Highlands Community Service Board

“This place is terrible. My first encounter with Highlands Community Services was through Interchange as a child. They would lock you inside of a closet. My brother said whenever he went to Interchange, they turned the closet into a padded room. An alternative school that deals with people with developmental disabilities and other disabilities but they locked you in a closet. Then they would drag you out screaming at you to open up your eyes or you're going back in however you just got pulled out of a dark closet and the light is literally burning your eyes. I now live in the same building and walking through the halls I get flashbacks sometimes. As an adult they took away my autism diagnosis and claimed that I'm not autistic. I was having inappropriate responses to things and they knew this and I was getting treatment for it and I had an inappropriate response to a case manager and they want to come down on you so hard even though it is part of your disabilities. They put me with the case manager supervisor and he is an absolute terrible terrible person. He would treat you terribly and treat you like your problem. He would be antagonistic on purpose and try to get under people's skin on purpose to invoke emotional responses. I eventually left and got my autism diagnosis back and began treatment for it along with my PTSD depression and anxiety. They need to understand that they are dealing with people with mental health and they probably will have outbursts and they might have some inappropriate behavior that's why we are coming to you but you hold it against us and you punish us instead of working with us and working with our symptoms. I eventually left and got my autism diagnosis back however they took forever transferring my files to my new provider being ridiculous and problematic up to the very end. My niece wound up coming out there to see you guys and you did not send her the zoom link for her Zoom meeting and you punished her for it for missing an appointment. You did not send her the zoom ID so how is she supposed to join the meeting? You told her that this was a count against her and if she missed two more appointments you would deny her services. You punished my niece for your mistake. So she stopped coming whenever it was helping her tremendously. You guys are by far the absolute worst mental health providers in this region. Even your Crisis Intervention Team is garbage. I called them when I was in a rough place and they were extremely dismissive and lack empathy and compassion. I really wish there were better regulations to keep you guys better in line and to stop your egregious malpractice. You are garbage to the community. You have constantly failed people who came to you for help and you're one of the only options in this region for medicaid and medicare. I would say do better but I think it's quite impossible with your current leadership because you've been doing ridiculous crap ever since I was a kid. I honestly wish there was some way I could bring a lawsuit against you for all the pain and suffering you have caused me. There is enough people in this region that have been done wrong by you we have enough for a class action lawsuit. YOU ARE TERRIBLE!”

“If you are looking for help with ADHD or Autism, do not even call this place. Went through a whole intake and I know I have PTSD, but I also have a literal list I made that took me months of research to put together of why I believe I need this testing, also loads of my family is already diagnosed so it makes sense to look into it, especially since nothing else has ever fit and I finally got it narrowed down to two things to look into and I was told it’s PTSD. Only found out from a different employee later that I was dismissed and made to feel like my concerns aren’t worth being taken seriously because this place doesn’t do the testing and instead of telling me that on the phone, they put me through an hour and half of someone constantly saying ok we only have an hour and a half and you keep getting off track (HMMM IS THAT YET ANOTHER SIGN I HAVE ADHD!!!) and then to tell me it’s PTSD. I know I have PTSD, duh! So I don’t know if they have a rule for intake that employees can’t say ADHD or Autism, but it came across like that. It was like everytime I mentioned it she didn’t hear me because it wasn’t even acknowledged. I kept thinking ok she will address it at the end, nope. Never once said we can’t do that testing. The amount of time and research and courage it took to even make that phone call only for it to fall on deaf ears. I seriously considered ending it that day after I got off the phone. I felt so many horrible things about myself because of the ‘professional’ on the other end of the line. This was the second time I tried to get help there. I should never have called them. No mental health place has ever made me feel as awful about myself and the possibility of good mental health care as Highlands has. I’m thankful and lucky my PCP knew of someone that does the testing I need. (Reposted from their other location in Abingdon because my experience was people from both locations)”

“My case worker has been there for me. Nevertheless I think about her kindness and I'm pleased. She really listens to me and prioritizes me in her schedule. I am understanding this process is not a work of experience that I have. Without her to help with importantly matters I am lost. Thanks again! Highland community councilors.”

“Great people. Really helpful.”