Why should I do an Advanced Intake?

The information gathered from the Advanced Intake will be provided to your therapist and it will help facilitate the process of therapy. It will help your therapist better understand you, why you are coming into therapy, and what factors in your life may be contributing to your current difficulties.

It is similar to getting lab work done before you go to the doctor. The doctor will still ask you questions and need to spend time with you to get a full picture of what is going on, but the lab work helps them get a clearer picture from the start of what the issue might be and how they might go about helping you with it.

What does the Advanced Intake consist of? 

The Advanced Intake process will consist of brief psychological assessment of cognitive (measured intelligence) and personality functioning (how you act, think, feel, and interact with others), along with a 50 minute clinical interview with a psychologist to gather background information and more information about what is bringing you into therapy. The appointment will last for 2 hours (testing for one hour, interview for 50 minutes). It must be completed in-person.

Who can be helped by an Advanced Intake?

Anyone!

For Children and Adolescents, an Advanced Intake can:

• Help increase your understanding of what is going on with your child that has brought them to therapy
• Help your therapist gain a better understanding in a shorter amount of time of what could be helpful for your child
• Help your therapist better understand why your child is acting certain ways in therapy and better tailor therapy to their needs (I feel like this one is especially helpful for therapists and would be a major pull for parents)
• Determine if there are other things in your child’s life that are contributing to their difficulties (poor cognitive abilities, potential academic struggles, the need for occupational therapy, etc.)- this can lead to other referrals (outside of Coastal) that can support your child’s development and overall mental health

For Adults, an Advanced Intake can:

• Help increase your understanding of what is going on with you that has brought you to therapy
• Help your therapist gain a better understanding in a shorter amount of time of what could be helpful for you
• Help your therapist tailor therapy to better fit your personality and your needs at the time

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I get a diagnosis out of this?

There is a lot going on for people that is not encapsulated in a diagnosis, and that is what we want to focus on. Because of that, diagnoses could come out of the Advanced Intake, but it is not a guarantee. The data the therapist will receive from the Advanced Intake will provide much more helpful information than a diagnosis could.

Will I be able to submit a superbill for the Advanced Intake?

A superbill requires a diagnosis and we cannot guarantee that the Advanced Intake will lead to a diagnosis. However, after working with your therapist for a time, they may be able to make a determination of a diagnosis and they could retroactively add it to a superbill for you to work with your insurance to get coverage for the Advanced Intake.

Will this make therapy faster/shorter?

We can never know exactly how long therapy will take for someone, especially at the beginning of therapy. The Advanced Intake will not guarantee that therapy is faster or shorter, but it can help your therapist understand what has been happening for you in an expedited way that can allow you to benefit from therapy sooner than you might without it. We encourage you to have this conversation with your therapist when you get started with them to hear their thoughts on it.

Will I receive a testing report at the end of the Advanced Intake?

No, no testing report will be provided at the end of the intake. Because of the brief/screening nature of the testing and the purpose of the Advanced Intake, which is to provide information to your therapist, a report will not be provided at the end of the service. However, you will receive insight into what the testing found out about you/your child through your therapist.

What if I do the Advanced Intake but then want to work with a different therapist at Coastal than the one I scheduled a consult with?

The information from the Advanced Intake will be made available to whichever therapist you end up deciding to work with here at Coastal. All of our therapists are equipped to understand the testing results and integrate it into your care.

Can this replace comprehensive assessment?

No, the testing offered during the Advanced Intake is a brief screening and is not comprehensive nor is it a psychodiagnostic evaluation. If you end up deciding that you want or need comprehensive assessment at Coastal, some of the data collected through the Advanced Intake can be used to supplement your psychodiagnostic evaluation but it is not a substitute.

How does scheduling work if I do the Advanced Intake?

We will schedule you with Julia, our postdoctoral fellow who completes the Advanced Intakes. We will also schedule you for our 15-minute consultation phone call with the therapist you requested/the therapist that we think will be the best fit for you and your needs. You will complete the Advanced Intake with Julia first and then meet with your therapist within a week of the Advanced Intake. From there, the therapist will schedule your first therapy session and they will have the information from the Advanced Intake to facilitate the start of your care.