when I leave her office knowing she would help and me... She is a true angel me before, and me after
I had my 1st and only appointment with Directions. I was told on the phone, by a women who told me she couldn't give out her name, I was seeing a doctor. I was told my appointment was for 8am but to be there at 7am. There was only a security guard there at that time. I was told to check in. Then the 4 other people there walked to another part of the building. I waited for an hour and a half before I was called. When I sat down and asked if this person was the docto or therapist, she said, no. I'm the financial officer. You won't be seeing any medical staff today. Had I been informed what the so-called appointment was for I would have been prepared. I walked out. Never to return
We must have walked to the wrong desk, but the 3 young women that worked in there were not only rude, they were condescending and lacked any basic knowledge of their own place of employment. Don't work at a place where you SHOULD be sensitive to people's needs and act like complete jerks. They didn't even say hi when I walked up. Matter of fact, I said hello and got no response back, just dirty, ugly looks. They gave me wrong information as well, luckily I knew it was wrong information and didn't drive even more out of my way. Hopefully their supervisor will actually say something to them. That was beyond unprofessional. If you want to be treated like a human, walk in the corner door, or go to the Largo building; they actually cared there.
Granted this place helped me get on my meds, but I had to wait a whole year to even get seen. when you really need help they aren't there. Staff disappears, you can't get an appointment. And what kind of health clinic is closed on the weekends! Seriously if they tried harder everyone could get the help they need. This place is a disaster inside and they don't hide it.
I am very unhappy with this company. They claim to be a program to help you but I did not get any HELP! It got so bad that I requested a manager/supervisor. Well that went even worse. Lady name Monica made me feel hopeliss and like I did not matter at all. She would not even let me talk!!!!! I was told to stay away but I wanted to make my own judgment. I am writing corporate to get Monica fired. She is a terrible mean person and does not care about anyone. She threatened me to talk to whoever I needed to. WOW! Some helpful service. Stay away from there until they fire her.
Danielle P.V. was AMAZING! She and Vivian, who put me in contact with D.P.V. were extremely accommodating with a request that I needed for my daughter's school. The entire situation was handled swiftly and thoroughly from start to finish. I was skeptical anyone would be able to help but she went above and beyond my expectations.
Dont go here. Their docs and nurses quit constantly and leave you hanging. the only people who do their job good is the med techs and intake people. I've been let drop through the cracks many times over these docs quitting constantly. No one tells me when they do. Then I have to start over again. I've come off of my meds many times cold turkey almost killing me many times. I wish they could get the phones fixed and some real doctors who are dedicated and do follow ups til your stabilized. No Dice. Nice People though.
Horrible place! I was treated like a criminal even though I didn't do anything. They promised help and treatment but instead put my family trough series of harassments. Absolutely nerve racking experience!
Is this place funded by tax dollars....because I am wondering why they send children with minor ailments (cough, sore throats, congestion) to Emergency Rooms. Why are they not utilizing family physicians, clinics, or urgent care facilities for these types of minor medical issues???
This place is a joke! A family member had to wait 3 months for services, they drop the ball on children and take ZERO RESPONSIBILITY! Somebody needs to fix this broken system!
The staff and the pharmacy is great i been a patient for a year now and Dr brandon is the best at least for me. She has helped me with my mental health and i can't be anymore happier.
Thank you!!
Best organization I have ever worked for. Love my job!!
I drove up from St Petersburg was told 2 show up 8 AM then sat in waiting room over 3 hrs then was told they were 2 busy 2 c me When I asked 2 c a supervisor I was taken 2 a different room where a different person called paramedics said my BP was 2 high I was taken 2 Morton Plant hosp not once did Directions check on me This place is a fraud They were taking people ahead of me who had insurance yet I was referred by county health dept & was there first If they didn't want to take county blue card they should of said so in the first place They should of known about my medical condition
Abandon hope all ye who enter here. All the employees here (including the "doctors") play mind games, and deny that they're doing it. I developed hypothyroidism from the Seroquel (600 mg) that was prescribed to me. I asked for anti-anxiety medication and was prescribed a smaller dose of Seroquel (25 mg). The "doctor" knew about my risk for thyroid problems and diabetes, which I later found out that Seroquel can cause. Once I stopped taking it, my thyroid went back to normal. It was my mistake to to trust her. I got treated like a junkie for asking for anti-anxiety medication, but was able to obtain it after years. Therapy here is a joke. It's cruel for a mental health center to treat the mentally ill as they do. Spent over an hour on hold. "Your call is now first in line and will be answered by the next available representative. Thank you for your patience." Posting anonymously because these people are petty and I have no idea what they'll do.
I have been coming here for ten years, and the past 2 have been nothing but unprofessionalism at its peak. My doctor laughs at me when I tell her about my problems, she consistently is cutting down medication and has not switched a thing in ten years. Also I show up for appts, driving 20 miles and I arrive the doctor us not there, this has happened 3 times in the past 14 months, I never was called the day before to reschedule, was never aware, one day I sat for three hours before the receptionist told me the doctor wasn't even there. The front desk oeople are always new and always clueless, the place was a dump up until the recent remodel, but remodeling the inside doesn't do anything about the incompetence that goes in inside with the employees. I am a patient and honestly I feel worse going to this place, I'm depressed nand some days would rather take me down life then deal with a snotty front desk person and a self centered bad doctor. This whole establishment should be closed down in my opinion. Presently I am looking for a new doctor..to help save me.
I felt judged and exposed more than helped yesterday. I came in as a walk in around 1230. Was lucky enough to get an appoint at 3 that same day. The dr that sat in with me and the guy doing my evaluation asked me if I ever thought about checking myself in to a hospital and when I told him "yes, I have thought about it. On my really bad days" he looked at me like I was crazy and asked me why, as if that was the dumbest thing he ever heard. I shut down after that and tbh he can Go Find Hidden Snails... It took a lot for me to be like f*** it today is the day and I get the " please let's get real face" RUDE AF. If you care about how this patient's are feeling then respond with a number or email for me to reply, so i van provide the physician's name. He didn't even know the meaning behind the SEMI COLON yet he talks to people reguarding Mental Illness? I left feeling worse than I did when I arrived. My hope went to embarassment. Thanks!!!!
Good Afternoon!
I want to give a HUGE Thank You to Rennee Jones, a "STAR" Employee that has done any and everything that she can do to help me and my children by placing us in a safe place with the help of her wonderful Manager as well, Thank You both!!
Absolutely terrible. Nothing professional about this place.
I currently suffer from bipolar disorder depression anxiety and ptsd all these things make it very hard to work I expressed that to my doctor in which she advised that I apply for SSI which I did and when it came time for her to fill out the paperwork she refused to do so and said SSI is for people with real problems I will never go back there!
I normally do not do this, I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt and I always try to find a positive in every situation. My son has a cluster of issues that he has been overcoming for about 8 years now. He has Aspergers, ADHD, Depression, High anxiety, along with others. My son needs a steady Doctor who cares to really HELP him.
We are absolutely disgusted with Directions for Living since they closed the Largo office and moved my son to the Clearwater Office. It has been nothing but problems, from changing my sons Doctor numerous times without notifying us, to the Medical assistant almost calling in the wrong prescription to our pharmacy because she thought my sons name was Brittney (HOW!?!?), to wasted time sitting in their office. After going through a few Doctors my son finally was set with Dr. Ronald Rempfer, and although he seems to be a nice Doctor, we NEVER get to see him! THREE times in the past two month we went for a scheduled appointment and never got to see him!
1st time we waited in the waiting room for THREE hours, until 7pm, just to reschedule the appointment! During those 3 hours NOT ONE receptionist communicated with us as to why we were still waiting. I finally could not take it anymore and asked to reschedule.
2nd most recent issue, we arrived for our morning appointment that we rescheduled after waiting for three hours on our previous visit, only to find out that Dr. Rempfer is not even scheduled to be in the office that day! They asked if we could see a different Doctor and wait until 2pm! After telling them that I could not wait until 2pm, they took my son almost immediately but my 14 year old son had to see an ADULT Doctor. WHY would someone not call me to reschedule and just call in his prescription to his pharmacy?? This was a wasted trip and not necessary!
3rd visit, which was today, was the icing on the cake! After so many issues over the past few months, I called the office yesterday to confirm our appointment at 8:30 this morning. (I called to confirm the appointment because for some reason, their office does not give calls to confirm anymore). They assured me that we had the 1st appointment for the day and that everything was scheduled correctly. When arriving today, the receptionist asked if they could call in a refill for my son because Dr. Rempfer was out of the office today. WHY would someone not call me to save me a trip!?!? I m not sure if the office realizes what working parents must move their daily commitments for Doctor Appointment . But we had to start our day at 5am today, CLOSE our business for 2 hours, and travel a decent distance to assure arriving on time.
These are only the most recent issues. I could be here all day typing if I would list them all.
The lack of communication at the Clearwater Directions for living is EXTREMELY frustrating. I understand that mistakes happen, and sometimes something just comes up and the Dr. cannot see a patient But if someone would just COMMUNICATE with us that could fix a lot!
At the Largo Office we always felt like the staff cared. The Doctors were outstanding and would take the time to see my son. It is sad to say, But the Clearwater office just functions (hardly functions, but functions). There is no compassion. It does not seem like anyone truly CARES about our children. No one takes the time to actually talk to my son to see how he is doing. They all just get refills and are getting lost in the shuffle. I am not okay with that!
We are looking for a new office ASAP and I would not recommend this office to anyone. I feel really bad for some of the ladies stuck in the front office who have to constantly make excuses as to why things are ran so poorly. They take the heat for everything! I m surprised some have stuck around this long.
This place is a joke. My gf is now in the hospital withdrawing from meds that she wasn't able too refill because directions never kept the appointment times. Over the phone due to the virus. I'm going to look into legal actions. Stay far away unless you want you life messed up.
Horrible bureaucracy. Told me on phone my daughter had to do a 2 hour intake to get assigned a therapist and only during school hours and only at their CLW office, and only by walk-in, no appts taken. We drove 30 min, missed school, filled out about 15 pages of forms and saw a financial approval person, then told me we would make a SECOND appointment that would take 1.75 hours to do an assessment, had to come back at a later time, and also only during school hours!! NEVER would have chosen this company if I knew my daughter would have to miss so much school and do 4 hours of "intake" before she could even schedule an appointment with a therapist. I was very clear this was not a psychiatric/medical issue but general counseling and they insisted they were a good facility for this type of treatment. . Two full hours and all we accomplished was some forms. waste of time, inefficient system is an understatement. No apology given, all bureaucratic garbage.
Also the waiting room had music and tv blaring at same time and they would not give out the WiFI guest password, which they said was only for pharmaceutical reps.
Went for mental health to get new medications. The last was very kind and helped me get on better meds. The main problem here is waiting time and them rescheduling appts without your knowledge. Be sure to call and verify your appt.
So far I love this place I really like my psychiatrist Narlin Smith is such a caring wonderful woman. However I recently had one of the worst therapist I ve ever had. His name is Barrett and I only saw him like three different times but in that time I felt judged and degraded. He lacks empathy and compassion. When I told him I was unable to work due to my panic disorder and mental illness he told me that in his opinion He thinks I don t need therapy. He did nothing to help me with coping with mental illness or working on helping me make my life more meaningful. He seems to lack experience and seems like he s not a therapist for the right reasons. Luckily Narlin Smith had me set up with a new therapist and I don t have to see him again. Don t waste your time with him because he doesn t know what he s doing. Directions is a wonderful place. It s clean and neat. The front desk people are very kind and helpful and other then my experience with Barrett I am very happy with the service I am receiving. I had an excellent therapist named Amanda before him who was top notch.
This organization has voicemails saying they won't acknowledge your call... and to call the supervisor if you don't hear from them for 2-3 days.... that does not work... supervisor never calls. Lack of compassion. Lack of communication. Lack of empathy. It's really sad because due to this organizations inadequacies, the children suffer.
Directions for living is the same people who was Eckerd Youth Family alternatives... lol just a different name
My fiance has been with directions for over a year at first he was doing really well until they changed his doctor. He has multiple mental disorders and when asked why he is taking certain medication s that he really didn't know the answer to instead of looking at his history or asking me or another family member they simply DC his meds now he a lost sole unrecognizable I may never get to see the real him again which is very heart breaking they should be sued and shut down maybe 8 on your side needs to expose them
Not enough face time.What others said about this place is accurate.
The pharmacy staff are patient. Prices are doable. Great service.
The people that work there are very nice but that's about the only positive thing about Directions. On more than once occasion, after checking in, they totally forgot about me and I was left to wander around, back and forth, to the reception area asking "what's going on?" until they discover that they, have in fact, forgotten about me yet again. I was assigned a case worker, after a year of asking for one, and, she never returned any of my calls, including a very serious one. Pinellas County Health (my "insurance") stopped paying for me to go to another mental health clinic so I was sent to Directions and then PCH stopped paying for me to go to Directions and even though I have 7 diagnoses, I am not eligible for psychiatric care, medicine monitoring, or therapy. And people in the U.S. wonder why there are so many wackos running around in this sh*%y state of Florida. This is an old review from 3 years ago that got deleted. I always back up my reviews so I still had it. The only thing I have to add is that I now have 8 diagnoses and still going to Directions as that is all that is offered to me but the therapy is a lot better. Still a super disorganized place, though.
WORST STAFF, YOU WILL BE ON HOLD FOR HOURS. YOUR BETTER OFF FINDING SOMEONE ELSE, AVOID AT ALL COST
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