What to expect
New client Telehealth appointment
Telehealth Instructions
On the day of your new client appointment, you will receive a telehealth link at the hour of your appointment and no later than five minutes after the hour of your appointment. The telehealth link will be emailed and texted to you. You may use your cellphone for the telehealth session however, it is recommended to you a desktop or laptop with a forward-facing camera for all telehealth sessions.
To successfully participate in the telehealth session, you will need a smart device or laptop with a forward-facing camera. In addition, you will need a good Wi-Fi connection or strong data reception. Once you click on the telehealth link, a telehealth window will appear on your device's browser or laptop browser. At the bottom of the telehealth window, you will need to click the microphone and camera buttons to enable sound and audio. If you are having difficulties with your telehealth window before the start of the session, please text our office cell phone number 269-270-6840.
Attention!
It is typical to have high anxiety during your first appointment at The Anxiety Treatment Center of West Michigan. Many new clients don't know what to expect during the first appointment, which may aggravate anxiety. Most new clients experience moderate to high levels of anxiety during their first appointment.
Some new clients may feel an urge to cancel or not show up for their telehealth appointment due to the discomfort of speaking to a stranger via video conferencing. In addition, some clients may feel a need to take fast-acting anxiety medication to help with anxiety during their first appointment.
Below, is an itinerary to reduce some of the uncertainty of the first meeting. Although it may seem helpful to take anxiety medication, this may limit your ability to fully share your anxiety experience with your therapist. In addition, if you do feel like canceling or not showing up for your telehealth session due to high anxiety, don’t! Lol! I promise you will be glad you attended your new client telehealth session.
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The following will happen during your new client appointment
Introductions
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Getting acquainted with your anxiety specialist. Your anxiety specialist will want to know some of your hobbies and interests and share theirs as well.
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Your therapist will talk about their clinical experience with treating anxiety disorders & provide brief education about what an anxiety treatment center is.
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Your therapist will discuss informed consent for confidentiality during therapy & the risks and benefits of anxiety therapy.
Informal Assessment
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Your therapist will then ask you to share what brings you to The Anxiety Treatment Center.
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During this time, your therapist will ask you questions to better understand the type of anxiety you are experiencing and the things that maintain your anxiety issue.
Formal Assessment
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Next, the formal anxiety assessment taken when setting up your client portal will be reviewed
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Your therapist will ask you questions related to elevated sections on your assessment to rule out other non-anxiety-related issues and also ask you about things done in the past to address your anxiety issue.
End of Informal Assessment
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You will then receive an anxiety diagnosis if appropriate. If an anxiety diagnosis does not apply to your situation, your therapist will discuss with you your specific anxiety issue.
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Your therapist will then talk about The Adaptive Anxiety Treatment Program and how it will be used to address your issue.
End of Appointment
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You will then set a date with your therapist to start the anxiety treatment program. This date will be either 1 or 2 weeks out.
If you have any questions about your upcoming new client appointment, please feel free to text or email your therapist Dr. Shawn Nabors (text: 269-270-6840; email: shawn.nabors@anxietykalamazoo.com. Thank you again for choosing The Anxiety Treatment Center of West Michigan!