Kaiser, Don't Deny

know better than to rely on Kaiser when I need a therapist

I have been a Kaiser member since the early 1990s, and I know better than to rely on Kaiser when I need a therapist. A couple years ago, after running through whatever Kaiser therapists I could see, I tried Kaiser’s outside referral service, and it was horrible. It took three tries just to get through to a person, and they couldn’t answer my questions nor find someone in my area. They emailed me a list of practitioners that supplied only addresses — no information about their education or years in practice. I had to interview each potential therapist myself, then had to make three more calls to get an appointment with the one I chose. I was approved for one therapy appointment, and this took more than six weeks. When this therapist did not work out, and I found out I had to go through the same process to get another, I just quit. That’s probably what they were trying to do — discourage patients so they could save money. Luckily, I wasn’t alone and I wasn’t suicidal, but what about those who are?

Deirdre
Los Angeles