What a first evaluation is actually like
A walk through the 60 to 90 minutes from your side of the conversation: how it starts, what I ask and why, and how it ends.
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When the First Visit Is an Unknown
A first psychiatric evaluation can feel like a big unknown, especially if this is your first time seeing anyone for your mental health. It helps to know that it is mostly a conversation. You talk, I listen and ask questions, and the 60 to 90 minutes leave room for the whole picture without rushing.
This guide walks through the visit from your side: how it starts, the kinds of questions I ask and why, how you can pause or skip a question, how the plan comes together, and what you leave with. The visit covers the same ground whether you are at the Minot office or on telehealth from a private spot where you can talk freely.
The Questions, and Why I Ask Them
Every question has a reason behind it, and you are welcome to ask what it is.
What Is Happening Now
When it started, how it shows up in your days, and what seems to make it better or worse. This is where the plan begins.
Sleep, Appetite and Health
These can seem unrelated, but your brain health is tied to the rest of you, so changes here can shape what we try.
Past Treatment and How It Went
Past treatment, medications and how they went. Knowing what helped, and anything you never want to try again, keeps us from starting from scratch.
Your Life and What You Want
Work, home, support and stress, plus what you want care to look like, including how you feel about medication. Your answers steer the plan.
How the Visit Unfolds
Most of the time goes to listening, and the last part goes to planning together.
- 1
It Starts With Your Words
You describe what has been happening, in whatever words come. You don't need clinical terms or a tidy timeline.
- 2
Questions at Your Pace
I ask about your history and your life now. You can pause, ask why a question matters, or say "I'd rather not get into that today."
- 3
A Plan We Shape Together
I put what I have heard into plain words, we weigh the options together, and we agree on next steps before you go.
What You Can Expect to Leave With
When the visit wraps up, you should have three things: a better sense of what may be behind how you have been feeling, the plan we just worked out together, and your next appointment. If medication is part of that plan, we will have talked it through, and the decision will be one we made together.
What you won't leave with is a promise about how quickly things will change. I can't make one honestly, because people respond differently. The first visit is a starting point, and follow-up sessions are where we see how the plan fits and adjust it.
Questions About the First Evaluation
What if I get emotional during the evaluation?
That's okay, and there is no need to apologize. We can pause, slow down or move to a different question, and pick up again when you are ready.
What if I'm not sure how I feel about medication?
Say so. Your feelings about medication are part of the conversation, and any decision about it is one we make together.
What if I can't remember dates or details?
Share what you remember, even roughly. A loose outline is enough to work with, and more can come out over later visits.
Fees in Brief
The initial evaluation is $300 for 60 to 90 minutes, and the 15-minute phone consult beforehand is free. If you need to cancel, please give 24-hour notice, since a late cancellation or missed session carries a $45 fee.
- Consult
- $0
- 15 min
- Evaluation
- $300
- 60 to 90 min
- Follow-up
- $125
- 30 to 45 min
Still wondering what it will be like?
Ask me during a free 15-minute phone consult, before you book anything else.
Book a Free 15-Minute Consult