Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

“I found Jefferson’s behavioral health services disappointing at a time when I needed support the most. One of the biggest challenges was the constant turnover of psychiatrists in training. Having to establish rapport with a new provider every year meant repeatedly retelling difficult and traumatic experiences, which was exhausting. The teaching model often involved trainees discussing my care with supervising psychiatrists, which at times felt impersonal and uncomfortable rather than collaborative. I was also disappointed by the lack of trauma-informed care from leadership. I often felt unheard, dismissed, and unsupported when raising concerns. Rather than feeling understood and helped, I left many interactions feeling judged and invalidated. I hope Jefferson will invest more in trauma-informed practices, and patient-centered communication so that others seeking help during vulnerable times have a better experience.”

“I have been calling there for two months to request an appointment and always. always get voice mail. I leave a clear message with my name, telephone number and my reason for calling. No one has ever called me back. There is only one other place that takes my insurance and I had an unacceptable experience there and will never go back. UPDATE: After two months, I finally got through to someone there who was rather snippy. She said that the billing department had to review my insurance before I could make an appointment. Unsurprisingly, I never heard from them. Fortunately, I am only somewhat depressed, not suicidal.”

“I am happy I didn't send my client there. It's disgusting that people are treated like this”

“most traumatizing experience of my life. i could go on for paragraphs but i don’t want to relive it. basically, i was in admitted inpatient for psychosis and they did nothing but condescend me, confuse me, and make me feel unsafe. i had a scrape on my knee that got infected there, and every time i begged for a band aid or some Neosporin, all they did was talk to me like a toddler and ask how i got the scrape. also, i was there over the week between christmas and new years so all of the attending doctors were off, which meant i received the very bare minimum of care. no talk therapy, nothing. i begged to leave and they tricked me into signing myself in voluntarily so i wound up admitted for over a week with no autonomy or say in my care whatsoever. horrible place. this was 2017 going into 2018 so hopefully they have somewhat improved, but i doubt it. mentally ill patients are basically treated like prisoners, but if you need your appendix out, best believe you will receive the VIP treatment.”