Gearing Up Counseling Centers

I’m posting this on BOTH pages… If I could choose no stars at all, I would!
This office commits fraud and has you pay for testing that you don’t need, plus the front office lies, too. Dr. Sylvia Gearing and her husband require people to have testing because THEY want to determine your diagnosis. I was diagnosed 26 ½ years ago. All I needed was counseling, to deal with things that are causing me a great deal of stress. My husband’s company offers EAP to their employees and their employees families. So, I decided to take advantage of it, since I am on Disability. I explained to them how our EAP works and they flat-​out refused to abide by our EAP. Instead, they told me that I had would have to be «re-​diagnosed» to get more visits and that Dr. Sylvia Gearing is the one who diagnosed me. That is a bold-​faced lie! To add fuel to the fire, I wanted to explain to my counselor why I wouldn’t be coming in any longer and they said NO. I said, «So basically, you’re not going to let me speak to her or give her a message to call me, because you don’t want me to explain my reasons for not coming back?» They said that they would tell her. I said, «So, you want to tell her your reasons instead of mine, so that she won’t hear the truth from me?» Jessica slipped and said, «Yes, that’s why.» I sincerely doubt that she meant to let that slip out, as she immediately changed the subject. She is going to lie to my therapist and my therapist isn’t going to know what I ended my sessions. I had a panic attack after they called me yesterday. I also had one last night and one just a few minutes ago, after speaking to Jessica. They wanted to charge me for testing that I DO NOT need. I went there for therapy for stress and anxiety, because I have a lot going on in my life. Instead of helping me, they caused my problems to get worse. They’re supposed to be a Christian facility, but they are just a group of lying, money-​grubbing and pathetic con artists. My therapist was great. I wish that I could have the opportunity to speak to her, so she would know that I did not give up on her and that she was helping me. It’s not her fault for the front office of Dr. Gearing’s fraudulent behaviors. At least my therapist is smart enough to get out while she can. She told me that she was leaving for a different job. Maybe she found out exactly what they were up to and decided that she wanted no part of it. Good for her, if that’s the case. They may be getting away with this con game for now, but they will have to stand before God one day and explain themselves.

They need a negative button on Unilocal for this counseling center! Did you read Lauren N’s post on 01/​31/​2015? I didn’t and boy… sure wish I had! Ditto Lauren. Let’s call them what they are… shysters imo. Office staff doesn’t have clue what the other hand is doing and it shows once you receive your bill… My icing on the cake experience was I was told by the therapist (she was excellent) that she had checked with Dr. Sylvia Gearing on offering an «insurance rate» to me for individual therapy. Well, I was called two days later by the office staff informing me that the CEO Chris Gearing wouldn’t authorize the pricing policy of Dr. Susan Gearing and that she didn’t have the authority to give the discounted insurance rate. Never met Chris Gearing and come to find out… oh…he’s not at this practice. So, the office staff offers me a slightly higher rate but still almost 50% the «standard rate». I told them absolutely not! I expect what I was told and promised and if your practice sticks by increasing what you promised me, I’m goind elsewhere and I immediately did! I received my bill in the mail and it’s for the FULL rate… LOL. I shouldn’t be surprised. I’d like to say this was my only «bad» experience with this Counseling Center but that wouldn’t be the truth. On several occasions the front office had the billing incorrect and my wife and I would joke when we left that the front office was like the government where the «right hand» doesn’t know what the «left hand is doing. It’s that bad. So, please look at my review, look at Lauren N’s review 01/​31/​2015, look at Laura S’s review 08/​15/​2014 and stop and consider BEFORE even meeting with Dr. Susan Gearing. Ask her if you dare, do you have the authority to set the pricing practices… no; does anyone here… no. It’s by a CEO that doesn’t know who you are so what you’re told/​promised really doesn’t mean anything and this Counseling Center definitely does NOT stand behind what they tell you!!! Let the Patient (Buyer) beware!!!

Mr and Mrs Gearing are very sweet and helpful, so are the counselors. The office staff on the other hand are very rude, no patient satisfaction, make excuses for over charging u with hidden fees, do not communicate unless it benefits them, sloppy looking, and are not very helpful (only when someone is being consistent) that is the reason we changed to a different company bc of the office staff.
My daughter had been going to Gearing up over a year and i have seen huge improvements and she loves going.

I have had many bad experiences with businesses in my life, but this one was so upsetting I’m compelled to write a review for the first time ever. I like many others I see here had countless issues with the office staff. You don’t want to believe that a business that’s purpose is to help people actually adds significant stress and anxiety. After 7 months and multiple meetings and requests they still never attempted to schedule the primary reason we came– for family counseling. And they would require many «parent meetings» to keep working with my child. They would call asking to reschedule «to help me». When I couldn’t accommodate their suggested times they would cancel the meeting without my knowledge– wasting my time. When I finally called them out in their office when taking off work to go to one of my «cancelled» appointments they cancelled yet another and made us «inactive.» Unbelievable!!! Save yourself the stress of having to funnel EVERYTHING through incompetent office staff. All my requests to try to work directly with he Gearings were denied as they won’t take any incoming or make any outbound calls.

I’m beyond upset with my experience at Gearing Up. I really wanted to like this establishment as it has the flexible hours and location I was looking for, but their unethical billing practices and misleading employees left me incredibly unhappy. To think I started going here to help me handle stress!
After multiple calls and getting the run around, I’m forced to write an unfavorable review to warn others. It’s kind of embarrassing to write a review on a counseling service as I am thus telling «the world» I see a counselor (pretty personal for Unilocal!), but this shows the extent of how awful it has been to work with this office.
Warning — they will charge you for appointments and testing that never happened, tell you something is covered by EAP then charge your card, even when you have requested to pay everything in cash (card only for contingency) and then will send you random bills months afterwards. All of my calls/​messages have been ignored!
Please note, the counselor I saw here was actually good, but the billing practices, constant lies and ignored messages clouds this completely. I am a very rational person that doesn’t mind working through an issue logically and calmly to resolution — too bad they refuse to do the same.

I am completely unimpressed! I feel sorry for anyone that is in crisis and trying to get help from this group.
The office staff is incompetent. The office mgr doesn’t return calls and Dr M Gearing couldn’t keep from yawning the whole time he was giving me my testing feedback.
I have been waiting for over 2 weeks for them to just send a report to my PCP. Their phones were down all yesterday and today just kept ringing with no answer until after noon.

Gearing Up has helped me so much this past year with my mental health issues! I don’t know what I would have done without Dr. Sylvia Gearing! The office staff works around my work schedule on setting up appointments. I would recommend this office for anyone who is having problems with depression, anxiety or eating disorders! Thanks Gearing Up!

The Gearing’s are most caring kindhearted people I know. Their education in counseling is amazing. Their staff is very welcoming as comforting to talk to. They hold the highest standards when it come to helping others and their lives ! i would definitely recommend anybody to Gearing up!

Gearing Up has changed my life. When I first walked in the door, I was a mess. I couldn’t stand up for myself and I let others walk all over me. I have learned, through their suberb counseling and support, how to change my thinking and set boundaries in my life. I have had interactions with several of the counselors at Gearing Up and they have all been excellent.