Alternatives To Domestic Violence in Hackensack, New Jersey

I avoided the place as if it were a plague. I dodged them close to 3 years before exhausting every resource to legally procrastinate. My first interview (which is required before entering class) I was met by a younger woman, who I would later find out was shadowing along so she could log hours observing, and she wasn't in a position of authority. During my intake appointment she asked me a series of questions and I had to fill out some basic information etc*. When she was informed I do see a psychiatrist (simply for stimulant based prescription meds) she promptly pointed to a section on the paper and advised me to fill out the applicable data. Usually, I have a tendency to skim the paper and just fill out all the info (like most people) but I happened to catch a part on the form that requested my doctors name, reasons/nature of my relationship with the doctor, and a HIPAA Waiver of Authorization segment. Which if checked off would grant 100% unfettered access between my doctor and these people (in this case a student merely observing a class) and so I looked at her and asked, "is this a requirement for enrollment or simply a waiver that I can decline", she hesitated but reluctantly admitted it was not required. However, it seemed to peek her interest because it was immediately followed up with, "why don't you want to sign it", which I thought was completely unprofessional. For starters, what I share with my doctor is none of your concern. I also don't appreciate the way you presented the form to be and probably snuck it by several people without them realizing it was not a requirement. Whatever, I kept it to myself. I didn't want to argue with someone in a position of authority but if I knew she was only a student observing that conversation would've taken a different tone. I had my preconceived opinion/bias against them and I'm sure they had some reserved me as well. The overall mood/tone of the class was professional and the counselors there are very good at what they do. They try their best to have the class lead discussion and they will steer the conversation back on track if needed. I think they try to use the class to address people because people tend to put up a wall against authority so using peers which people tend to identify with helps them to get through to people (what I'm assuming anyway) by the time I was done with the program I had no animosity against the counselors there and almost felt sorry for the deranged people they have to deal with (myself included) and any personal vendetta I harbored was quickly put to rest once I saw how reserved/professional their conduct/demeanor was in class Trust me... I was definitely one of the less pleasant aspects of their day but they demonstrated an unwavering sense of patience when it came to me but more importantly what I was sent there for Sincerely, their most passive aggressive attendee P.S I had to chew copious amounts of Xanax or slam back a half pint (both out of the norm for me) prior to entering class just to deal with the concept of "opening up" which probably explains a lot lol