10 Ways to Make the Most Out of Mental Health Medical Appointments

Speaking to a healthcare professional about your psychological health can be intimidating, triggering, and overwhelming. 

You might be unsure about the treatments on offer, lack confidence in the practitioner, or be scared of being stigmatized for your condition.¹ Some may also worry that the appointment won’t be confidential, that they’ll be judged, or that they won’t be taken seriously.² 

Though these worries are based on real experiences of the healthcare system, there are some things you can do to feel prepared and get the most out of your appointment. 

In this blog post, we’ll be sharing some mental health appointment tips, as well as advice for preparing for therapy. Our 10 tips focus on things like what you’ll be asked, how to balance expectations around slow growth and discomfort, goal-setting, and more.

Common Concerns at Mental Health Appointments

It’s not unusual to be nervous about mental health care appointments or meeting a therapist for the first time. Common concerns include:² 

• That the appointment won’t be confidential
• Whether they’ll take you seriously
• That the practitioner won’t understand how you’re feeling
• If the practitioner will be shaming, judgmental, or stigmatizing
• Whether you’ll be satisfied with the appointment’s outcome
• Getting upset and being vulnerable in front of a stranger
• That you’ll forget to mention something important

While we can’t eliminate each of these concerns totally, we can help you prepare for your appointment as much as possible. By knowing what to expect and what you want to say, you can take back control of your appointment and maximize your chances of getting what you need. 

Next, we’ll discuss the questions to ask during mental health appointments and our other advice for getting the most out of them.

10 Ways to Make the Most Out of Mental Health Appointments

The following are ten ways to maximize the benefits of mental health appointments. Some may address your concerns more than others, but they’re still a useful overview for most people seeking treatment. 

1. Prepare a List of What You Want to Discuss

Your mental health appointment is your chance to express everything that’s been going on for you; all your concerns, symptoms, feelings, and hopes can be laid out in this session.

So, one way to maximize mental health appointments is to write down a list of everything you’d like to discuss. This could include:² 

• Your symptoms: What they are, how often they occur, and when they started.
• Your current challenges: For example, work-life balance or social anxiety. 
• The severity: Whether your symptoms are stopping you from leaving the house or preventing you from socializing, professionals want to know how your quality of life is being affected.
• What you’ve tried: Sharing your experience of a particular medication or type of therapy can lead to other options.
• Your aims: Whether you’ve got a type of therapy in mind or need a doctor’s note for time off work, having an aim for the appointment can focus the conversation. 

Similarly, to make the most of counseling sessions, noting down a list of everything you’d like to talk about is a good idea. 

Starting therapy can be overwhelming, and a conversation with a therapist can quickly become hyper-focused on one thing at a time. In your first session, having a list of things like, for example, relationship problems, family difficulties, work dilemmas, and food issues, can communicate a larger story to your therapist. Even though you won’t cover all of it in the first session, sharing your many concerns can make you feel like you’re on the right track.

2. Expect Growth Over Time

It’s perfectly natural to want quick results from mental health care, but it’s typically a long process. Anticipating slower progress is more realistic and can help you stay committed to attending sessions. 

3. Write Down All Your Questions (and Take Note of the Answers)

Another way to prepare for a mental health appointment is to jot down all the questions you want to ask the doctor, therapist, or psychiatrist that you’re meeting. Bringing this list to your appointment can keep you on track, so you don’t forget what’s important to you.³ 

Your questions might relate to your symptoms, potential treatments, possible future outcomes, and anything else that might relate to your experience. 

Here are some example questions:^2,3 

• “What diagnosis do you think I have?”
• “Is it something I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life?”
• “What are the side effects of the medication for this condition?”
• “What type of therapy is best?”
• “Can I make any lifestyle or diet changes to help?”
• “Can I get a sick note for some time off from work?”
• “Who can I call if I’m in crisis?”

Remember, doctors are very used to people bringing very personal information about themselves and having many questions about their health. You won’t be pestering them by asking your questions.

And finally, it’s a good idea to bring a pen and paper to your appointment so that you can note down the answers to your questions. These sessions can cover many details, so you might forget key bits of information if you don’t write them down.³ 

4. Ask for a Specific Practitioner and Chaperone

Effective mental health visits feel attentive, thorough, and safe. Sometimes, feeling safe means asking for a male or female doctor, depending on who you’re most comfortable with.² Most primary care providers and therapy clinics will be able to accommodate your preferences, unless there’s only one specialist. 

In addition, having a chaperone (provided by the health center), friend, or family member with you can help you feel safe. Whether it’s for emotional support or to note down important information, you’re allowed to bring someone with you.² 

5. Know What They’re Likely to Ask You

Another way to prepare for your appointment is to have an idea of what you might be asked. For example, common questions will cover:² 

• Your family’s health history
• Physical and emotional symptoms
• The medications, therapies, and lifestyle changes you’ve tried
• Any drug or alcohol use
• Thoughts and actions of self-harm and suicide
• Any risk you might be in of harm to or from others
• Any recent or historical events that may explain your symptoms

Having your answers prepared for these topics can be helpful as you’ll be able to quickly answer any questions. Plus, as these questions can be quite personal or triggering, it may help to feel more emotionally prepared for them.

6. Know the Possible Treatments You Might Be Offered

You might feel more prepared if you know the common medications and therapies on offer. 

For instance, if you explore the different types of therapy, like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic, you might find yourself drawn to one in particular. Similarly, reading about the commonly prescribed medications for different conditions can give you an overview of the side effects to expect from different ones.

Even a basic understanding of these treatments can help you make the most of your appointment because you can ask questions and express your preferences.

7. Expect Some Discomfort

Therapy session preparation tips can bring some order, but therapy often can still feel messy and difficult. This is all part of the process. You won’t be able to totally prepare, and it’s actually important that you don’t. Effective therapy involves divulging difficult thoughts and feelings, even though doing so may be uncomfortable. 

Understandably, it may take time to build trust. However, being in the discomfort of vulnerability is an unavoidable part of therapeutic repair.

8. Ask for Additional Support

Sometimes, mental health appointments and therapy sessions aren’t enough to tackle what’s going on in our daily lives. Professional practitioners should be able to refer you to additional forms of support if you need them. 

For example, you might want to ask for services that can help you in times of crisis, domestic violence, or housing problems. Addressing these issues can support your mental health treatment as they can contribute to symptoms of distress and be destabilizing when you’re in counseling.

9. Be Clear About Your Goals and Wishes

For many, getting the most from therapy means working towards clear goals. Sharing your goals at your first therapy appointment can calibrate the course of future sessions and keep things structured. It also helps to measure your progress, keep you motivated, and align you and your therapist.⁴ 

So, do share your goals at your appointment; if you’re not sure what they are, you could ask to do some mental health goal setting with your therapist.

10. Give Feedback

You are the expert in your own life and growth journey. Any good therapist or mental health practitioner should be able to listen to what is or isn’t working for you. 

So, our final tip for effective therapy sessions is to express your true feelings about how the work is going. Providing this kind of feedback is crucial to making the most of your treatment, whatever that means for you.

Therapy With Mission Connection

At Mission Connection, we offer a wide range of therapies that can be delivered in flexible ways. Whether you’d like an online, in-person, or group therapy setting, get in touch with us today to speak about your treatment goals. 

References

1. Sweetman, J., Knapp, P., Varley, D., Woodhouse, R., McMillan, D., & Coventry, P. (2021). Barriers to attending initial psychological therapy service appointments for common mental health problems: A mixed-methods systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 284, 44–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.01.089 
2. Mental Health Foundation. (2022, February 16). Talking to your GP about your mental health. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/talking-your-gp-about-your-mental-health 
3. Derbyshire Healthcare NHS. (n.d.). How to get more out of your appointment with your psychiatrist. https://www.derbyshirehealthcareft.nhs.uk/application/files/8815/4539/7731/How_to_get_more_out_of_your_appointment_with_your_psychiatrist.pdf
4. Riopel, L. (2019, April 10). Goal setting in counseling and therapy. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/goal-setting-counseling-therapy/