YWCA Northern New Jersey

Wild Rose

I wish I could recommend this place to others seeking a SAFE space to find trustworthy compassionate counselors who expect clients to share the most intimate experiences of their lives, to find genuine advocates, to have a case worker who makes the slightest attempt to do their own job and fulfill their responsibilities for those of us in dire need of the services they’re hired to provide. Unfortunately that was NOT my experience after years with Healing Space. At first I had appointments every other week, I believe, then once a week which seemed helpful at the time. My counselor was nice enough and validating until she wasn’t. This experience taught me to quit seeking external validation. She came off as well versed in basic trauma responses but she wasn’t nor did she offer any new observations or exercises. She asked what my treatment goals were years later… I told her working on self esteem was most important for any healing. She was never interested in working through helpful books and workbooks I suggested for C-PTSD + flashbacking such the Self Esteem Workbook and others. Some trauma counselors work through these books (at the client’s speed) because they can be too difficult to handle on one’s own. She avoided simply saying she wasn’t interested in working through any books or exercises. Unfortunately avoidance became a pattern of behavior with her and I had difficulty speaking up for myself and trusting my instincts. Eventually she got me to have appointments twice a week and occasionally three times a week. It was too much for me. I was passed around to others in HealingSpace who were also either trauma illiterate or close while believing it was for the best because my counselor advised / pushed me to do it. I wasn’t aware that my safety wasn’t being respected. Eventually I expressed that it was too much for me and that picking at old wounds caused too much trauma. I REQUESTED a brief time out. I was more concerned with my counselor’s feelings rather than my own needs. I wasn’t given the same understanding for my health and BOUNDARIES as I was given early on. I was told via email –since she didn’t answer the phone and wouldn’t speak to me directly– that I was no longer a client during a crisis. After about a week!? Was it more important for them to get paid rather than to treat a dedicated client’s wellbeing with respect? No new policies were discussed or emailed. Just plain rejected + punished while struggling with a number of advanced health diagnoses that made it impossible to walk, see, do anything but be in immense pain and terror. That’s legal to do to clients? I wasted too much time, energy and hard work getting nowhere with their almost-teenage-case-worker who had no work ethic or ability to focus and listen. She couldn’t have had much work experience. TWO long appointments + many phone calls later and she still refused to do her own job at all. I came in during a shingles flare up with a dangerously high heart rate and she’s still employed? She didn’t do ANYTHING she was obligated to do. She blamed me to her supervisor for her incompetence. She used lazy excuses, lies, blame shifting and tried gaslighting me rather than WORKING. She’s dangerous for anyone who experienced the abuse / violence she pushed me to kick up for the “victims compensation fund” which she pushed me to work on then refused to work on herself. She even got rid of my file while I was a client. Things went wrong well before the pandemic. During it things at HealingSpace became a mess. I understand that the pandemic changed everything. I lost family and was ill myself but what happened to me not only wasted my valuable time during chronic illnesses; it caused significant damage that taught me to trust people even less. If you have C-ptsd, fresh traumas, live with crippling trauma responses, then I hope you’ll seek out treatment that isn’t run like this dump and trust your gut better than I did. If someone seems off and unaccountable run don’t walk! We deserve better than this scam.

Kristin Smith

This place has changed my life. I am forever grateful for everyone who works and volunteers here. I wouldn’t be as successful as I am now without all of your help. If anyone is in need of trauma therapy, individual or group, go!

Nawal Abdul

Appreciate their services..Friendly atmosphere

Hazo Dickerson

This place saves lives. They have male survivors groups as well as women's. There is access to trauma therapy as well.