Colleen Donohue Psychotherapist R.N.

I don't really remember my first impression of Colleen as I came to her in crisis and everything was a blur. I lost very little weight in my first year post surgery but began losing quickly my second year. When I first sought Colleens help, I was concerned about not reaching goal weight and then my life turned upside down.

Colleen Donohue is the most caring individual! She has kept me sane through a 180 lb weight loss, the care-giving of my best friend and husband when he was diagnosed with liver cancer and his subsequent death, abandonment of family, overnight loss of financial security, and almost as important as the loss of my husband- anorexia- all within one year. The mental issues of major weight loss following bariatric surgery came to the fore just as my husband died. It was difficult to cope with it all and I wasn't sure if I wanted to.

She has kept me calm when I was over wrought with grief and loss of family, she genuinely cares that my life has entirely changed and I must start again at 54 years old. It was Colleen who recognized that I had not only reached my goal but had slipped past it and though we spoke of hospitalization I wanted a chance to work hard and overcome this obstacle myself. She provided me with all the necessary tools to do so and I am recovering without it though I did make plans for intake at her request just in case I could not do it alone. It has been a struggle but I am overcoming with her help. Colleen has helped me recognize that the same issues that caused me to over eat have also caused me to starve myself. She has taught me how to start learning to like myself, be honest with myself, to be honest with others and to be more trusting. She has made herself available when there was a crisis. I do not know where I would be without her- honestly.

I do remember, in the beginning, thinking that Colleen would be easy to fool regarding my weight loss goals which were excessive and not reality based. She saw right through me. She guided me through each crisis in a prioritized manner and helped me focus on what was most important at any specific time so I could deal with what was happening on any given day. She has helped me to be accountable to myself and, after being a care-giver for so many years, is opening my eyes to how I have NOT taken care of myself and how to start doing so.

She places great emphasis on after care. In my case, especially as a self pay, there were few hoops to jump through to have my VSG. There was even less physician support afterward. There was a group available at the hospital where I had my surgery but it was more of an *old timers* group that chit chatted rather than did group therapy. I did not go there very long as it was not helpful and real issues were rarely discussed. Had I had proper after care and even some warning that the same issues I had as an overweight person would hit me at goal, I would have sought help from therapy sooner. Colleen provided the support necessary to lose the rest of my weight and helped me see when I had crossed the line into dangerous territory so we could halt any anorexic tendencies as soon as they came up. She helped me to see that my 94 pound body looked like bones instead of the 280 lb person I used to be. She also helped me to stop loving those bones once I saw what I really looked like.

Colleen was not the psychologist I saw prior to my surgery so I cannot address those portions of the review. I can say that she has worked closely with my personal physician and other medical staff that I go to. She has excellent resources, i.e. nutritionists, physicians, other mental health practitioners and facilities, etc.

What do I like least about her? Hmm... I think this is a rather silly question when reviewing a psychotherapist. If you found something you didn't like, you wouldn't go or trust enough in their process. But, if I have to pick something, her waiting room is small. Her office is large with ample room for any bariatric patient. The waiting room, however, is small but does have a two seat couch that can accommodate almost any bariatric patient as long as there is no one else there. The two chairs are not bariatric friendly. I have yet to find someone in her waiting room as you enter in one door and leave through another and she is the sole practitioner. No issues here.

In summary, I cannot recommend Colleen Donohue any higher. She has saved my life by helping me to reclaim it bit by bit. I am finally overcoming my grief and, more importantly, at this stage I am healthier physically and emotionally than I have been in a long time. I am doing the work I wish I would have done pre-surgery. I might never have needed it to begin with. She has cried with me, laughed with me, talked to me, helped me really see what my body looks like and has held me accountable every step of the way. What more could you want from a therapist?