Worried about your first visit? This post explains what to expect at your first appointment.
Before we jump in, I start with introductions and provide some of the housekeeping info. So grab a drink and get comfortable. After verifying your name and date of birth, I briefly explain a few important points about your rights in the consent and my role.
Now we're ready to talk about the reason you scheduled an appointment and what you hope to get out of the visit (a diagnosis, a medication change, or did you just want to meet me?) This helps me to know which direction to steer the conversation. If you've never seen a mental health provider before, I need to do a full diagnostic evaluation. If you know your diagnosis but want a different medication, I will focus on the medicines you've tried and what has or hasn't worked for you.
Then we get to the important part of the conversation. I will be asking a lot of questions to better understand your symptoms, medical history, and mental health goals. We wrap up with a detailed discussion of your diagnosis and most importantly, a treatment plan that we agree on. I allow extra time at the end to go over side effects, how long it will take to see improvement, how you should expect to feel, and anything abnormal that you need to let me know about. I want you to ask plenty of questions so that you feel comfortable with the plan. We'll decide when to follow up and make sure you know how to reach me.
We probably won't have time to discuss every detail or fix every issue on the first visit. But as we keep meeting, I will learn more about you and we will keep refining the plan. You're welcome to reach out anytime with questions or concerns.
It's that easy. I hope to see you soon.
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