Walnut Psychotherapy Center — Mental health clinic in Philadelphia, PA

Update — Changing from 2 stars to 1 star based on a clinical outcome (Treating therapist: Yasmeen Lambert) I have since been formally diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder by a licensed psychologist specializing in neurodevelopmental assessment, confirmed through eight standardized clinical instruments. I disclosed my suspicion of autism during my very first session , connected to past abuse. Her response: "If you feel that you are diagnosed with something, no one can tell you otherwise." Over twelve months, my autism was never explored, assessed, or referred out — despite observing my repetitive behaviors, hyperfocus, rigid routines, and social exhaustion weekly. When a federal examiner independently observed autistic traits during a vocational assessment, this therapist dismissed it as a hydroxyzine medication side effect. As part of my evaluation, this therapist completed an observer questionnaire and rated me neurotypically average. The specialist confirmed clinically significant autism across every criterion, noting the discrepancy was due to high levels of camouflaging. Prior to the diagnosis, Yasmeen admitted she didn't know "how to diagnose me" for insurance and wanted to engage in “interdisciplinary” with my other treating providers. Being intuitive is not a substitute for being thorough. Professionalism should persist behind closed doors. Past review: I've been visiting Yasmeen Lambert since February of last year. The initial six months were professional and encouraging. No therapy session is perfect, but I benefited significantly and was very happy with the progress I made. She's spiritual, intuitive, and down to earth. She pushed me through severe depression, understood the importance of lifestyle, and brought a forward-thinking approach that I genuinely appreciated. However, the last six to eight months, the sessions have degraded significantly. Her demeanor has become unpredictable — supportive and positive one week, then hostile, passive-aggressive, or patronizing the next. This has been consistent over the past six months and progressively worse in the last three. Therapy should not be shaped by whatever a therapist is personally going through. During these shifts, she'd adopt a condescending tone that made sessions feel adversarial rather than productive. When I questioned her on it, she'd reference her notes — which, on multiple occasions, were flat-out wrong. Therapist notes, by nature, are scribbly. So it's important to ask for clarity, even if you think the patient is wrong. On March 18th, she made claims that contradicted our discussions from the prior two weeks, including her own advice. This wasn't the first time. Progress made one week would get walked back the next, and instead of addressing the discrepancy professionally, it was met with hostility. Whether it's inconsistent note-taking or juggling too many clients, there are better ways to handle that than making the patient feel like they're wrong for remembering what was said. There have been sessions where we were supposed to engage in certain activities — such as post-traumatic therapy — and it simply never happened. Sessions that involved planned activities or engagement were forgotten by the following week. I've also been transparent about my finances and business throughout our sessions. On several occasions, she made suggestions that appeared to serve her outside professional interests — including recommending I hire juveniles from her other place of employment. That crossed a line for me, though I never formally brought it up during our sessions. The March 18th session is where I had to put an end to it. I respect what the early months gave me, but I can't recommend continuing with someone whose professionalism has become this inconsistent. Overall, the first six months were a 7/10 and have been instrumental in improving my life — that will always be appreciated. But recently, sessions have been a 3/10 with obvious personal issues bleeding into the work. Her attitude needs to be left at home.

I had a good experience as a client here. My therapist was a nonbinary person of color, the first time I’ve had a therapist who I could relate to on so many areas of marginalization. It was great not having to explain things like cissexism and anti-Blackness as well as polyamory and queer culture. They didn’t have a lot of experience, though, and eventually our work plateaued.