Warning: lots of text.

I know a lot of other guys on here look for ways to get cheaper services as money is not always flourishing. Online/distance therapy is one of those ways that can be GREAT. However, my partner has just wasted $300 on a distance therapist by the name of Melissa Leonhardt (Brand New Day Counseling). She is an absolute fraud.

Background:

My partner needs a letter to change his gender marker in his birthplace (Canada), and we wanted to get it done as quickly and cheaply as possible. He messaged her, specifically stating that he ONLY needs a therapist's letter that says he intends to live as male (he already has a GID diagnosis), and asked her how long it would take for her to assess if that was the case. She stated initially that it would take about an average of 3 sessions of 50 minutes to make sure that he was sure about his gender identity. This was then extended at 2-3 times by her saying "it should just take 1-2 more sessions" repeatedly. When asked directly via email about how much longer it would take after 7 sessions, she sent a message to him saying "I've never had a client be as hateful and rude to me as you are," when he had NEVER been rude and that she was ending their relationship without giving him the letter. He had only ever questioned the reason for things taking as long as they were. He was NEVER mean, never called her names, never said ANYTHING that could be misconstrued as rude. She even said that she "hoped he didn't come to therapy just to get a letter," when it was VERY clear in the FIRST email he sent that that was the case. Then she referred him to another therapist that she knows.

Extra shady stuff:

• She lied to him about where she lives, OR she is lying on her website. She claims on the site to live in NC, but said to him she lives in TX.
• She billed from two different paypal accounts, one to what seems to be her personal account and one her "billing department".
• She tried to tell my partner that people were only supposed to live in a certain way and was very shaming. Example - that he was too young to date in Middle School and that he was wrong for it.
• She couldn't remember anything about him from one session to another.
• She would change the time of therapy several times without notice, which is more unprofessional than shady, but still.
• More unprofessionalism - she tried to schedule my partner (a midnight shift worker) during times of the day that worked best for HER, and didn't want to compromise. It was also never consistent, sometimes morning, sometimes afternoon, so it constantly threw off his sleep schedule.

So yeah, don't go to her, EVER. I am actually disgusted at her, someone who claims to be someone who wants to help the LGBT community, literally dragging out hundreds of dollars worth of money from people and then ALSO refusing to deliver what she said she would.

TL;DR -

Brand New Day Counseling/Therapist Dr. Melissa Leonhardt is a scam. Went to her, told her that a therapist's letter was needed to confirm male identity, she dragged things out over 2x her original stated timeframe, and then when asked about why it was taking so long, she refused to deliver and ended the patient/client relationship. Also billed from two accounts, lied about where she lives, and other BS.