Please plan to arrive 30 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)

the name of your primary care physician

a list of previous mental health treatment (if any)

Prior to meeting the clinician, you will be asked to sign a consent to treatment and some other paperwork, 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.  You might wish to complete the Medical Questionnaire ahead of time.  You can have a look at it now by clicking on the highlighted link.  If you wish, you can print up a copy of the questionnaire and fill it out before you arrive at the office, so that there will be less to do on the day of your first appointment.  You may also wish to fill out two more brief forms ahead of time by clicking on these links:  Financial Policy and Contact List.

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 a particular kind of counseling, a certain medication, a more general medical evaluation, or perhaps referral for other special 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.

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