Hi,

I recently went into a psychiatric hospital to be assessed for their partial hospitalization program. There were two I was looking at: one is highly recommended by my therapist, but I was wait listed and told it would be a few weeks before I'd hear back from them. In the meantime I thought I would try the second one, which my therapist is not too fond of but has heard mixed reviews about.

When I first came in, the processing person assured me that they had an intensive outpatient program, 2-5 days/week, and that partial hospitalization would be five days/week. The first hospital has both options. I was particularly concerned about going five days a week, because I want the scheduling to be convenient enough for me to see my own therapist and psychiatric nurse.

The counselor who came to assess me was rude right off the bat. I could hear her from outside the door complaining that this was her fifth assessment for partial that day. When she came in she was very pushy, and I felt like I was being attacked before the assessment even started. She asked me some preliminary questions, like why I was there, which I explained to her perfectly clear (I say this because she was looking at me like an alien and kept asking me to clarify myself). I mentioned that I was managing my bipolar symptoms well, and that I had recently been put on anticonvulsants. I told her that my PTSD symptoms (a new diagnosis) are more apparent and easier to distinguish now that I'm on medication.

Keep in mind that this is before the assessment even started. The way she started to ask me about the trauma was so demanding, and I became more uncomfortable than I already was. There was a clear edge to her voice. I told her that I was abused as a child and that I was assaulted in October. She started going through this mental list to get me to tell her exactly what happened. This is still very touchy and sensitive for me. I haven't processed this fully, and I made it clear that I did not want to divulge. The childhood stuff, however, I am more than willing to talk about. Anyway, I nodded when she asked if it was sexual assault. She asked, "Well did you report it?" I said no, and she continued with, "Why didn't you press charges?" I said I didn't know, I was too shocked, and she shot me this disapproving look.

I changed the subject and asked her about the details of partial hospitalization, because the information on their website and brochure is really unclear. I asked her a simple question: is your program five days a week, or not? She gave me this really convoluted answer and seemed really confused, when in the end the answer was yes. I spent so much energy just trying to explain what I meant by that question. My second question was whether or not they'd be working in conjunction with my therapist an pnurse, because I know the first hospital requires it. She told me no, which was a deal breaker for me. I told her I didn't want to start the assessment. I apologized multiple times and she kept muttering under her breath and looked really pissed.

So I signed the form to decline and left. I have a few friends who went there for inpatient, and I know they said the staff was grumpy, but my god.

I apologize for such a lengthy post, but was it wrong of her to pry about the assault so early on? I understand that she's supposed to be a professional, but it was just an assessment to see if I qualified for the program, and she hadn't even started it yet. I was so uncomfortable. I was holding back tears and I kept wishing my therapist was there.