Good Health Psychiatric Services — Local services in New York

I am not one to normally write online reviews but my current situation has been so appallingly dehumanizing that I feel as though I have no choice.

I have been a patient at Good Health Psychiatric services for over a year now. I have been seeing a nurse practitioner named Stacey every month to check in and get a refill on my depression and ADHD meds. We do a perfunctory monthly check-in and I haven't needed more than that.

Two months ago I received a one-two traumatic punch in my personal life -- the death of my godfather followed by my long-term partner of several years ghosting me without explanation. Needless to say, I was at my wit's end. I was having intense panic attacks and my therapist and I both agreed that a temporary Xanax prescription might help me while I learn to regulate my emotions in response to this.

I got in touch with Good Health and made an impromptu appointment with Stacey. I told her that I was going through some intense personal issues and asked for a Xanax prescription or something else that was just temporary to calm me down while I navigate this. She instead recommended a higher dose of Lexapro. I told her I was going through something very situational and needed something that would work immediately so I could just calm down. Stacey never asked me questions about my situation and continued to be resistant. I reassured her that this was temporary and she eventually agreed to a very low dose of Xanax for two weeks.

The Xanax dosage was so low that I ended up barely feeling it, so I ran out very quickly. When I saw Stacey again I asked if we could extend the prescription for just one more month and slightly up the dosage so I could actually feel the effects. She was very resistant and again suggested increasing my Lexapro dosage. I explained that what I was going through was causing panic attacks and I was not comfortable with Lexapro as a solution. Rather than ask me any details as to what was going on or show a modicum of empathy and care for her patient, Stacey continued to insist on the Lexapro. I told her that this was something my therapist and I had discussed and that I would be happy to sign a consent form so they could talk to one another. Rather than be open to this suggestion, or listen to me at all, Stacey condescendingly said, "Well, your therapist isn't writing your prescription, I am." I finally snapped and went, "There was a death in my family and I lost my partner at the same time. I'm having panic attacks. Can you please prescribe me something, anything, for panic attacks?"

Stacey then looked at me like I had just told her entire family to go to hell, said sure, and quickly ended the session.

The next month, I logged in for my normal appointment and I was met with a doctor I had never seen before. He told me Stacey had dropped me as a patient. This was my first time learning this.

I have no problem with being careful prescribing habit forming meds. What I take issue with is the lack of respect for the patient's feelings or ability to assess what is best for them. Stacey did not ask me one question about what I was experiencing, and was not interested in discussing my options or what could help my specific situation. She wanted to increase my Lexapro and move on, and when I disagreed she passed me off with ZERO communication or explanation. I find this egregiously unethical. I was dealing with trauma symptoms and my mental healthcare provider tossed me aside like a piece of trash instead of taking two minutes to better understand my situation. I hate to give 1 star knowing there are more providers here, and the staff has overall been professional and helpful, but the lack of care or empathy from a healthcare provider during one of the darkest chapters of my life is shameful and needs to be called out. Stacey should have discussed why she was moving me to a different doctor before doing so. The last thing I needed during such a sensitive time was my mental healthcare provider treating me like a nuisance. Bedside manner is so important -- especially in...

I come here for medical prescription refills, and a visit (or televisit) is required every month for each prescription sent. Providers usually just want the televisit to end within a few minutes, and that’s more convenient for me because I cannot take time off of work for an actual appointment every month. Are these providers any good? It’s been a mixed bag, but not really, and they’re often late (to a televisit that only lasts a few minutes, mind you). Also, all the providers I’ve had tend to not enunciate or speak way too quickly so I cannot catch what they say, and if I ask them to repeat themselves, they get annoyed (1, I have the right to request clarification when it comes to my medical care, and 2, if they want the appointment to end quickly, they should start the televisit on time).

Last year, my provider at the time completely forgot to send in my prescription, and this was during the holidays, which means that every pharmacy would be closed if she didn’t send it in soon, and I was already out of my supply of medication. Even the employee who I called apologized, saying that he’s not sure how she forgot! Idk how she did forget, that was the sole purpose of our televisit.

When it comes to office administrative staff, they seem to be especially lacking. My provider requested results of my physical sent to their email, and to ask the customer service staff for the email. so I asked the customer service rep, and they give me the wrong email address, but I am not informed of this until 2 weeks later at my next appointment. Since my provider never got my document, she told me that she would be withholding the prescription until she got that info, and I have to be unmedicated for a full week.

And after she did finally receive the document, it turns out she wanted further clarification from my PCP on one of my physical exams, but nobody informed me of this until I reached out to call and ask if they needed anything else, so ofc this meant I was unmedicated again for another week until I obtained that additional letter.

As a result of several experiences like this (they’ve also forgotten to process my prior authorization which led to me being unmedicated for a week), I now have to call them to confirm receipt of docs and clarification every time. The workers are audibly annoyed every time I do and get snappy. Dude, I don’t want to have to do all this either, it’s exhausting.

Something like this happens every time I need to get a document sent. Is this not a standard administrative task? A medical office especially should never be this disorganized. For some reason, this place cannot even send an email to the right place, I have had to ask my PCP to reach out to them to request my medical records instead of the other way around, because they kept taking ages (over 2-3 weeks). Looking through past reviews (disregarding the botted/fake ones) other people seem to have similar complaints.

Overall, this place is convenient, but your mileage may vary. The time you think you’ll save may actually be wasted by their inability to do basic office tasks like receiving documents or emails, which will lead to accumulated hours on the phone sorting out things with them. IMO, it’s better to see a provider who actually cares about their job, even if it means having to go to a physical appointment.

The one star is because the one time they are very prompt and communicative, it’s when you have an outstanding balance to pay them. Boy, do they make sure you know that you owe them money! I was going to say that this place is like fast food—no quality of care or good providers, but quick and convenient for having a prescription filled—but they cannot even...

This place is fantastic and I am so happy I found it.

Past experiences: I’ve met several psychiatrists (about 4) in my life. Finally, I said enough. Nearly all psychiatrists that I met, in my personal experience with them, were arrogant (wouldn’t admit when they didn’t know something or had incorrect information), morally questionable (I’ve had psychiatrists lie to me about what meds they were prescribing me and try to upcharge me), uncaring (would repeat back to me completely inaccurate information minutes after I said it such as the number of siblings I have), not very emotionally intelligent or kind (I would try to explain that it was difficult to talk about my emotions to someone I just met and they would roll their eyes or accuse me of getting amusement out of confusing them and then go down the DSM5 checklist and get mad when I couldn’t decide on an answer). And getting their secretaries to answer your calls could sometimes seem impossible.

Why Good Health is different: It is everything I’ve dreamed my mental health experience would be. The secretaries always picks up, even if they have to place me on a brief hold. Everyone there is upfront and honest. The nurse practitioner (Christine Chollak) I visit is kind and gentle and understanding and asks my opinion on my treatment plan and doesn’t feel challenged or take it personally if I disagree with her — she allows it to be a conversation. She immediately understood all of my concerns before I even uttered them (going through a checklist may not accurate due to the narrative fallacy, where you tie together random events in your life and overemphasize them to fit a preconceived notion in your mind). I completely understand her concerns about addiction, even if I feel that I am not the type to develop strong addictions, and we work together as a team to ensure my medications are taken at the appropriate dosages. I do not feel like an obstacle on her way to a paycheck like I have in the past, but instead like someone that is under her care.

Plus, they do virtual appointments! Follow-up are 15 minutes long - which may seem short but she is often early and doesn’t press you on time and I appreciate that they are upfront about it being 15 minutes long. Christine Chollak always makes sure that your questions are answered by the end of the session. And I believe from the interactions that I’ve had with this practice that all of the nurse practitioners that they hire are likely just as good and share the same values as Chollak.

If you’re tired of psychiatrists that seem to treat you like a paycheck and don’t seem to care about you, I would highly recommend changing to a nurse practitioner, especially this...