Mental health assessments and evaluations are critical in providing your adolescent with an individualized and effective care plan. It is the first step in the treatment process and one of the most important in the treatment of adolescents and teens.
What Is a Mental Health Assessment?
At Beyond Healthcare, you can expect a thorough, enjoyable, and efficient approach to assessing your adolescent’s mental health. A mental health assessment helps paint a picture of a adolescent’s thinking, problem-solving, and coping skills. It helps to illustrate how people make choices and react to situations that might cause stress.
The goal of a mental health assessment and evaluation is to determine the condition—if any—that is affecting your adolescent at home, school, or with friends. It also allows clinicians to determine if there is a physical problem that might be impacting behavior and thinking.
What to Expect During a Mental Health Assessment
A mental health assessment is basically an interview between your adolescent and the mental health professional. It may include a combination of questions and written questionnaires. No two people have the exact same mental health assessment, though. The person giving the assessment will look at things like:
- Mental health history
- Homelife
- Medical history
- Symptoms
- Behavior concerns
- Goals
Our staff will take all this information and decide the right questions to ask and what questionnaires might help them make a diagnosis.
Preparing for a Mental Health Assessment
There are things you can do before the assessment that can help. For example, make a list of things that are happening to you or your adolescent. You might consider keeping a journal to help track feelings and actions to see if there is a correlation. Are you feeling anxious? When does that happen? Does something trigger it? Also, make a list of any current or past medications. This might include prescription medicines, over-the-counter products, herbs, and other psychoactive substances.
Finally, the mental health assessment may also include a quick physical. That will ensure that good overall health and also pinpoint any specific medical issues. We serve adolescents and teens ages 11 to 17 at our Toledo mental health center. We often work in underserved communities and gladly accept Medicaid and private insurance. Beyond Healthcare takes a holistic approach to treatment, meaning they treat the whole person, not just the condition or symptoms. We work with families in crisis to help them find solutions for adolescents with behavioral or mental health concerns. Services at Beyond Healthcare include:
- Assessment and diagnosis
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP)
- Mental Health intensive outpatient (IOP) and after-school programs
- Medication management
- Telehealth
- Care coordination and case management
- Family involvement, education, and treatment
Founded in 2021, Beyond Healthcare believes family and community support are critical assets, especially during a crisis. We offer quality and reliable treatment options that are current and locally relevant. Our staff works to connect with patients using engaging, fun, proven mental health therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and behavioral modification programs.
At Beyond Healthcare, family involvement is an important part of the program. Parents and siblings are critical to the treatment plan. Your family will have access to a highly personal, community-centered approach designed with adolescents in mind. Beyond Healthcare offers a welcoming environment that is less rigid than many other behavioral health providers. Beyond Healthcare is a community-based organization. Our staff strives to make connections between communities, clients, their family members, and alumni. Beyond Healthcare offers group support activities that bring people together in a fun and casual way. They create life-long connections, so the Beyond Healthcare alumni can give back to their community when the time comes. If your family needs help understanding your adolescent’s behavior, outlook, or communication patterns, give us a call at 833.698.0453. You can also go online and fill out our contact form, and we will get in touch.