Serenity Mental Health Centers - Cherry Creek

“Provider is great. Nice office. People are pleasant. Nice to talk to a real human when you call them. Business and administration practices seem sketchy - like they're really trying to maximize how much they can bill insurance for, and upselling patients along the way. That's sketchy for any business, but when you're working with a population of vulnerable people who are trying to get mental health treatment, it feels sinister. My first experience with them was having my provider give me an ADHD diagnosis based on our initial conversation (which is sufficient for diagnosing ADHD). Had to set up a second appointment to talk about medication related to that diagnosis, becayse weren't allowed to do that during the initial appointment (weird, but ok). Then the admins/nurses said I couldn't schedule that follow-up appointment because I had to do ANOTHER appointment first to do some testing in order to have an official diagnosis (completely untrue, but I didn't know any better). Hundreds of dollars to stare at a computer screen for 15 minutes to tell me something we already knew. I finally got to schedule a THIRD appointment to see my provider and talk about treatment. First thing my provider said was, "Why did they make you take these tests? I already gave you a diagnosis. You didn't need to do that." Welp, too late. Since then every little thing requires a new office visit. I get that you have hoops to jump through when it comes to controlled substances, but I have doubts all of my appointments were necessary. Feels like half the office visits I've had are me and my provider talking for 5 minutes about stuff we've already discussed. No option for telehealth, even when I was recovering from an injury and all I needed was for them to process another prior authorization to the insurance company for a drug they had already been working with the insurance company on. Collossal PITA. They also really push TMS. I get it. I know it's very effective for some conditions, but it's also very expensive and not covered by insurance. I have ADHD. TMS's effectiveness with executive function is not scientifically proven and seems to vary widely between individuals. Encouraging someone to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for off-label treatment that may or may not kinda work feels reeeeally disingenuous.”

“All the staff at Serenity are kind, compassionate, patient focused, knowledgeable, authentic, and professional. If you feel nervous or have a million questions they are happy to take the time so you feel fully informed and empowered. Having had many experiences with all kinds of mental health providers, I can say they are the best! I’ve only just started my care but I’ve been so impressed that I’ve shared my experiences and recommended them to co-workers, family, and friends. I know that Dr. Jennifer French and the whole team is deeply invested in my healing. I have hope for the first time in years. You have everything to gain by giving them a chance.”

“Save your money and time and go elsewhere. Sure the people in the office are nice, which is why they get 1 star but my experience with Serenity has been anything but serene the past few years — both at Lakewood and Glendale. They are not at all transparent with their pricing, and they do not care about patient experience or truly informed patient consent for their treatments. When I transferred care from Lakewood to Glendale, I asked up front and was reassured my prices would not increase and that I would not be charged for new services or anything. In fact, I even downgraded providers from a psychiatrist to a nurse practitioner— which should be cheaper generally. While the NP was a nice person, they withheld the fact that they were charging me for double the appointment fee than my last provider (who was a full blown Psychiatrist) and unknowingly charged me for “psychotherapy/counseling”— when they are not in fact a psychotherapist or counselor? Nor did I want or request or sign up for psychotherapy, unless they secretly put it in the fine print somewhere without telling me?! My NP even knew I have a psychotherapist I actively go to, so this felt snakey. She only told me she was doing this when I finally asked her why I was getting charged so much after getting the runaround with the other office people for months. When I had tried to get clarity on the price change the times I went for my appointment before directly asking my NP, I was passed to numerous people, none of who had a clear answer. Then, I was told multiple times billing would reach out to me, and they never did — over MONTHS. Additionally, I was told to contact my insurance because it was “probably a change in the deductible”, yet my insurance hadn’t changed AT ALL (over years) and my last appointment with my Lakewood Psychiatrist (in this insurance year) was 1/2 the price. How is a Nurse I see for roughly the same amount of time costing me double what the Psych did? It makes no sense. When billing did reach out, they did so via email, reiterating the same things and giving me no clarity and no support. No apologies, no trying to help me or care about my experience. It feels disappointing and upsetting. This company makes me feel like a number, not a person. They do not care about ethical business practices, they care about money. I feel like I was scammed and cheated, and I am the one who has to pay for their lack of informed consent / transparent billing practices. Serenity is a huge corporation and most of your communications are dealt with people outside of your metro, whether it’s waiting on hold on the phone or for months for a simple email. There are many better places. Go to a PCP. Go anywhere else. Anywhere.”

“I’ve been a patient of Serenity for five years now. I can say, without a doubt, that Dr. French is the only reason I am still stepping through those doors. She is wonderful and has been a lifesaver. Outside of that, if you want to walk into a high marketing sales pressure every visit, then you’ve found your place. Businesses need money to thrive. That is an understandable fact. Something I’m not arguing. But the intense pressure and sketchy tactics they use to push TMS therapy on already fragile people is appalling. I know people who have done TMS and love it. It worked wonders. Others, like myself, it did not. It was a horrific experience for me, until the very end where I found an angel of a TMS specialist Ronda. I have made it clear that is something I never want to go through again and have trauma, and what I believe to be, some long lasting negative effects. Once last year, during a somewhat low time, my psychiatry session was cut short and I was ushered into a room to talk about TMS. I explained my experience and it wasn’t something I was interested in. He kept pushing and pushing. I realized I wasn’t leaving unless I agreed. He did the uncomfortable mapping, I left and canceled my appointments. On this last visit, I had to see an “assistant” before I saw my doctor. She asked standard questions and then very leading questions. Even if everything was ok, she would lead with “Well you’re not even anxious *sometimes*”? Of course everyone is sometimes. That was all she needed to start the exact same, rehearsed lecture on TMS and what it can do for you. I politely stopped her, and said TMS is something I’m not interested in revisiting. She didn’t even look into my chart to see if I had ever had it. She asked what happened. I said it was not something I wanted to talk about or revisit. She kept pushing and pushing until I spoke about some of my experience. (Watch your cameras from my visit for yourself). She then pivoted to trying to seem like my current medications may have side effects and need tweaking and I could do ketamine therapy. She didn’t even have the right medications. Ketamine was something else I had already done and is insanely expensive. She never listened to me as a patient. She watched me like a sales target. TMS and Ketamine are both extremely expensive and lucrative for the company. I’m not saying they don’t work. For some people they do. But the constant pressure to start the treatments even when my own doctor agrees I don’t need them, is absolutely ridiculous. Serenity used to be a place I looked forward to going to. Now I’m on edge just walking in because I know the timeshare sales pitch I’m going to have to go through before I can even see my doctor. Preying on people that are already mentally fragile is not ok in any sense and Serenity needs to reevaluate their methods. Take my warning before you also owe thousands on a payment plan through them that is never ending. Or if that sounds fun, go for it. I would HIGHLY recommend only using Rhonda for TMS and Dr. French for sessions. Those two are true lifesavers.”