So What’s Really Involved in a Bariatric Psychological Evaluation?
Are you curious about the details of what’s really involved in a Bariatric Psychological Evaluation? Maybe you are on your own bariatric journey or just wondering about this specific step in the process. Well no reason to fear, this is our specialty! Our number one goal for the evaluation is to be a helpful, informative, and supportive experience for you.
What is a Bariatric Psychological Evaluation?
A Bariatric Psychological Evaluation is required by most insurance companies and surgeons prior to receiving any type of bariatric surgery. Surgeons utilize the information in the evaluation for important details regarding how they can best support the patient. Bariatric Surgery is a major surgery requiring massive lifestyle changes post-surgery, which will require more mental and emotional energy to support your health, especially in the first few months. Essentially surgery increases your “mental load.”
Your mental load is all you are mentally managing at this moment in time and can include various pieces of your life such as work/career, parenting, relationships, maintaining your home, managing family life, kids activities, hobbies, pets, mental health, self-care, etc. The post-surgery physical, mental, emotional, and nutritional recovery will require more attention and prioritization in your life.
What is the purpose of a Bariatric Psychological Evaluation?
Provide education on the expectations and impact of surgery.
Help prepare the client and their loved ones for surgery.
To ensure realistic post-surgical weight loss expectations.
To ensure safe and successful surgical outcomes.
To identify any mental, physical, and emotional roadblocks or concerns that need to be addressed prior to surgery, after surgery, or before surgery can be approved. Some of these include substance abuse, mental health struggles, coping skills, life circumstances, and eating disorders.
To create a positive therapeutic relationship if support is needed in the future.
What a Bariatric Psychological Evaluation is NOT?
The purpose of an evaluation is not to gatekeep or prevent anyone from getting surgery. You are always entitled to your own body autonomy and surgical consent. You are in charge of your own health and your own health decisions. One of the goals of the evaluation is to optimize your experience as it is impossible for anyone to predict outcomes.
What will be discussed during the Psychological Evaluation?
Essentially all different aspects of your life are discussed during the evaluation.
This includes:
Family of origin - overview of growing up years, relationship with parents,
Mental Health - family history, your history & and current concerns
Substance Abuse - family & personal history and current use
Dieting/Weight Loss History
Current eating/dietary styles & preferences
Disordered Eating/Eating Disorder - Past & Present
Medical Issues - Past & Present
Legal History
Knowledge of surgery
Expectations of surgery
Coping Skills
Support Systems
In each of these topics, the evaluation is assessing your ability to make arrangements or accommodations to take care of yourself. If you’ve been dieting or struggling with your weight for many years this negative cycle can create a sense of hopelessness, defeat, and shame. Because bariatric is a major surgery it is our number one goal to help you renew that sense of hope you may have lost in all the weight loss attempts while also trying to exist in this fatphobic culture.
That seems like a lot of information…what circumstances would prevent me from being approved for surgery?
Our number one goal is to support you in achieving your goals and absolutely not get in the way of you finding success. There are very few circumstances that would prevent you entirely from being approved for surgery. Those circumstances might include an unwillingness to make any recommended lifestyle changes with substances or an unwillingness to get proper mental health or eating disorder treatment.
Typically most concerns can be addressed with clearance for surgery with either optional, recommended, or required steps in a specific area or two.
The evaluation is not here to get in your way. It is here to facilitate meaningful and helpful discussions so you can be successful now and after surgery.
Creating an Invitation to Therapy
My personal goal in the evaluation is to create a positive connection with you as what you are currently going through and experiencing is incredibly difficult. Not enough people reach out for mental health support while going through a major life transition like bariatric surgery, so I want to provide that support. The evaluation provides a gentle “in” for you to continue counseling if needed or come back after surgery to work on behaviors, relationships with food, body image, and more.
Please feel free to reach out if you have further questions. You can click here to schedule a 15-minute consultation or schedule your evaluation in-person in Grand Junction or via telehealth state wide in Colorado.
In Health,
Chelsea