A Bariatric Surgery Assessment does not need to be another stressor for you. It’s an assessment, not a judgment. A well-done assessment can set you up for greater success and wellness post-surgery. The goal is a thorough and honest exploration of your strengths, weaknesses, and identification of potential challenges.

We encourage you to use your appointment as an opportunity to identify the areas in which you will need additional support. We help you become more comfortable with what to expect from surgery and explain how to reduce your risk of weight regain. An interview with a clinician takes 75 minutes and covers these general areas:

Weight loss history
Eating disorder history
Psychosocial history
Current mental health treatment
Cognitive function
Temperament
Current stressors
Social Support
Substance use
Behaviors (such as adherence or activity level)
Motivation and Knowledge (such as expectations and risks)

You may be asked to complete specific psychological assessments outside of your interview. We’ll incorporate these results into our recommendations and send a report to your physician. Only one appointment is necessary to complete the interview; however, we recommend a follow up appointment so we can share the results with you and help set you up for success

FEES: 90-minute assessment — $225

We do not currently accept insurance. However, we may be able to provide you with a Superbill to submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.

FAQ

Can you see patients virtually?

Yes! We are primarily virtual. Our providers have limited availability in person: Thursdays in Charlottesville and Mondays in Richmond.

Do I need a referral from my doctor?   

You are welcome to contact us directly, using the method you prefer:

Do you take insurance, Medicaid and Medicare? 

We do not insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare BUT for this reason we do offer some sliding scale and pro bono spots. We do this by utilizing counselors in training and counseling residents. We carefully choose and train our clinicians. We only take on one new clinician at a time and focus on a quality curriculum. Our areas of focus are specialty areas. We believe a general mental health background is insufficient for this specialized work, so we supplement their education with 1-3 years of training & supervised experience.

What is the average wait time for a new patient consultation?

Usually, just a few days. If a patient is requesting a certain clinician who already carries a caseload, it may be a week.

Do you offer follow-up care to patients on a long-term basis?

Absolutely. Long-term follow-up care makes up the bulk of our work with patients.

Are support groups offered?

Yes! We love groups. Our clinicians run groups that are weight-and-wellness focused or weight-and-wellness adjacent. We take an holistic approach so the group themes focus on the treatment issues that we see most often (e.g. behavior change, self-image, trauma, mind/body anxiety management, relationships). We keep groups small so we can keep our patients feeling safe and we meet for 10-12 consecutive weeks (as opposed to monthly) to encourage members to open up. We also offer periodic one-off workshops.