LifeStance HealthReviews of lifestance.com

What a waste of time!! Tried to get set up as a new patient using my United Healthcare coverage. Person who set me up on the phone was obnoxious. Told her I needed counseling, but set me up with a psychiatrist, not a counselor. The psychiatrist call lasted about 5 minutes. She said "can't help you unless you want to be on drugs". Run, don't walk, away from these clowns!! The low ratings are, sadly, accurate.

My therapist, who does not work for Lifestance, recommended I take time from work due to anxiety. My company asked me to go on short term disability. The insurance provider, New York Life, then required forms to be completed. My therapist said that her company believed a more qualified practitioner would be needed and suggested I work through LifeStance. I found Janine Watters, a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, on their site and completed an online intake - one of the questions included that this was for insurance purposes. I put in all the details I could. During the appointment I explained to nurse Watters that this was for short term disability, that I was referred to LifeStance from my therapist, that I would complete release of information forms with both her and my therapist so that they could talk. Nurse Watters saw that my anxiety was high and asked if I would take a prescription medication. While I would rather have not, she said it would be "as needed", so I picked up the prescription. I told her about the forms being sent by New York Life, but she made no mention of them and it didn't seem an issue. Several days after the appointment, I checked with New York Life who said they had sent her the forms. I also found an additional way to send the forms to her as the LifeStance patient portal has no way of adding attachments (the portal is terrible to navigate and use). On December 21st I parted ways with my company and so my health insurance expired. On 22nd of December, nurse Watters send me a message stating that "It is not my practice to complete forms of this nature for new patients on the first visit". She made no mention of this during the appointment, and this was 10 days after the appointment and also past the deadline for the insurance company. As I'd also parted ways with my employer and no longer had health insurance, I couldn't make an appointment (she had billed $320 for the first visit which lasted around 30 minutes). The thing that gets me was nurse Watters had the release forms for my therapist, but I don't believe she once contacted her. My therapist had made a diagnosis, and all nurse Watters was needed for was to confirm that and complete the insurance forms. At the end of this I ended up with medication I did not really want, no short term disability insurance payment, and higher anxiety than I went in with. Would I recommend LifeStance or Janine Watters? Absolutely not.

I’ve had such an awful expierience with life stance. I’ve been with them for 3 years and it’s the first time I’ve really dealt with a regular doctor. I kind of thought this was just standard practice but my doctor from life stance made me go get bloodwork and a physical with a general doctor. It was at that appointment I realized how bad the service has been. My general was blown away with my stories about my expierience with lifestance. They have switched doctors on me last minute, appointments need to be booked 6 weeks out, you can never talk to anyone and are just told to use the portal or someone will call you back(it never happens). I have waited over a week the last 5 months for my prescription. Refill and have requested call backs each time. I have never gotten a returned call or returned email from anyone other than an occasional admin saying it’s beyond them and someone will get back to me, but I know they never will. The one thing they are on top of is billing though, never an issue there. STAY FAR AWAY.

Suzanne, Portland, ME January 3, 2024 Had bad experiences in both The Portland and South Portland, ME offices. My former psychiatrist at Alifestance, innPortland, ME, Sylvia Park, MD was not helpful, and once told me she shouldn’t be prescribing one of my Psych meds to me!!! She made this remark to me in an either August or September 2022. I am not being prescribed illegal meds!!! I just recently saw a MHNPP in the LifeStance office in South Portland, ME. Her name is: Kate Radlinski. She remarked that she wanted me to go out and do something!!! She wanted me to go out and find employment. She also hypothesized/theorized that I have social anxiety, due to the fact that I cannot hold a job. This is NOT TRUE!!! I find work, or certain types of it to be STRESSFUL. I DO NOT HAVE SOCIAL ANXIETY!!! I am no longer a patient at LifeStance Mental Health. I think it is a terrible mental health business/center.

I am fairly new to LifeStance and my frustration is in trying to get in touch with the person who prescribes my medication. Once I was on hold 20 min and I just hung up. The second time I left my number and place in line, I was to have gotten a call back but no one called. The 3rd time I was on hold for 1 hr 15 min. I am on hold again and got someone to call me back but she was in Columbus, GA (I am in Atlanta). She said she could not help me but would transfer me to someone who could. I told her I have tried to get in touch with my Provider because I had a bad reaction to my meds. She then asked if I wanted to cancel my appt. I have to laugh every time I call because the message is always the same, "We understand your time is valuable and we will be with you shortly."

Great therapist, listens to what’s going on with me. And genuinely cares about me and my mental health!

Lifestance Health has great counselors/therapists but their back office billing practices are toxic. They over charge you so much that you cannot continue with your therapist. And then they make it impossible to get an answer on your bill when you have them. Everyone taking the phone calls either has been shielded from how the billing works or they are purposely there to frustrate you with answers like "I have no control", or "I don't work on generating bills". But the people that do that work are un-reachable. You also sit on hold for at least an hour. If you check bbb.org, many many many people are saying the same thing.

Very tough to get anyone to answer the phone. I have spent 45 min to 1hr 30 min waiting on hold and sometimes can keep my place in line. I have not received a call back the last 2 times and I am still waiting on a call back over 6 hours ago. If it weren’t for my daughter having a good rapport with her therapist and the communication we get with them, I wouldn’t continue with LifeStance. This has been a problem since the last 6 months.