Dr. Joan Vera Liebermann

I wouldn't recommend for any patients looking for positive encouragement. I was treated like I'm basically incompetent and she acted like the upcoming birth of my child was akin to cancer or being sent to jail. The sessions damaged my self confidence and made me question why this doctor thought that having a baby would be such a struggle for me. I'm a normal professional married woman in her 30s. I've had mild depression in my past and wanted to be proactive about treating any PPD. She never once acted like having a child could possibly be a joy. If you're looking for someone to treat you like your life is completely over once you have a baby then this is your doctor! My husband felt the same way about the sessions and also didn't understand why she treated us like we were so unprepared to have a baby. When sharing our plan for having my husband take care of the baby for two weeks when I go back to work at five months she responded with, "do you know this means your husband has to be… as competent of a caregiver as you?" Nothing my husband had said made him appear to be unable to take care of our child. This also insinuated that I'm too dumb to realize I can only leave my child with someone who can take care of her. There were numerous comments like this during our session that left a bad taste in my mouth and I would not return. I also had an extremely tough time being pregnant and dealt with horrible swelling for the last 2-3 months. Pitting edema up to my knees. High blood pressure and a knee injury most likely from the swelling. This was after IVF and horrible morning sickness the first 12 weeks. I gained over 50 pounds on a 110 frame. When commenting on how much I hate pregnancy the doctor responded with, "many women find pregnancy is a good preview of motherhood." In other words - I hated pregnancy so I must be doomed! Again, wasn't the positive encouragement I needed and made me feel horrible about myself. Last but not least, my husband didn't like having sex with me during pregnancy. The baby freaked him out. He explained this to the doctor. When I later told the doctor I hated not having sex while being pregnant and we have to get our sex life back on track she told me that sex often mirrors a relationship. Yes, this is of course true but again, a negative response and ignoring what my husband shared about feeling uncomfortable having sex with me while pregnant. She also seemed to make a lot of assumptions about things. For example, my husband works from home and has a home office that's extremely quiet and removed from the rest of our house. She made sure to tell me how my husband will most likely be spending more time working from Starbucks. How does she know how quiet or large our house/home office is? How does she know what kind of work my husband even does and if he'll need to leave our home because a baby is there? How does she know if a screaming baby can be heard from his office? It was again another comment that was negative and implying that working from home will be a problem for my husband and he will be required to change his work setup without knowing many of the important details.

I had seen Dr. Lieberman more than 15 years ago for infertility issues. I found her to be very professional and extremely understanding. When at age 3 my son developed OCD issues she was the first professional that I considered. She was excellent with him and he is now 16 with no OCD issues.This year, at age 58, I found myself looking for guidance in some key areas. Once again, Dr. Liebermann was very supportive, professional and took the time to help me resolve my issues. Would highly recommend to anyone needing a top notch doctor.

Not the doctor I was anticipating. Although, Dr. Liebermann was recommended as the best, she was very cold and unwelcoming. I needed someone who was understanding and assured me that I was not alone and my conidition was completely normal. I had the opposite feeling upon leaving my first appointment.

She is an excellent doctor and therapist, particularly women and mothers.

Stay away from this woman if possible. Do not, under any circumstances, send a child or a teenager to this doctor (or any doctor like her i.e Freudian). It takes years for the damage to be undone and you will probably not be aware of said damage because your child will be scared and confused and at a total loss as to how to handle the situation. It is unlikely they will tell you the truth regarding her treatment of them and when they beg you not to make them go see her, you will most likely be told, if it comes up, that resistance is part of the "process." Be cautious. When it is inevitably recommended to you, by this woman, that your child needs to be in a more "intensive" therapeutic regimen, your gut will tell you that it seems strange and wrong; listen to it. You know what's right deep down even if you're terrified and at a loss as to how to make your kid feel better, get better, be OK again. You'll find a way, but Liebermann is the antithesis of a good therapist.