Arun Chan
Columbia, IL
I worked with Byron Loy extensively in another program, and I want to share my experience so others know what they may be walking into. My time under his care was extremely distressing, and the emotional impact lasted long after the program ended. I often felt more harmed than helped, and many of his actions left me feeling unsafe, dismissed, and pressured. Early in the program, he made plans with my workplace providers without speaking to me first. He later presented the plan as if it were open for discussion, but when I disagreed, he admitted the decision had already been made behind my back. That moment completely broke my trust in him and set the tone for everything that followed. There was an incident where he pressured me to admit myself. In a very cheerful tone, he told me: “This can either go one of two ways. Either you sign these papers and admit yourself voluntarily, or I’ll sign them and it’ll be involuntary. And if it’s involuntary, that could hurt your career.” Instead of feeling supported, I felt threatened and cornered. Honestly, how is this legal? On another occasion, he pushed for admission again, but this time I wasn’t even allowed to explain myself. As soon as he saw something he considered a red flag, he dismissed my explanation entirely and questioned why I didn’t use my safety plan. I genuinely didn’t need to use it—and I had an entire day planned to enjoy myself. Instead, I was taken to a separate room without any real conversation, and he never followed up. The whole situation felt abrupt, disrespectful, and completely lacking in communication. When I later told other therapists what had happened, they were upset on my behalf. They explained that voluntary versus involuntary admission shouldn’t have made a difference to my career. That made his earlier statements feel manipulative and misleading. His actions also caused me to fall behind on payments during a time when finances were already a major stressor. Instead of discussing my situation, Byron simply escorted away and left alone with security guards who abused me. At that point, it felt like he was amplifying my crisis rather than helping to reduce it. I was not suicidal, yet he repeatedly avoided accountability by saying “at least you're safe,” which felt more self‑congratulatory than supportive. In a one‑on‑one session, he made comments about my treatment journey that felt tone‑deaf and inappropriate, almost like he was reminiscing. It made me feel like my treatment was more about his ego than my wellbeing. He rarely spoke to me like a normal human being; instead, I often felt like he treated me as if I were a piece on a board game he was controlling. I was also uncomfortable with how casually he referenced previous clients’ histories. Even without names, the way he talked about their situations felt like humble‑bragging, and some examples painted his clients negatively. It made me question his boundaries and whether he treated anyone’s story with the seriousness it deserved. Later in group, he confronted me for being on my phone. While I understand phones aren’t allowed, this happened after everything else I had already experienced with him. By then, I didn’t trust him with anything personal, and I felt trapped in a program I didn’t feel safe in. Byron's tactic to scold me was disgusting. He clearly isolated me and insisted I comment on someone's emotional stress, I wish to be more clear, but to fit my review, please lookup "Patronizing by Proxy" for more info. The next day, he escalated things further. In front of the group, he publicly threatened to contact my workplace providers if I didn’t put my phone away. It was humiliating. He knew exactly what I was most sensitive about—my career—and used it as leverage. Because of everything he put me through, I genuinely felt I would rather go through BMT again than continue under his care. At least in BMT, the drill instructors understood how to push people without crossing certain lines. With this therapist, even basic interactions felt unpredictable and unsafe.
