Prepare for a Behavioral Health Appointment

These tools can help you prepare for your behavioral health appointment. Each one includes a copy you can download and take with you to your appointment.

Your Concerns

The sample questions below can help prepare you for your first appointment with your behavioral health provider. There are lots of other questions you can ask to help determine what you want to cover, so this doesn't represent every question.

• What do you want from therapy?
• What concerns do you want to cover?
• Your family?
• Your significant other?
• Your kids?
• Work?
• Medications?
• Other?
• If you've been to counseling before, what worked? What didn't work?
• What are you willing to do in between appointments?
• What are you expecting from the practitioner?

Questions for the Provider

The sample questions below can be useful to ask during your first appointment with your behavioral health practitioner. There are lots of other questions you can ask to help determine what will make you comfortable, and this is not a comprehensive list. You should plan to ask for whatever information you need to make a good decision for yourself.

Developing a treatment plan

• How often do you recommend a session?
• How long are treatment plans on average?
• What if I decide I don't want to come any more?

Session variability

• Can we meet over the phone?
• Can we meet over video chat?
• Do you offer family sessions?

Scheduling

• What if I can't make an appointment?
• Do you have a no-show policy? What is it?
• Do you have a late policy? What is it?
• What if I need you between appointments?
• Do you have any times you aren't available—Scheduled vacations? Holidays? etc.?

Health care coverage

• What health care coverage options do you take?
• What health care coverage companies are you a preferred provider for?
• Do you file the health care coverage paperwork?
• Are you connected with a hospital or doctor's office?
• Do you believe medicine can help?
• What do you ask of patients between sessions?
• How do you measure progress?
• What if I don't want to talk about something?
• What is the procedure for mandatory reporting?

Service Locator

Tribal Behavioral Health Service Locator