If there is one thing I learned from McGill Mental Health it’s not to share anything that could be used against you with the therapists who work there. Even with those you trust.

When I first went to Mental Health Service to deal with what I suspected was depression I met with a patient, understanding, and non-judgmental therapist – let’s call her Liz. I felt that I could trust her, and I disclosed information about my occasional drug use to her. I felt that disclosure would better allow her to help me.

A few months later I started experiencing mental health issues again, and wanted to withdraw from one of my classes past the add/drop deadline. I went to McGill Mental Health to see if I could get a note recommending that I withdraw from my class. I came in for a drop-in appointment and met with a therapist I had never met with before – let’s call him John.

When I explained my situation to John, he was extremely judgmental. He insinuated that if I was having a tough time at school it was my own fault for using drugs, and that because I had said I used drugs, I could not possibly have a legitimate reason for wanting to withdraw from a class. He claimed that I must be using drugs more frequently than what I had told Liz. He also claimed that withdrawing from a class would not solve my problems, yet he did not give me any advice about alternatives. It seemed like he wanted to get me out of his office as quickly as possible while being as hurtful as possible. Needless to say, I never received a note recommending that I withdraw from my class.

What was so horrifying about the situation was not that John refused to give me a withdrawal note, but that he used information that was on my record, information that I had told Liz, who I trusted, against me. He also used that information to make me feel bad about myself.

I later complained about this man to another therapist working at McGill Mental Health and her reaction was that I couldn’t expect a therapist who I did not see for a full session to be understanding. Yeah, I guess that would just be too much to ask from a mental health professional.

Although there are good therapists at McGill Mental Health, there are also terrible ones. I now deeply regret telling certain things to Liz because that information is now available to incompetent therapists. I feel that I can never go back to McGill Mental Health because of that. It is extremely problematic that our mental health service hires therapists who will use personal information against students rather than to help them.