Pathetic excuse for a 'doctor'. Doesn't care about her patients and talks about herself for the whole appointment DO NOT waste your time and money.

Submitted Jan. 21, 2024

I worked with Monica for a few years and while there were moments of a pockets of good therapy, the majority of the time it was horrible. She is unprofessional, borderline bully and talks about herself way too much.

She’s incredibly unprofessional- she showed up late to appointments frequently- both in person and online and never acknowledged or apologized. She would snap her fingers to announce her entry in the virtual meeting room and would end on time regardless of how late she was. She showed up late to several in person appointments with a coffee in hand and no concerns that it was impacting her clients work days - complete disregard and disrespect to her clients time.

During a lot of our sessions, she would spend way too long talking about her life and experiences and how it aligned to my situation - while that would might be interesting over coffee it was far from an effective use of paid time.

She yelled at me several times and would say things that made me uncomfortable but I oddly couldn’t address to her (power dynamics). Mean girl comments.

She allowed a lot her personal views and bias to taint sessions - be really cautious of that.

I don’t recommend Monica to anyone, while she helped me in some areas she really messed me up in other areas.

I didn’t realize how bad she was until I started working with other therapists / night and day. I assumed that’s what the entire industry experience was like until I realized how harmful she was.

I felt really validated reading the other reviews. I really recommend you explore other therapists who will respect your time, not yell at you, not talk/gloat about her life during paid sessions, and provide you with safety.

There is an abundance of female BIPOC therapists now - I encourage you to do a consult before working with a therapist.

Monica, if you are reading this, I hope you do better because your clients deserve and you are capable of doing better.

Submitted Dec. 1, 2023

For the record, I haven't seen this woman since 2019, but I think it's important for me to get my experience out there seeing as how other people have had similar experiences with her. When I came to her for help, I was fresh out of high school and full of unprocessed trauma and emotions. In other words, I was a hot a** mess. Being the naive teenager that I was, I believed her little "speeches" and "monologues" that sounded really good, but in actuality she just likes to hear herself talk. I had horrendous social anxiety at the time, so I had trouble asserting myself and being vocal about my needs, and she knew that. She kept pressuring me to get in contact with my deadbeat father even though she was completely aware that I was not in the emotional place to do so and when I tried to set boundaries by telling her that I don't want to get in contact with him due to the fact that I simply have no respect for him as a man let alone a father, she literally started yelling at me and accusing ME of being the bad person even though my father literally abandoned me... make it make sense. In retrospect, what really makes me chuckle is when she gave me her reason for being adamant about this which was "even though he was a bad father, you can still be a good son". This woman SCREAMS daddy issues. Spoiler alert, things did NOT work out with my father and he turned out to be a narcissist that cheats on his current wife and neglects the children he has with her... thanks for the additional trauma Vermani!: ) The good news is, I have spent years working on my mental health (with other therapists) and have since developed a stronger sense of self, increased confidence, increased emotional intelligence, the ability to set boundaries, and above all that, I refuse to allow bitter old women to invalidate the stuff that I have gone through. Vermani, if you are reading this, I want you to know that you should be ashamed of yourself. As a therapist, when you are dealing with people who come from abusive, neglectful, and downright traumatic backgrounds, you DO NOT invalidate them and impose your personal issues onto their experience. I really did not want to give you the time of day, but I just want to let people know that it DOES get better with time, effort and patience:). Do NOT let your bad experience with this woman discourage you from giving therapy another try, there's a therapist out there who will be more compassionate and better equipped to deal with people who are struggling. This woman is the reason why I strongly encourage people to thoroughly vet their therapists. There are predatory personalities out there who will gladly take your money knowing they aren't actually helping you at all. We are living in a society of greed and narcissism. It's hard enough to be vulnerable and open up to a complete stranger, so for people like Vermani to mistreat me and countless other people on this page who are struggling is completely unacceptable, especially given how much she charges. I don't say this to scare anyone, but rather to let you know that YOU ARE WORTHY! Do not give up on yourself YOU CAN DO IT!: )

Submitted July 21, 2023

horrible. she is to busy to care about her patients and just wants to make money and be in the spotlight. worst doctor i have come across. totally useless

Submitted March 9, 2023

I have dealt with her off and on for six years. I have PTSD, anxiety, very poor health. For what it is worth I was a judge. I consider the comments below the first four or five to be vague, not citing specifics, and I consider them to come under the rubric of character assassination and slanderous. She is most diligent ,tries like hell, and doesn't give up.

Quite innovative, and never did I feel denigrated, in fact the exact opposite. She is painstakingly judicious when she writes reports and is meticulous in her assessment. I was living in an expensive condo that caused 2 massive floods. She documented my PTSD, anxiety condition, and in the end told me to move out not to trigger myself, excellent advice.

Probably had some 150 dealings with her, never felt let down by her jubilant attitude.

I am far from perfect but she alleviated some stressors for me and I couldn't sit back and see her high level of professionalism being decimated. Never unwilling to go the extra mile, and she is a great asset to call upon. Think twice before you make vague an unfounded statements blown out of proportion or not credible and relevant that may affect one's profession. No, I'm not great but immensely better for knowing her and her skill set. Finally she is a class act for whom I have never seen act in anything other than a highly professional manner. Have also had many phone visits.since I am now disabled

God Bless Laurie W.

Submitted April 21, 2022

Horrible. Please read other comments. They’re all true. She’s not a nice person. Should not be in this field. I’m sorry, I don’t usually do this, but seriously needed to let everyone know. Please don’t go to her.

Submitted Dec. 6, 2021

I was seeing Dr Vermani for about 3 appointments when I realized that it was not going to work out at all. The things that she said to me during our appointment was...traumatizing to say the least. She was extremely dismissive and judgmental. I am not a doctor, but I'm sure that saying things like "no wonder you don't get along with your parents" and "wow you cannot act like that" and "you are not a child anymore" are NOT things that you are supposed to say to a patient who is trying to heal and get better. She said these thing to me during our SECOND appointment...let that sink in. I was extremely turned off by what she said and refused to get help for another 2 more years, during which I have suffered tremendously.

Dr Vermani, I hope you are reading this. I dont know exactly WHY you choose to go into psychology as a profession. Perhaps you are not in it for the right reasons. But I want to really take a look at yourself, and think about your judgmental attitude towards your patients. Please reflect on if your heart is in the right place, think to yourself if you really should be a psychologist, if you really have what it takes, if you have enough empathy for this field of medicine. If the answer is no, I suggest you quit your profession. Please. Because if you cannot find compassion fast, then you will continue to harm your patients.

Submitted Sept. 1, 2021

I was really hopeful in working with Dr Vermani but ended up being incredibly disappointed. Echoing what some others had said - she assigned homework and never followed up. Not only that but when I would come for an appointment she would ask me questions about things unrelated to what I had submitted (presumably something happening with another patient). When I expressed frustration, she explained that she was incredibly busy so it was unreasonable to expect she would keep up with the homework being sent to her daily. Also similar to other reviews, she consistently cancelled and showed up late (up to 15 minutes late) each session. Additionally, I was very disappointed in the way she handled recommending medication. She told me facts about medication that a psychiatrist later contradicted, which left me confused and unsettled. The final straw for me was when the prices for her services went beyond reasonable provincial limits.

Submitted May 20, 2021

I have been a patient of Dr. Vermani's for close to twenty years. I originally worked with her at the Start Clinic and followed her when she went independent. She got me through a bad divorce and has been an important mental health resource. I've read over the various reviews and I understand the points that posters made that could be considered negative. Dr. Vermani may use colorful language but that is for impact and done in a sense of familiarity. She is very real in her approach. If you want a cold detached practitioner she will not be for you. Secondly she will call you on destructive behavior, your own or others. We often can't see what we are doing to destroy ourselves or are blind to what others are doing to us. She won't lie to you and may try to get you to see the truth. If you're in denial this will go badly. Monica is an excellent therapist who utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and other traditional therapeutic modalities. She can also advise you on alternative therapies like breathworks, acupuncture, ayurveda, non-traditional healing practices, energy works etc. I've tried them all and continue to use the ones I felt worked and left the others.
Finally, Dr. Vermani will share experiences from her own life unlike many psychologists who remain detached. Her sessions are a conversation rather than a monologue. Personally I like this. Its the same method that makes group therapy powerful. You are getting the genuine experience of another human being. You feel less alone and become connected. My recommendation to others is not to disparage a practitioner who gives so much of themselves to their patients. Monica got me through a painful divorce and an ongoing anxiety/panic disorder. For new patients I suggest going in with an open mind and being patient. One or two sessions will not fix problems what has taken years to develop. If you have concerns voice them. Dr. Vermani is not made of glass. She will respect your viewpoint. If in the end it is not a good match, proceed to another practitioner. One thing I will suggest is that she will not let you drone on endlessly about how your life sucks. She is about empowering you and sometimes that is painful. My advice is be patient, do the homework and get better.
Finally yes Dr. Vermani will sometimes have to cancel. This can be for multiple reasons. First of all she is human and has a life of her own and emergencies crop up. Secondly she just might have someone who is in serious crisis that needs immediate attention. Wouldn't you like to have that priority if you were that person? All I can say is that I have benefitted greatly from working with this doctor. She gives 110%, sometimes at the sacrifice of her own welfare. I am a better person because of her assistance. Take from that what you will.

Submitted Jan. 8, 2021

I had really high hopes for Dr. Vermani as I was referred by a friend. But Dr. V was not for me at all. The first session was very overwhelming and incredibly rushed as she sped through her memorized spiel about what she does and how she helps patients. I found Dr. Vermani did not take the time to get to know me or understand why I was seeing her. She spent the majority of our sessions talking about herself and comparing my journey to hers. A few times I had to stop the conversation and outright say “you’re not listening to what I’m trying to communicate”.

I understand finding the right therapist takes time and multiple attempts before you find the right one, but my experience with Dr. Vermani left me stressed, confused and out almost $1000.

Submitted Nov. 16, 2020