Preparing for a Phone Assessment

Are you interested in seeking mental health services at Spring Brook Hospital? If so, one of the first steps is calling our admissions office at 352-600-3288. During your assessment, we’ll ask you some questions to figure out how best we can help you.

Want to know how you can prepare for the phone assessment? This article walks you through the questions you can expect so there aren’t any surprises. Remember this assessment is free of judgment. Being honest is the best way to get the help you need. 

Providing Personal Information

The phone assessment will start by collecting standard personal information. This includes your name, date of birth, contact information, and social security number. You are asked for this information so we can verify your insurance and keep our private records while you’re in treatment. 

But don’t worry, all information noted during the assessment will be kept safe and secure at all times. With that said, you don’t have to provide us with your social security number to receive treatment if you don’t feel comfortable giving it out. Instead, we may be able to use additional information to verify your insurance.

After providing the necessary personal information, we will ask how you were referred to the hospital. In addition, we will ask for an emergency contact. The ability to contact a trusted loved one in the rare case of an emergency allows us to keep you safe and provide the best care. This can be a family member or a close friend who knows you well. 

Questions About Your Mental Health and Addiction History

The next part of the assessment will include questions about your history of mental illness and addiction. While we understand that these are sensitive topics, your answers will help us determine the best care for you.

Some of the questions regarding your mental health that you can expect include:

• Do you have any thoughts of hurting yourself? If yes, do you have any plans to do so?
• Do you have a history of attempting suicide? If yes, do you have a current plan to do so?
• Do you have thoughts of hurting others? If yes, do you have a plan to do so?
• Do you have a history of harming others?

Then, we will ask about your addiction history. For instance, these questions will cover your experiences with addiction and substance abuse. Some of these questions can include:

• Do you drink alcohol regularly? If yes, how much and how often?
• What substances are you using? For each substance listed, we will ask how much and how often of each you use.

Past Treatment and Insurance Information 

In addition to the questions about your mental health and addiction history, there will be questions about your past experiences receiving mental health treatment. Knowing your treatment history will better prepare us to help you recover. With that in mind, some questions we may ask include:

• Have you been hospitalized in the last 60 days? If yes, what are the dates you were undergoing treatment?
• Are you currently seeing a psychiatrist? If yes, what is their name and contact number?
• What medication do you currently take? What are the dosages?
• Do you have any additional medical issues? If yes, please list all of them. Knowing all of your medical needs will help us tailor your treatment in accordance with these issues.

Additionally, we will ask if you need assistance getting to the treatment center. 

Finally, you will need to provide your insurance information. This includes your provider and your member ID number. We need this information to provide you with treatment for the lowest possible cost. 

Call Springbrook Today to Start Treatment

Reaching out to receive treatment is a huge milestone in your road to recovery. If you are struggling with mental illness, substance abuse, or both, now is the time to get the help you deserve. You may hesitate or consider changing your mind, but if you’ve started exploring available treatment options, this is a sign that now is the right time to get the help you need. Call our friendly admissions specialists at 352-600-3288 to get started with your phone assessment.