Providence Mat-Su Behavioral Health

I’ve gone here for years. Most of the staff is great but if you have to get involved with the providence corporation for any reason then it’s easier to just find a ditch to lay down in. They’ve successfully made their system inaccessible.

Three stars only because my daughter likes her therapist. However, she has been a patient there for 10+ years, and during that time, I requested a referral for a neuropsychological evaluation a couple of times, and the therapist shut me down each time with “oh, I don’t think that’s really necessary”. My daughter turned 18, sought a referral elsewhere, and (no) surprise, was diagnosed with a significant issue. Proper treatment (from another provider) has made a world of difference for her. Also the front desk staff! They cancel appointments and don’t tell us, they make appointments and don’t tell us, they change appointments and don’t tell us. And then they get irritated when my daughter doesn’t show up for an appointment they didn’t tell us about! And I get very irritated when we do show up after a half hour drive, and they have changed or cancelled her appointment. Talking to the staff about the issue does nothing, and it has been an ongoing issue for 5 or more years. If you have another option, don’t go here.

Dr. Halvorson was late, rude, insensitive, and dismissive.

Great staff, excellent doctors, nice facilities.

Everyone is so kind and helpful. I have been going here for years and never had anything but good experiences and interactions!

Absolutely the worst place to go if you have genuine mental health issues. They clearly aren’t aware of the definition of mental or behavioral health. I want to name names, but I believe the entire staff to be cut from the same cloth. Their concerns are their paychecks and the revolving door, if you have to keep coming back, they’ll never have a need for money. Give you the wrong advice, diagnose you wrong, prescribe you things that won’t hurt you but won’t help you. They’re there solely to milk your insurances provider dry. Honestly I got more help and comfort and guidance when I made nightly visits to Chilkoots Charlie’s.

I adore my counselor and my children's counselor. However, I have dubbed the front office staff "The Gatekeepers." It is almost impossible for me to message the counselors without The Gatekeepers giving me push back. The reason we are seeing counselors can be very triggering to me and I cry most times when I have to explain to The Gatekeepers why I want them to send a message on my behalf. Once they wouldn't send a message to my counselor until I did cry. Yesterday I needed to call The Gatekeepers yet again because the Medical Records department STILL has not returned my call. I took a Xanax before calling because of how much anxiety they cause me. I need to call them AGAIN today, not that it matters because I will not get the medical records I need before my meeting in a few hours. I am so incredibly frustrated.

I was treated extremely poorly by an NP who I was scheduled with. She was very rude, impersonal, and judgmental. She made assumptions and ignored most of what I was trying to explain to her. I left the appointment extremely upset, and she couldn’t seem to care less, or even enough to get out of her chair to walk me to the door. I attempted several times to contact a supervisor to try to see someone who was a better fit for me, as I have heard good things about many other providers there. Unfortunately, after waiting weeks to finally hear back from someone, I was told I couldn’t see anyone else, and was suggested to “try her again and work something out”. It is absolutely insane to me that a place that is supposed to be there to help people with mental health things can be so repeatedly dismissive and cold to someone who is seeking help. Places and people like these are why most struggle with mental health silently.

Providence Behavioral Medicine has many clients and a waiting list. They take this to mean that they are very good. Actually all such places in Anchorage and the valley, have a waiting list because so many people have problems. PBM did not take us seriously and in fact accused us of faking a teenage eating disorder. Lee Ann felt it would be appropriate to humiliate the teenager and thereby "cure" his vomiting. When I disagreed, she became very angry and refused to work with us. The Catch 22 here is that she would have to release a client before you can even work with someone else. The only help they could offer is anti-depressant medication. In a world where most of their clients have or come from drug-related backgrounds, this is their only option? If a child is afraid to take it, they have no other alternatives, and will refuse to work with you. Erin would not return calls, but instead she had a staff member call--these calls are not confidential! They are posted where anyone on staff can read them. The "staff member" who noted the call seemed quite amused, both times I called. They are very comfy with their high-paying jobs and have a nonchalant attitude toward their clients. Parents are not allowed to be in the room while they are counseling the child--not just for the purpose of deciphering if abuse is happening. You are not allowed to stay even if the child wants you too. My child said he hated his therapist and was afraid of her.