Gloria Carpenter

I’m really surprised by the first review. I just joined Unilocal bc I use it often but never give reviews… well, it was time to speak up when I saw this poor review of Dr. Carpenter.
Dr. Carpenter has been wonderful to me! I saw her in 2012 and 2014 and she was nothing but awesome! I used insurance the first time and then came back and paid out of pocket. She was always upfront about the costs and fee structure, and anything else I had questions about.
She was smart and usually gave me a different perspective on things. I always left her office feeling like she cared. That first review is just appalling. I’ve even referred friends to her. One of my friends was a terrible patient because she was always late or rescheduling, but Dr. Carpenter was really patient with her and still saw her, and didn’t show any malice toward to me because of my friend.
I’ve gone to another therapist before her, and my friends have also reported horror stories from some of the counselors in DC, but this lady always gets high marks in my book. I trust her whole-​heartedly and I may actually be returning to therapy. She helped me to feel okay about therapy again and she really helped me through a difficult time. Not sure how I would have gotten through my bout of depression and life changes with relationships without her help.
Overall, she has always been easy to talk to and she understood me. She is really down to earth for someone with a Ph.D. and she doesn’t mind laughing with you in the session… she’s personable. Oh, and she’s kind of young but also married, so she’s not «your mom» but is still wise and can relate to the problems.
Absolutely go to Dr. Carpenter. If you want a compassionate, genuine, and smart psychologist, she’s that person. And, her prices are average for the area. I’m sure she has her faults, but I along with a good friend and a friend of a friend, would say that she was super helpful to us.

Searching for a therapist is a daunting task for anyone. Once you have managed to talk to one, you need to ensure that: 1) he or she does care about your issues and is not only interested in getting paid; 2) you feel comfortable and can trust him/​her.
I first contacted Dr. Carpenter in June 2014 to book my first session and to discuss her rates and her submitting of payment receipts to health insurance. She told me she would charge one fee for the first session and a second (lower) fee thereafter. She also confirmed that she could submit the receipts directly to my insurance, which was great news.
A few months later, I needed to cancel my fourth session and I attempted to reschedule it for another day. Unfortunately, Dr. Carpenter announced, for the first time, that she could no longer see me after 5:00 p.m. unless she would charge me double the agreed-​upon rate. I expressed my concerns as I could not afford it, nor could I skip work to have a session in the middle of the day.
I later tried to resolve the scheduling issue, reinforcing the fact that her failure to share with me the particularities of her scheduling and varying rates put me in a difficult situation. Unfortunately, Dr. Carpenter showed no interest in arranging her schedule to allow me to continue therapy.
Knowing that the receipts for the second and third sessions did not get submitted on time, I sent an email to Dr. Carpenter to inquire about this matter. The doctor claimed that I needed to sign a form before she submits them, something she did not ask me to do when she submitted the receipt for the first session. Furthermore, she informed me that she didn’t have the time to perform this type of administrative work.
I reached out to her again to request that she submits the receipts. She responded that she would send them when she has time, and asked that I stop harassing her!
In many aspects, Dr. Carpenter showed poor work ethics and people skills. Even more so knowing which discipline she specialized in. Finding a therapist is always an ordeal and it is not an easy task to open up to a stranger to talk about personal issues, which often date back to childhood.
Dr. Carpenter failed multiple times to share important pieces of information, contradicted herself on many points, claimed to have scheduling policies which weren’t outlined on any documents I signed, and proved to be rude and insulting and ultimately distrustful.
I strongly suggest that you try to find another therapist, something which seems to be rather difficult in NoVA.