“I thought this was going to be my worst experience, but Karinn is different.”
Ralph articulated these words to Wayne, the psychiatrist, meeting him for the first time, for his initial psychiatric evaluation.
In our first article entitled, New Strategies for Mental Health Assessment: 6 Reasons Why, I introduced Ralph, who threatened to sue the HOPE Clinic after he received the news from Jaisa about restrictions on his medication. Ralph subsequently met with Karinn for his initial mental health assessment and later said, “I thought this was going to be my worst experience, but Karinn is different.”
Below are the seven principles Karrin used that you could implement for an effective mental health assessment.
1. Meet them where they are at
In two previous articles entitled, 5 Tips to Help Engage Your Patients and Clients, Part 1 and Part 2, I explained how meeting patients and clients where they are at was a crucial element of engagement, for which the completion of an initial mental health assessment can be a decisive factor.
I often mention how the initial mental health assessment can be misunderstood, and that it needs to be both diagnostic and therapeutic. However, for this to happen, there needs to be a reframing of how we think about mental health assessments. One first principle of an effective initial mental health assessment centers on engagement and meeting patients and clients where they are at.
2. Establish and maintain safety
During an initial mental health assessment, safety needs to be established, in all its forms. Is there any acute risk for suicide or violence against others in the community? This needs to be adequately assessed and established and promptly and properly managed. The caveat is how to do so and still overall remain thorough, and the answer lies in mastering the new strategies for mental health assessment.
