What to Expect at Your First Appointment
Starting with a new provider can feel intimidating.
Maybe you’ve never taken mental health medication before. Maybe you’ve worked with other providers but left feeling rushed, unheard, or like there wasn’t enough time to really explain what was going on. Or maybe you’ve finally decided to make an appointment and have absolutely no idea what to expect once you walk through the door.
If any of that sounds familiar, I hope this takes away some of the mystery.
First things first: this isn’t a test.
You don’t need to prepare the “right” answers before your appointment.
You don’t need to organize your thoughts perfectly, know exactly what diagnosis you might have, or arrive with an articulated explanation of what you’ve been experiencing.
And you definitely don’t need to convince me that you’re struggling “enough” to deserve help.
You can just show up as you are.
Your first appointment is a conversation, and we’ll figure things out together from there.
We’ll have time to actually talk.
Initial psychiatric evaluations at Northwest Restorative Psychiatry are 90 minutes long.
That’s by design.
I believe thoughtful psychiatric care starts with understanding the person sitting in front of me, not simply matching a list of symptoms to a diagnosis or prescription.
We’ll talk about what has been happening recently and what led you to reach out, but we’ll also zoom out and look at the bigger picture.
We may talk about things like:
What brought you in and what you’d most like help with
What you’re hoping could feel different in your day-to-day life
Your mental health history
Medications you’ve tried in the past, if any
Your medical history
Sleep, energy, focus, motivation, mood, anxiety, and other symptoms that may be affecting you
Family history
Work, school, relationships, routines, stressors, and lifestyle factors
Anything else that helps me understand how you’ve been feeling and functioning as a whole person
Some of my questions may seem surprisingly specific, and occasionally you might wonder what one thing has to do with another. There’s usually a reason I’m asking.
Mental health symptoms rarely exist in a vacuum. Taking the time to understand the full picture helps me make recommendations that are individualized to you.
You don’t have to leave with a prescription.
This sometimes surprises people.
Medication is a tool. It can be an incredibly helpful tool, but it isn’t automatically the answer just because you scheduled an appointment with a psychiatric provider.
Sometimes medication makes a lot of sense. Sometimes it makes sense to wait. Sometimes there are several reasonable options, and we spend time talking through the differences before deciding what feels like the best place to start.
My role is to give you my clinical perspective, explain your options in a way that actually makes sense, answer your questions, and help you make an informed decision about your care.
It should feel collaborative, because it is.
Please bring your questions.
Seriously. I love questions.
Wondering how a medication actually works?
Worried about side effects?
Nervous that medication might change your personality or make you feel unlike yourself?
Curious whether what you’re experiencing sounds more like anxiety, ADHD, depression, or something else entirely?
Not sure whether medication is even something you want?
Ask.
You are allowed to be curious. You are allowed to have concerns. You are allowed to take your time understanding your options before making decisions about your mental health.
There are no silly questions here.
What I hope you leave with.
More than anything, I want you to leave your first appointment feeling like someone actually listened to you.
Whether we decide medication is appropriate or not, my goal is for you to walk away with a clearer understanding of what may be contributing to the way you’ve been feeling, what your options are, and what the next steps could look like.
You don’t have to have everything figured out before you get here.
That’s part of why you’re coming.
Mental health can already feel complicated enough. Your appointments shouldn’t have to feel cold, rushed, or intimidating.
If you’ve been thinking about reaching out but have hesitated because you weren’t quite sure what to expect, I hope this makes that first appointment feel a little more comfortable.
I like to think of mental health as a puzzle. You bring the pieces - your experiences, symptoms, history, strengths, stressors, and the things that simply haven’t made sense yet. My role isn’t to force them into a mold, or a diagnosis, or a predetermined picture. It’s to sit with you, look closely at what’s there, and begin putting the pieces together with you until the bigger picture starts to come into focus.