Ann Martin Children's Center
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Ann Martin Children's Center
March 2008
Has anyone had any experience with the Ann martin's Center in Piedmont?
I'm specifically interested in their Cornerstone program (social
skills group for preschool-aged kids).
I hope things have changed in six years, but our experience
with the Ann Martin children's center was awful. Granted, at
the time we did not know for certain that our
then-six-year-old daughter has OCD, so it was assumed that her
extreme behaviors could be dealt with ''normally.'' The
reasons we fled from there after two visits: they have a
sliding fee scale and we were at the top, which was fine, but
they assigned an intern to us - a therapist with virtually no
experience, and not a lot of talent, from what I could tell.
They let us switch to someone else after the first visit. On
the second visit, the new therapist insisted she'd have to
talk with our daughter's teacher before proceeding. We said
no, because her behavior at school was never an issue. We did
not want her to be stigmatized because it was not necessary.
Then she tried to probe our family life as if we were
withholding information that led to our duaghter's behaviors,
which we were not. I know that
it's the therapist's job to do these things, but we had very
accurately described the reason why our pediatrician and we
had chosen to try to get help. We were distinctly mis-matched
there; I think maybe run-of-the-mill problems are within their
capacity. Serious disorders should be dealt with by other
professionals, in my opinion.
I was surprised to see a negative post about Ann Martin
Center. Our family has been using their services for 5 years
and are extremely satisfied. Yes, they use interns. But
theirs is a very competitive internship so they get the best
of the best. Both therapists our family has seen were great
and the center clearly does a fabulous job mentoring their
intern-therapists. Another bonus is they have services for
both mental health and learning difficulties. They serve a
wide variety of families and have lots of experience with
children who are in foster care, dealing with the death of a
parent, or going through adoption. I know many happy Ann
Martin parents and children.
Ann Martin Center's Biggest Fan
The Ann Martin Center was highly recommended by a friend. I took
my son there for therapy. It took over a month for someone to
contact me. Then it took even longer to schedule an intake. At
the intake the intern decided that “I” was the one who needed
therapy not my son. After much discussion I told her NO - that
we were leaving. I questioned whether she understood Asperger’s,
which she didn’t. However, she was willing to learn. She assured
me that she could help my son and asked that I give her a
chance. [This is when I should have left but I dread the though
of starting all over again with another agency.] My son saw her
for a few months. Often, he would come out of his sessions
thoroughly confused and upset. Each time we talked (his
therapist and I), the whole conversation was based on me, and
how I should come in for therapy. We discontinued our
relationship.
Trust in your gut feeling. If something doesn’t feel right don’t
do it - no matter how time you’ve invested and how low the cost.
Best of luck
Jan 2005
Re: Therapist for very emotional 7-year-old
My wife and i would recommend Ann Martin Center in
Oakland/Piedmont border area (1250 Grand Avenue). They do
excellent individual and group child centered therapy. My son
went there and we were very pleased with the work that they did.
anon.
June 2003
Re: Grief support for young mother
Ann Martin Children's Center has a bereavement program that helps
families cope with the loss of a parent --call 655-7880 and ask
for Linda Cozzerelli, LCSW
Re: 4th grader's poor social skills (Dec 2002)
Try the Ann Martin Center located on Piedmont Ave. They do a
variety of children's groups, including ones that are focused on
social development. They can be reached at 510.655.7880.
Andrea
Re: Adolescent counseling
Hi,
You might try the Ann Martin Children's Center, Oakland in Piedmont.
They are located at 1250 Grand Ave. 655-7880.
or try
Berkeley Youth Alternatives.
this page was last updated: Dec 31, 2008
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