This is the first stage in getting support for your current mental health concerns. It takes a lot of courage to attend an assessment, so it is completely normal to feel nervous. Please acknowledge any feelings you have about attending. Your clinician will ensure you are comfortable and will support you throughout your assessment.
We want to ensure you are fully prepared and informed before your assessment. That’s why we have put together a general outline of what you can expect before, during, and after your assessment:
Two days before your appointment, we will email you a questionnaire to complete before your assessment. This will help our clinician to discuss with you about the most appropriate support. The questionnaire takes around 15 minutes and assesses your current symptoms of any mental health issues.
You can talk about any historic symptoms you have been experiencing during your assessment too. The questionnaire indicates how you are currently feeling, so please answer all questions as honestly as possible.
For your appointment, your Xyla clinician will call you at your agreed appointment time from an unknown caller ID – this is to ensure confidentiality. We recommend you are in a private, comfortable setting when you answer the call. Being in a confidential space will enable you to open up more, without the risk of anyone overhearing. We recommend this so you can get the best out of your assessment.
If the Xyla clinician can’t get through to you at the agreed appointment time, they will try again within 15 minutes of your appointment start time. If you have given us permission to leave a voicemail, your Xyla clinician will leave a voicemail explaining who they are and why they are calling.
Your assessment will be up to 45 minutes long. Your clinician will encourage you to talk about the reasons you have asked for support, including your current mental health concerns. We understand it is difficult to do this, and even sometimes to know where to start. Your clinician will be a trained psychological wellbeing practitioner. They are experienced in assessing and treating common mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety.
Your clinician will talk with you about the most suitable next steps. This may include talking therapies with Xyla or a local service. If it is decided that further treatment within talking therapies isn’t best suited to your needs, your clinician will discuss other options with you.
We will send you an email to confirm the outcome and agreed next steps of your assessment. We will also indicate the email as private and confidential.
If you have any questions or concerns before your assessment, please contact us on XXXXXXXXXXX or email XXXX.
Xyla is a trading name of ICS Operations Ltd (Registered No 4793945), Pulse Healthcare Limited (Registered No 3156103), Carehome Selection Limited (Registered No 3091598), Independent Clinical Services Limited (Registered No 4768329) and CHS Healthcare Software Limited (Registered No 11582111)