sanmarinopsych.com
This is my first time writing a review, and I am s...
This is my first time writing a review, and I am spurred into doing so by an accumulation of experiences over the past year, as well as noticing other reviews that align with my own observations.
I cannot speak highly enough about Dr. Pawley, who is the psychiatrist I work with when I am here. She is kind, understanding, and incredibly supportive, meeting every need of mine that I have expressed to her. If I were to submit a review based solely on my experiences with her, it would be an easy five stars.
I give San Marino Psychiatric Associates, as an establishment, three stars, because as others have mentioned, some of the administrative staff are very unpleasant. They aren't evil, nor are they lazy, nor are they careless, and I don't feel comfortable denouncing every one of the front desk personnel, because at least one or two of them have been very kind to me and very pleasant to interact and joke with during my visits over the past year.
But there are at least one or two administrative personnel that have a surprisingly low regard for those of us that are patients of San Marino Psychiatric, to the point where I am genuinely wondering why they are front end staff at a psychiatric clinic. I understand that everyone has tough days, and I realize that their daily interactions may wear on them, but I just cannot understand why they have carried on as staff at a psychiatric clinic, where a large portion of their workflow consists of interacting with the sort of people that have to go to a place like San Marino Psychiatric, such as myself. People that may be sensitive, perhaps extremely so, particularly with regards to the issues that require us to be clients of San Marino Psychiatric. We wish we didn't have to go to these appointments, we wish we did not need these services, so why do these persons make it that much more difficult to interact with the clinic when we have to?
Specifically, there have been times where I was in the office, in need of help, and the front end personnel claimed to be preoccupied either with work on their side of the counter or with another client, communicating to "wait for my turn" very brusquely. I am sure they were in fact busy some of these times, but I recall specifically at least one incident where I only stated I needed to ask a question, and I was told I had to "wait my turn" because they claimed to be helping another client. But that client was just filling out paperwork, which didn't even need to be handed back. When the client finished, she simply left. Meanwhile, the front desk staff was simply watching that person finish their paperwork. There was no verbal exchange between them, no clear reason why that the front desk person had to be "helping" in any way. When the other client finished and left, I asked my question which was "is there anything else you need from me?" They said "no," which was all I needed to hear, and I went on my way.
I have recently received some difficult news from the clinic, for reasons that are outside of their control and I do not fault them for. My exasperation was met with what I can only describe as apathy, and indifference to the difficult situation I find myself in. This person went on to help me, but only after explaining why it was not their fault and insinuating that it was my fault for bringing on this situation to begin with. Such a response compounds my existing frustration for this situation, I am now without medication for the foreseeable future.
No one needs to remind me that the world is a tough place, and that not everyone is nice. I simply would imagine that if a psychiatric clinic were to pick administrative staff for their front end affairs, they might pick more compassionate types.
I'm not saying that these administrative staff are so unpleasant that I cannot tolerate them at all. What I will say with confidence is that hypothetically, if Dr. Pawley moved her practices to a new location with different administrative personnel, I would consider that wonderful news, and would enthusiastically follow her to her new practice.
