First Visit

Making an Appointment

Except in the case of children and the very elderly, we ask that you make the initial call for an appointment yourself, rather than having a family member do it for you. Please plan to arrive 20 minutes prior to the time of your first appointment in order to complete the necessary paperwork. You should bring along the following information:

• Your Insurance Cards
• A List of Your Current Medications (If Any)
• A List of Previous Mental Health Treatment and Past Medication Treatment (If Any)
• The Name of Your Primary Care Physician
• Payment for Copay or Deductible (If Any)

For your convenience, we have attached forms for new patients to be completed and returned prior to your first appointment in our office. Please click here.

Your First Visit

Prior to meeting the clinician, you will be asked to sign a consent to treatment and some other paperwork. You will also be asked to complete a medical questionnaire and to review for accuracy the information that we obtained from you on the telephone when you arranged for the appointment.

In the first session, your clinician will ask you quite a few questions about your current problems and the history of those problems. The clinician will also ask about your medical history and will inquire about your past personal history in order to obtain a more complete understanding of the context in which your problems have arisen.

Your clinician will then discuss with you how we can help you and will suggest what might be the next steps. Your clinician may suggest additional counseling, a psychiatric medical evaluation with the psychiatrist or nurse practitioner, or perhaps referral for other specialized services. It is important that you feel free to express any ideas or preferences you have about treatment because treatment is likely to be more effective if it is consistent with your point of view.