Greenbrook Mental Wellness Centers

“This is a long post because I want to explain my journey at the Greenbrook Mental Wellness Center in Newport News, Virginia. A little background about me. I have struggled with depression all of my adult life. I take medication but I felt like I needed something more and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) was suggested as an additional method of treatment for my depression. I was very hesitant to try TMS. I wasn’t sure if it was a gimmick or how it could even help me. I contacted Greenbrook Mental Wellness Center in Newport News, Virginia to learn more about the procedure. I have insurance and they called to make sure that insurance would cover it prior to starting treatment. I decided to give it a try knowing that all patients respond to the treatment differently. Please ask your doctor for information or research TMS to educate yourself. I found out that it is a non-invasive procedure and that helped me to feel more comfortable with it. I would like to share some of my journey while using TMS at the Newport News, Virginia office in hopes that it will help you in making your decision as to whether to explore this option. At this location there is a wonderful psychiatrist, Dr Berger. He is very caring, thorough, and informative. There are two awesome technicians, Christy and Harmony. I can’t say enough good things about them. They have always treated me with respect, kindness, and were very informative as I started the treatment. They were there every step of the way with me. Encouraging and uplifting when I was down and cheering me on when I felt like I was making progress. When I started the treatment the technician put a cap like thing on the front of my forehead. It sends pulse type tapping on your forehead. It was a little uncomfortable at first but nothing unbearable. It was something that I had to get used to. I could watch TV or just close my eyes while the treatment took place. I did not have any side effects from the treatment. It took about a month before I could tell that I was feeling better. I think that that was the most frustrated that I felt the entire time. Dr. Berger and the technicians check on you throughout the treatment process. In closing I just want to say that for me personally TMS has made a huge change in my life for the better. I wish I had done it sooner. I still have to take some medication, but at this point I feel like the depression does not consume my life like it did before. I am so thankful that I took the chance and called The Greenbrook Wellness Center.”

“Great treatment team. Very friendly and welcoming. They fully explained the treatment and answered all the questions I had.”

“The experience started off okay. The staff seem knowledgeable at first. I think the doctor should do the treatments, my daughter went 3/2 and the tech operating the machinery seemed like she didn't know what she was doing whatsoever. This could be overlooked except it's only electrical pulses to your brain. She seemed careless and payed no attention to my daughters needs. She tried to reschedule beforehand and was told to come in anyway as she would just be "talking to the doctor" prior to she had no knowledge of what the MT or whatever the appointment was called stood for and agreed to come in and SPEAK with the doctor. After she expressed extreme discomfort in the treatment, the tech was hell bent on continuing after the doctor assured us that if it became too much she could stop with the raising of her hand. It wasn't until the grossly inconsiderate tech decided enough was enough that she stopped. My daughter left and had an anxiety attack shortly afterwards in the car. This was horrible to watch as a parent. I have the right mind to call and report that woman but I know it won't help as parents of people with mental disorders as well as the people with the disorders themselves aren't taken seriously and their concerns are often brushed under the rug. Had I not been there I'm fearful they would've just kept going despite her pain. I feel us being black played a huge roll as well.”

“I came to Greenbrook as a last-ditch effort for depression that stems from PTSD. I've experienced depression/anxiety/insomnia for 24 years straight with slight improvement from antidepressants and anti- anxiety meds. I've tried every single antidepressant short of the anti-psychotic meds. The side effects were tolerable but turned me into a shell of myself, worsened my insomnia, messed with my cognitive faculties, and kept me from being able to learn how to cope on my own. I also want to mention that I experience migraines, which was a concern considering the nature of TMS treatment. As far as treatments went, it's not pain-free, but you absolutely get used to it, and the techs who treated me took time out to adjust the machine if it bothered me too much. After day 3, I didn't notice the taps and kept myself preoccupied playing word games. They had TV for a bit which was awesome because I could watch an episode of Futurama in a comfy chair and time flew by. After the first week, I truly liked forward to my treatment sessions because the atmosphere was so comfortable there (mainly due to the techs, Christy and Kate). It NEVER triggered a migraine which was a huge plus for me. So while the tapping could be uncomfortable at times, I had no negative side-effects from the treatment. It is absolutely worth the tapping to end the pain of depression. I sent in my request for treatment, and the staff at Greenbrook (a HUGE shout out to Christy) handled everything... from getting authorization from my insurance (I have Tricare Prime), to scheduling treatments around MY schedule. Christy never failed to make sure my treatments were comfortable and was incredibly flexible with me if I needed to change an appointment time. Not only did the treatment help me reach full remission (verified by 3 different doctors), but it gave me my true self back. I was able to ditch the medications without experiencing rebound depression. My family and I are going through an intensely stressful period right now, and not only can I survive it, I'm thriving. Even with the stress, I can confidently say I feel better than I've ever felt in my life. I want to credit Christy for going above and beyond during my treatments. I honestly believe that, while TMS is an excellent tool (and in my case, more effective than any medication), Christy's support and empathy made it all the more effective. She put my faith back in humanity. She makes time for her patients, she answers every email, and phone call, and goes above and beyond to make sure the patient's experience goes smoothly from beginning to end. I can't recommend the Greenbrook TMS in Newport News highly enough. For me, seeing Christy everyday was the cherry on top.”