SeattleNTC - Seattle — Psychiatrist in Seattle, WA

It has been a while since I had a couple of TMS treatments done here, and I’ve felt pulled to finally write a review so I can share my experience with others. If you are looking for TMS treatment, I would not recommend coming here. I was really struggling last fall and winter, and my therapist suggested Seattle NTC. At the time, I had no idea what to expect from TMS or what to compare it to. Everyone at the clinic was very kind, and I had no issues with scheduling or logistics. Unfortunately, the actual treatment experience was awful. The TMS sessions were incredibly painful and I have a high pain tolerance. I only went a few times, and during my last session I literally had tears streaming down my face. The technician kept encouraging me, saying things like “you’re almost done, you’ve got this,” and mentioned they could possibly send in a request for numbing medication. After that appointment, I sat in my car and cried because I felt so helpless in my depression and could not imagine enduring that level of pain every day for months. Thankfully, I had a session with my psychiatrist shortly afterward. When I told her what the treatments felt like, she was shocked and said very clearly that TMS is not supposed to be painful like that. She advised me to stop treatment there immediately and referred me to another clinic. I was hesitant to try TMS again, but I eventually decided to give it another chance at a different provider. I am here to tell you: TMS is NOT supposed to be painful if you find the right clinic. At the new clinic, everything was mapped digitally using a machine, which was already very different from my experience at Seattle NTC. I was gripping the chair before my first session, bracing myself, and the provider reassured me that if it hurt, they could immediately adjust the machine explaining that pain usually means it’s sitting on a nerve. The coil was digitally mapped each session so they could see exactly where it should be placed and make precise adjustments. I completed 52 sessions completely pain-free. Any time something felt uncomfortable, I could speak up and they would stop immediately and reposition it slightly until the pain was gone. The contrast between the two experiences was unbelievable. What’s most upsetting to me is that Seattle NTC never suggested repositioning the device or explained that the treatment could be made comfortable outside of numbing cream. I truly thought the pain was just something I had to endure. I’m writing this for anyone who is deep in depression and considering TMS..it does not have to be painful. Please know that you have options, and I strongly recommend looking around and asking questions before choosing this clinic for your treatment. TMS quite literally saved my life, it's so worth it!

Our family has had an excellent experience here with Dr Adam’s. We found so much hope and healing at Seattle NTC. Our child has struggled w treatment resistant depression and the treatments at SNTC have been helpful but more than that, they are determined to find the key for their healing J/W

⚠️ WARNING — Please read this before choosing a TMS provider. I hope this helps at least one person. As someone who compared multiple providers through experience, I recommend choosing a different (and perhaps smaller) clinic. If you are swayed by all these 5 star reviews, proceed with caution, look out for red flags, and simultaneously do an intake at a different clinic to compare the quality both of admin and the doctors. You don’t know great quality until you experience it — and you often don’t recognize poor quality without a comparison. Also, beware the 5 star ratings seem suspicious, and some 5-star reviews were initially negative but then updated to positive. My experience with SeattleNTC was a mess. My outside doctor said his other patients also reported poor experiences with SeattleNTC. Because of that poor experience, I found a better provider — and discovered what good care actually looks like NTC Problems: 1. Once you are in their system, they rarely answer the phone. For example, I called three times in one business day, couldn’t reach a human, and never got a call back. There seems to be plenty of staff to funnel people in and for billing, but no support where it actually matters. They never returned my calls AND they were unreachable. 🚩🚩🚩 This made them functionally nonexistent and left me entirely reliant on them to reach out to me. 🚩🚩🚩 2. Each intake step took unreasonable time. They took weeks to submit my pre-authorization, even as I called for updates. It took a full month between my intake and receiving a phone call to schedule my next appointment! 3. You are just a number in a treatment mill. There is no personal accountability, no continuity, no ownership of your care. 4. There is no person to contact, even once you are a patient. It’s a classic call-center setup, which means issues become “not my department.” They also only have a general info@ email address. They claimed they didn’t receive any of my messages and had no record of my calls to them. Will that be fixed? Who knows. It’s a mill. Regardless, the delays and lack of contact were unacceptable. 5. After I went to a different provider, I realized how comparatively little I learned from my appointment with SeattleNTC. Though this could be just a matter of which intake assistant and which doctor I got. I can’t speak to the quality of all the doctors. My call with the SeattleNTC doctor wasn’t abysmal, but only about 50% as informative as with a different clinic. Education matters because understanding how treatment works will help you to get the most out of it. ******What truly opened my eyes:****** I went to another provider, and the difference was night and day. I wish I went with them from the beginning. The better provider: * Answered the phone after a couple rings and had a real live human at the front desk, and I could call back and reach that same human instead of a random call-center worker. * Scheduled me promptly * Submitted my pre-authorization immediately * Expedited my intake due to understand my frustration with the delays caused by SeattleNTC * Explained the entire TMS process clearly — success rates, the mechanics, what to expect, treatment options and alternatives, pros/cons — everything * Proactively warned me about potential insurance issues to anticipate so that I’d have a seamless treatment experience Bottom line: *****After comparing two providers side-by-side, I found that SeattleNTC’s admin is slow, inaccessible, and unreliable, and the doctor I had wasn’t highly informative. My experience was not a fluke — it matches what my doctor said his other patients reported. I’m suspicious of all these 5 star reviews.***** Please be careful choosing where you go for TMS. Your mental health deserves the best. I suggest considering smaller clinics where you’ll receive a personal touch. Bigger doesn’t always mean better — certainly at SeattleNTC that’s the case.

I've been dealing with depression my whole life and by the time I started working with SeattleNTC, i thought it was gonna win. They have worked closely with me to find treatments that work and have given me my life back. The staff is so caring and knowledgeable. The doctors practice groundbreaking evidence based medicine. and they all work hard to make it as available as possible. So grateful to be able to work with them.

We have worked with Dr. Jesse Adams for about 4.5 years, and I cannot recommend him enough. His knowledge and expertise in the realm of Psychogenic Non-epileptic Seizures (PNES) is unmatched. While we were working with a few other neurologists before understanding the diagnosis was PNES, all other neurologists recommended Dr. Adams for his specialty. He is very kind and empathetic to not just the patient, but the family and all involved. Whenever we encounter someone that is wondering if they are dealing with PNES we always recommend Dr. Adams first. Thank you for all that you do Dr. Adams!

I had a video phone call with Dr. Nam after seeking a second opinion for recurring episodes of depression. He did a thourough interview . I found his questioning of me very detailed and have concluded that he is an excellent diagnostician. He told me about the possibiliy that instead of a disgnosis of major depression with recurrent episodes that I may suffer from Bipolar 1. Due to the cyclic nature of Bipolar 1 a patient may present in an office setting as upbeat and functioning well. However during the second stage of Bipoar 1, which is expetienced as being hypomanic rather than hypermanic is the criteria for making a Bipolar 1 diagnosis rather than Bipolar 2. Dr Nam told me that questioning my husband and family members and close friends who spend alot of time with me it is nesesary to make this distinction . During my ‘uptimes” I am fun, creative and do not expericence the intensity of symptoms of severe depession. Lamictal is the first line of defence. as a medicine in alleviating the despondency I have been suffering from. I hope this helps another person heal. Karen Chesledon

SeattleNTC is excellent. I have worked with many of their providers and staff and have found them to be uniformly professional, smart, caring, and transparent. I have worked most extensively with Lauren, who is nothing short of brilliant. I am stunned and grateful for the progress Lauren has helped me to make -- in areas I thought were fundamentally unfixable. If you're feeling nothing else has worked, and you're on the fence about working with SeattleNTC, please please please give them a call. Your search might finally be over.

TMS has changed my life since first started 12 years back. It may not work for all but if interested do your research, seek advice and decide. But I urge you to use the personable and professional services of Seattle TNC. The machine is only part of the experience.

Dr. Joshua Bess has been my psychiatrist since 2016, and I can’t recommend him and SeattleNTC highly enough. Dr. Bess is incredibly attentive, understanding, and experienced. He provides top-notch care and takes the time to truly listen, making thoughtful, well-informed recommendations tailored to your needs. He’s also extremely helpful when it comes to referring you to outside specialists if needed, especially for more complex neurological or psychological concerns. SeattleNTC offers both mental health and neurological services, and the entire team is outstanding. The office staff is so helpful, non-judging, friendly, professional, compassionate, and impressively efficient—quick to return calls, help with scheduling, and assist with any paperwork or documentation that may be needed during treatment. I’ve also seen other doctors there when Dr. Bess was unavailable, and they’ve all been equally supportive and thorough. Everyone at SeattleNTC genuinely cares about their patients and will work with you to explore different treatment options until the right fit is found. That kind of commitment is so important, especially when navigating complex neurological or psychiatric challenges. I’m deeply grateful for the care and support I’ve received here over the years.

I am so thankful that I found Seattle NTC. I've suffered from depression for the past 40 years. The TMS treatment was very successful. I'm so impressed with the doctors and staff. They are professional, knowledgeable, friendly and kind. The care and attention was above and beyond. When I needed to change an appointment, I was always greeted kindly and promptly. I would highly recommend this company. Beth in Seattle (Jan. 2025)