Dr. Monica Arora, MD

I was 14 the first time I met dr. Arora. This was four years ago. I was in such a vulnerable state and trying to process through trauma that I didn't even understand yet. All that I was met with was cruelty. At my second visit to immanuel (still 14) I was extremely suicidal and was just trying to get someone to listen to me. Dr Arora accused me of lying and being manipulative and looking for attention because I "seemed happy." She then isolated me from the rest of the group when I told her I wasn't lying and I was no longer allowed to go to group therapy sessions or communicate with other patients, leaving me more isolated. She also told me that "kids like me were the reason that she preferred to work with cancer patients because they didn't want to die." She told me that homophobia was not a reason to be suicidal. She also let me out on my second visit far earlier than I was ready for. I left in a much worse headspace than I was coming in. The rest of the staff is awesome however.

I was placed in the psych ward at 14 and opened up about abuse i had been experiencing, her reaction to my story was laugher. I was in one of my most vulnerable states and she had the audacity to laugh. Someone who can’t show an inch of empathy to traumatic experiences shouldn’t be in the role she is in.

When I was younger, I was placed in a facility and was unfortunate enough to have Dr. Arora. She told me I wasn't actually suicidal and that I just wanted attention. From then on whenever I had suicidal thoughts, I never tried to seek help because I questioned if they were genuine thoughts. I never got help until recently and thank god I got a different person because they helped me so much