Grace House Counseling Center

Recent Google reviews

• Zachary Clark 1 · 2 months ago

  I attended a couple's therapy session with my significant* w/counselor Lorrie Jourdan. I have a backgroup in therapeutic counseling. She didnt know that. I felt like a secret shopper watching a bad employee buzz off. Worst counseling ive ever witnessed. She made cheap anecdotes about how most of her Florida clients, and Florida people in general are shallow and superficial. ?Her poor attempt at developing Rapport, being im from the west coast(?) She made a story about so many of her clients cant make friends. All she said was "i tell them i can be their friend." And "i wish i could help them, or get them all together." Essentially admitting to not being any kind of counselor at all. In one story she made fun of people who have "no depth" and then proceeded to imply in her summary, that she had no depth in her ability to address a simple esteem issue like friendship in her clients. Our session seemed unprepared. She used cliches, and pre formed "exercises" of the cheapest order; asking us why we were together. Upon answering with many reasons, she mocked me by saying "so what if you have a child together?" As if in PC CULTURE of today, a child's development in having a nuclear family isn't any kind of valid personal reason. She chose that to focus on, before even making any proper assessment of us. The most unprofessional aspect of this session is when i brought up concepts of codependency, she flinched and deflected. She didnt ask me questions, nor inquire as to my understanding or intention. When i used the term manic episode, she retorted really quickly into a story about another one of her clients. Then made a really slow definition about what manic and delusional means in behavior. I said, "uh yeah. Thats why im using those terms. They are accurately being used." She didn't ask me to elaborate. She started in on denials and deflection and condescending diatribes about how she doesn't think they are appropriate. I say "you haven't even heard my accounts, and you wont let me finish a story here." She brought the term Narcissist in on her own, in blind defense of my significant other. I proceeded to inform her gently that it sounded like she didn't know the family history here, full of the Alcoholic/Narcissist codependency dynamic. She said nothing and gave a glazed look. Every use of clinical terminology was denied and delfected away from. This counselor tried very hard to stay in an extremely superficial dynamic; focusing on "validation of feelings" and basic rudimentary self esteem issues. Going so far as to say "She needs to feel validated and safe in the relationship" indulging the classic fragile female codependency loop; entirely disregarding individual mutual responsibility for each person, in owning their own emotional dialogue. I gave this counselor a gentle background of our issues, and she cut me off every chance she could with "ah ha! (Finger pointing/framing body language.) It was like interacting with a stone age, battered massage therapist, who only projected 1 dimension of her own state of mind. To summarize: Dont expect any depth, patience, or real transformative inner work with this counselor. LORRIE seems to only be capable of "maternal modality nurturing" type therapy. She nurtures the fragile ego. Anything deeper, she avoided. Is she incapable of any real clinical therapeutic work? *she tells anecdotal stories about her other clients far too much. (At all- is inappropriate!) She fumbled , asked us twice what we like about each other. I asked her if she was even paying attention, and requested she tell me what i had said. It took her a while to refocus and do a summary. I got the impression that she is used to dealing with downtrodden confused people, and she takes advantage of her clients (whether knowingly or unknowingly). Because it seemed like she practiced a really painfully slow, and avoidant type of counseling structure, incentive by income(?) Drawn out no progress therapy scam? Worst therapy ive ever seen. i have been in the industry since 02'. I dont recommend Lorrie to anyone!