Dr. Christine Leyva, PHD

Dr. Leyva is smart but she seems to only want to treat patients with run-of-the-mill OCD, or something straightforward to treat. The standard treatment she provides is ERP (exposure and response prevention) and she expects it to work quickly; if your case of OCD is more complex or if ERP isn't effective, she will not know what to do.She does not seem to have other methods of treatment besides ERP. In my sessions with her, she got frustrated pretty quickly, and immediately showed some off-putting behaviors. The last couple sessions I had with her, she looked bored, looked at her watch regularly, etc. She clearly did not want to be there. I do not recommend her because if you're paying that much money for treatment, the healthcare provider should be engaged 100% of the time, and should obviously be able to provide other treatments in case the first one doesn't work.

I’ve seen a lot of therapists in my day and I left my appointment feeling judged and not understood or listened to. It was truly the worst therapy appointment I’ve ever had in my life. Dr Leyva at one point said “that’s not relevant” to something that truly was relevant to me and my situation. I felt like she was dismissive, and not really interested in my point of view. It was disheartening to have this from a mental health professional, especially due to the stigma that still exists about mental health. I’m sure this was not her intention but this was how my appointment came across to me and my experience. I sincerely hope others don’t have the same experience because the appointment with Dr Leyva was mentally damaging.