Jill Harmon Lcsw

After debating whether or not to write this review for a few months, I felt morally obligated to share my experience as a client of Ms. Harmon for couple’s counseling.
Initially, my wife and I had been seeing a therapist with a PHD in clinical psychology and 26 years working solely as a marriage counselor. She was everything we would have expected from a good therapist. She did a lot of listening, especially in the beginning. However, as we were both students, my wife and I couldn’t afford to keep driving an hour away at the expense of 100 bucks an hour.
As an alternative, we were offered free local therapy with licensed social worker Jill Harmon. My wife was hesitant at first knowing that social workers practice all kinds of counseling rather than demonstrating expertise in one particular area. Not to mention, since many social workers work with low-​income families, they tend to be a little trigger-​happy when looking for signs of abuse. Nevertheless, desperate to salvage our marriage, we gave Ms. Harmon a try.
We had only one session with the therapist. She listened for about 45 minutes and by the end of it, she had already made very clear and strong opinions, suggesting that we shouldn’t be together. When I asked her why she was advocating for a separation, she bragged about her 16 years of «experience» and then told me that she saw many «red flags», which were mainly being directed at me.
These bold assumptions made me lose confidence in her abilities as a therapist. In fact the experience reminded me of the Residential Advisor you go to at your freshman year in college when you can’t get along with your roommate.
Folks, this is exactly why you don’t go to a social worker for marriage counseling. My advice is that you spend the extra money and go to a real professional who works exclusively in marriage counseling rather than with a person who is a «jack-​of-​all-​trades, master of none».
The bottom line, a good therapist knows when to talk and when to listen. This therapist chose to give very strong opinions before she had enough time to get a clear picture of what was going on. Yet Ms. HARMon (pun intended) was so arrogant and confident in her «16 years of experience», that she thought she knew everything already. Obviously, this fostered a negative therapy environment. What good is a therapist if she makes her clients feel uncomfortable? She was not professional in my opinion, despite her insistence on being so. I’m sure she has helped other people for different kinds of problems. But I strongly advise you to look elsewhere for marriage counseling. You have to remember, this is your marriage. Your family’s survival is on the line. There is no room for shortcuts. Get the help you deserve with a competent professional.
As for my wife and I, we ended up going back to the first therapist who was thankfully able to salvage our marriage. We had to make some big changes on both sides, but I am happy to report that we are both in a much better place now.