Dr. Jennifer Gray, PHD

My daughter started seeing Dr. Grey to help with anxiety and sleep issues. Initially, she was good to talk to and helped my daughter identify some of her triggers. Then when she wasn't progressing 'on course', needed to take ‘baby steps’, and I wasn't doing exactly as told (because it either wasn't helping, or honestly was somewhat unrealistic in practice), my daughter and I both felt like we were frustrating HER. She clearly made assumptions about what I was doing, and not doing, instead of clarifying with thoughtful, perhaps insightful questions. Granted I could do better and I did learn some techniques from Dr. Grey, but she essentially told us exactly what we needed to do regardless if it was plausible based on my daughter’s current state as well as past. It is very difficult to watch your child suffer, and we were trying various altered, methods as ‘a team’. She wasn't empathetic to this, or even acknowledged it. My daughter refused to see her anymore, and I couldn't blame her. I certainly hope she isn’t turned off to therapy indefinitely.

I believe that the practitioner, parent, and patient need to listen to each other and work together to find viable, reasonable solutions. Yes, she is certainly the expert, but part of good therapy is acting as a supportive mentor through the process; I can confidently say that she doesn't not practice this model.