When you’re struggling with a mental health issue, breaking out of your comfort zone and trying something new can seem almost impossible. And this can even include seeking the kind of help that will improve your mental health.
We assure you that you’re not alone in this Catch-22 situation — about 1 in 5 adults in the United States has a mental health issue, to say nothing of millions of kids and adolescents. Of this number, only about half of these affected adults are seeking help.
So, Dr. Diana Ghelber and the team at Institute for Advanced Psychiatry first want to applaud you for exploring how mental healthcare can help you find much-needed peace in today’s hectic world.
Whether you’ve already made an appointment with us at our Fort Worth, Texas, office, or you’re contemplating doing so, we thought it would be good to give you some idea about what to expect during your first visit.
Mental health can be a tricky area because there’s not much that’s black-and-white — people’s experiences and symptoms can differ greatly.
So, when you first sit down with us, you can expect that there will be a good deal of exploration. This first meeting is a way for us to gather information about:
Our mission is to listen closely to you so that we can meet you where you’re at with your mental health. From our standpoint, listening is critical because mental health illnesses rarely have a checklist of symptoms, but rather criteria that guide us.
For example, one person’s experience with anxiety can be very different from the next and our job is to sift through your symptoms to reveal — and treat — the underlying problem.
Once we have a better idea of what you’re up against, we get into some treatment options and how each works. The good news is that patients have access to a wider range of treatments than ever before thanks to emerging science and research.
At our practice, we pride ourselves on offering many of these novel and different treatment modalities, which can be used separately or in combination with more traditional therapies. These treatments include:
So, during your first visit with us, we’ll go over some of these treatments, what each offers, and which ones we think might benefit you.
Rest assured that whatever we decide during your first visit isn’t set in stone — if one treatment proves ineffective, we move onto the next until we’re able to help you improve your mental health.
For our part, we’re excited to see you and we promise that your first visit will be a pleasant experience.
If you have more questions about your first visit with us, we’re happy to shed some more light. To learn more, you contact our office in Fort Worth, Texas, today.
