Psychologist Visit

Next week I go for my Psychologist visit and was wondering what to expect. I have never met with a Psychologist before for any of my surgeries so this is all new to me. Anyway care to elaborate on what I should expect? Thanks,  Keith

Hey Keith,  When I went, I thought they would put me in a straight jacket and take me to a padded room some where, but that didn't happen. Phew!  What happened was, is I met a very nice gentleman, who asked me why I was there and what I was looking for, so I told him that I wanted to have wls and the many reasons which are too  numerous to count,  Basically that all my health problems would be resolved if I were lucky enough to have this surgery.  Then we setup a time for me to take a test, which I did on another occasion.  Then we met after the results came back, and he reassured me that I was indeed a good candidate for this surgery and that he thought that I would be successful.  The end

Hi Keith, My first visit I never met with the Psychologist.  Dr. Maxwell.  I had to complete 3 written test, took about 2 hours.  The next week I met with Dr. Maxwell and she went over the results of my test, talked with me about me a little bit and recommended that I get further therapy to resolve some of my eating issues.  Very good visit tho.  She told me I was a good candidate and sent report to my surgeon.  I have found a great therapist who is working with me on some of my issues, not just eating, and I love it.  I want to make sure I am successful from the inside out! Good luck to you. Dawn

I didn't have to fill out any questionnaires, I just had to answer questions for almost an hour. They were about my weight and diet past, how I feel about food and eating, why I want the surgery and how I feel about the surgery emotionally. Nia

The only part about seeing the Psychologist for me was that my insurance didn't cover it and I had to pay $200 cash! For one visit!  Good luck!

I had to pay $375 cash and the insurance will pay half >... IF I'm approved, and only AFTER they deny it the first time, they MIGHT pay half.  I had to do the MMPI which is 576 T/F questions.... best advice .... be as honest as possible. If you're gonna be turned down or accepted for WLS you might as well be turned down or accepted for who you ARE rather than for who you are TRYING to be!

Hi All, I am sorry that your experiences were not more positive. If you get a chance please see my article in the Jan/Feb issue of OH Also see my post further down on the Board "Apprehensive about a Psych Exam" Dr. Mike

I met with the psychologist during my first meeting when I met other specialists in my surgeon's office. first I filled out 3 tests/ questionaires about general personality traits like anxiety, self esteem, etc. One was about eating habits, too, I think. Then the psych went over them and asked me questions like why do I want surgery, what do I hope to do after loosing weight, etc. I've been to counselors before and even did some undergraduate work in psychology and I rather enjoyed it. I told him I was anxious about how I would replace my comfort eating and he told me he needs me to see someone about behavior modification about that. I found someone here on this website that I met with last week and I think I'll be able to work with him. Like someone said, be honest. Most of us got so big with the help of our dysfunctional minds and we have serious work to do to make WLS successful. The psychs are there to help us out, not put us down.

My first appointment was to take tests...silly questions, many "seemingly" with nothing to do with food or the fact that I am over weight. Many questions are the same....simply phrased differently  (who do they think they are fooling..LOL!). This appointment was about 45 minutes long. Answer honestly, but nothing scary or to worry about. Second appointment was with the psychologist.  She talked with me a bit and explained why some of the question seemed repiticous (sp?) before it was over I found I quite liked her and enjoyed the session. That also was about 1 hour in length.  Just a little bump in the road to a new life Good luck!

For most patients their appointment with me is the first time they have ever been to a psychologist or a counselor and they are pretty uneasy.  I have even had people admit that they have put off surgery because of the psych exam. Please, please do not approach it like that. The goal in my and most practices is to make you feel comfortable and to give you the opportunity to explore your choice fo weight loss surgery in a setting that is safe and educational. My goal is to help you to succeed, so assessing your strengths and weaknesses is for your benefit! Dr Mike