Dr. Shalini Chawla, MD

Absolutely nothing positive to say. From the incompetent staff to the total lack of care by the "Dr." our experience with Dr. Chawla was awful. Scheduling is near impossible when the staff knows nothing. The "dr." spends about 5 minutes with each patient and all she does is hand out prescriptions. Find another psychiatrist.

This doctor will judge you very strongly by using her face and with other smirks of disgust and the way she talked to me made me feel less than. Other than always running behind she offhandedly made a diagnosis for a significant other after describing that person very briefly like, "oh maybe he's bipolar..." Such a remark made me question whether she was sure about my diagnosis or did she make the same rash decision when diagnosing me. Totally turned off but her arrogance. Do yourself a favor and find someone else. Don't even try to see for yourself because you'll regret it.

I should have absolutely read the reviews before coming to "see" Dr. Chawla. I put "see" because I didn't even get past her waiting area. I came in 5 minutes before I was to start my appt. talked to her office manager because I had a couple of questions on the forms. I filled them out and was done by 12:21 and my appt was at 12:20, I knew doctors especially in the mental health field can run a little behind (not an issue) however I only had an hour give or take 10 minutes for a lunch time appt. Well I sat there for 30 minutes with not a peep from the staff saying oh hey we are running late happy to reschedule if this doesn't work. I went up and got a very blanket "I am sorry she is late but she needs to see patients longer if they need it" and proceeded to tell me she wouldn't be ready for another 20 minutes..... 50 minutes after my scheduled appt. No thanks, I am not going to a doctor who doesn't value ALL her patients time. It is just called being courtesy to all. My personal advice… schedule two hours if you want to see this doctor and be able to sit there as her staff just chat and not give any update to a waiting new patient. tip: If you have OCD possible triggering material in the waiting area of the Chicago office.

I would not recommend this Psychiatrist. All complaints listed in these predominantly negative reviews are valid and similar to my own experience.

Dr. Chawla is not a good child psychiatrist. Over the last six years, her work has caused so many problems. Avoid at all costs.

Dr. Chawla has been my psychiatrist for years now. I've been going to her practice for at least 5 years and it has gotten worse with time. 5 years ago, appointments were late, but only by an acceptable time window (maybe 15 minutes tops). Now, I expect to be at least 30 minutes late. Appointments with her still feel comfortable, though. The office staff has changed - 5 years ago until about 2 years ago, a very kind woman worked in the Westmont office - she was friendly, always happy, personable, and most of all ORGANIZED! The new staff is just horrible - they charge people for their own mistakes and expect us to take them at their word; the office manager can't remember anything and is such a chore to deal with that I try to avoid it at all costs; emergency appointments are ignored and emails go unread; the staff doesn't understand half the medications that need refills and jeopardizes the health/safety of patients when they take incorrect notes. Dr. Chawla, if you ever read any… of these, please take this to heart - Your practice has grown beyond its critical mass. Your staff is going to push us away and we don't want to have to go, but its probably going to happen at this rate. You are a great doctor and have done more for us than I can possibly explain, but to think this will be the downfall of that relationship is really sad precisely because it is so easily avoidable.

Everytime I arrive for my appointment she is never on time. I wait 40 minutes or more over my appointment time!

I left my last appointment in tears. She was incredibly rude and judgemental of behaviors that I have been working on in outside therapy. We do not have the kind of relationship to prompt such crude behavior. She offered no solutions but instead just frusturated me beyond belief.

Responds to your when you call her or email her. Very nice and helpful in prescribing medications. Very helpful in looking at other avenues that may be of help.

I would recommend any patient to visit Dr. Chawla. Her staff is fantastic and very welcoming. Her expertise is also exceptional. She has experience in children, adolescents, and adults which is something that isn't very versatile among other psychiatrists. The office that I visited was the Westmont location. She also accepts most insurances which is a luxury because others do not accept them all. Personally, I would recommend her to all my friends. There is also a therapist in the office, who is very versatile as well. She gets along with everyone and is very approachable.