The Intake and Assessment: How Treatment Begins
Your assessment is where treatment takes shape, so it helps to know what it covers before the day arrives.
Once you have had a free consultation, sexual offense treatment begins with an assessment lasting 1 to 2 hours. Over that time it looks at your personal history, the behavior that led you here, your mental health background and what is prompting you to seek treatment. From there, the practice identifies areas of concern, makes treatment recommendations and builds an individualized plan. The assessment also covers intake paperwork, treatment goals, program expectations, session frequency and financial responsibilities, so you leave knowing what treatment will ask of you.
What It Covers
Four Things the Assessment Reviews
Each part has a purpose in building a plan that fits you:
- Personal history, so the plan reflects your life and circumstances, not only the behavior in question
- Behavioral concerns, discussed directly and without judgment
- Mental health background, so anything else that affects treatment is noted honestly
- Your reasons for seeking treatment, whether that is a court order, a program requirement or your own decision
How the Assessment Shapes Your Plan
From what you share, the practice identifies the areas of concern treatment needs to address and makes recommendations. Those recommendations become your individualized plan: individual sessions, group, or both, at a frequency that fits your needs and any program requirements. Individual sessions are often set at twice a week to start.
The assessment also takes care of the practical side. You complete intake paperwork, go over treatment goals and program expectations, settle on session frequency and review your financial responsibilities. Current rates are posted on the Rates and Insurance page, so you can look them over ahead of time.
What to Bring to Your Assessment
A little preparation keeps the time focused on you.
- Your ID
- Any referral paperwork you have from a court, probation office or program
- Your insurance card, if you plan to use insurance
- Your questions, written down if that helps you remember them
If a Court or Program Referred You
Bring whatever paperwork your referral source gave you. Any requirements in it are factored into your plan, including how often you attend. Whether the court, probation office or program accepts the treatment is still that body's decision, so check with your officer or caseworker if you are unsure what is required.
Apart from the limits the law sets, which you receive in writing when services begin, information from your assessment reaches a court, probation officer or caseworker only with your signed consent. Ask what will be shared before you sign anything. If the client is an adolescent between 13 and 17, the way consent works for youth is explained at intake.
Why Honest Answers Matter
A plan is only as accurate as the information behind it. Expect direct questions about your behavior and your history, and answer them as fully as you can. Leaving things out only makes it harder to build a plan that fits.
None of this is meant to catch you out. The questions are there so the recommendations fit the person in front of them, and they are asked without judgment.
Assessment Questions
Is the assessment the same as the free consultation?
No. The consultation is a free 20 to 30 minute conversation for general questions. The assessment is the 1 to 2 hour first step of treatment, where your plan is set.
Will insurance cover the assessment?
That depends on your plan. The practice accepts Humana, Oklahoma Complete Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), Ambetter and HealthChoice and is Medicaid approved, but coverage varies, so confirm your benefits with the office first.
Is this the same as a court evaluation?
No. It is a treatment assessment used to plan your care, and the practice does not offer court evaluations beyond it. If your court asked for something specific, check with the court whether this assessment meets that need; that decision is the court's.
What happens after the assessment?
Regular sessions begin under your plan, whether that means individual sessions, group or both. From there, progress reviews decide whether anything in the plan should change.
Keep Reading
- Sexual Offense TreatmentThe service the assessment opens, from first session to group work.
- How a Treatment Plan Is DecidedHow your assessment results become goals, a schedule and a format.
- Why a Free Consultation Comes FirstThe no-cost conversation that comes before you book an assessment.
- Paying for TreatmentQuestions to ask about coverage before your assessment.
- Rates and InsuranceCheck rates and your coverage before the assessment day.
Questions Before Your Assessment?
Start with a free 20 to 30 minute consultation and ask anything you want to know first. Call (405) 205-6314 to set it up.
Free 20 to 30 minute consultation. Monday through Friday, by appointment.