A first psychiatric appointment should not feel like an intake form read aloud. At Tentie your evaluation takes up to 90 minutes — enough time to hear your full story, review your medical history, and reach a diagnosis you understand rather than one you are simply handed.
What the evaluation covers
- A complete psychiatric history, including every medication you have tried, at what dose, for how long, and what happened.
- Your medical history and current medications — including conditions and prescriptions that can cause or worsen psychiatric symptoms.
- Sleep, substance use, and the practical shape of your daily life.
- Family history, developmental history and psychosocial context.
- A discussion of the diagnostic impression in plain language, not in codes.
- A treatment plan built together, with options, risks and alternatives explained.
- Review of any records you bring, and communication with your referring provider, included in the fee.
Why the length matters
Diagnostic accuracy in psychiatry depends almost entirely on the quality of the history, and history takes time to surface. In a twenty-minute appointment a patient reports their most recent symptom. In ninety minutes they describe a pattern — and the pattern is what determines whether this is depression, an undiagnosed bipolar spectrum illness, an anxiety disorder that has been present since adolescence, or a thyroid problem wearing all three as a costume.
What happens afterwards
Most patients leave the first appointment with a working diagnostic impression and a plan. Some leave with a plan to gather more information first — laboratory work, old records, or a conversation with your primary care provider — because the honest answer at that point is that more information is needed.
If the case is complex or needs more time than one appointment allows, a second evaluation session may be recommended, and that is discussed with you in advance rather than sprung on you afterwards.
What this evaluation is not
This is a clinical evaluation for the purpose of treatment. It is not a forensic assessment, a disability determination, a fitness-for-duty evaluation, a custody evaluation or an assessment for legal proceedings. Those services are not provided by this practice in any circumstance.
This practice also does not treat patients under 18, and does not provide primary treatment for eating disorders or substance use disorders. If that is what you need, we will tell you at the outset and help you find the right referral.
This service
| Length | Up to 90 min |
| Fee | [$XXX] |
| Format | In person or video |
| Patients | Adults 18+ |
| Languages | English, Spanish |
Related
Frequently asked
How should I prepare?
Bring a list of every medication you currently take, including doses, and any psychiatric medications you have taken in the past. If you have records from a previous psychiatrist or therapist, bring them or have them sent ahead. Know the name and location of your pharmacy.
Will I leave with a prescription?
Sometimes, and sometimes not. Medication is started when it is indicated and when you have understood and agreed to it. If more information is needed first, the honest answer is that more information is needed first.
Can the evaluation be done by video?
Yes. A full evaluation can be completed by secure video anywhere in Texas. Some situations require at least one in-person appointment, particularly where controlled substances are involved.
What if I have never seen a psychiatrist before?
Many patients here have not. There is nothing you need to prepare or know in advance, and there is no wrong way to describe what you are experiencing. Reading what to expect ahead of time helps some people feel less uncertain.
Do you file insurance?
No. Fees are due at the time of service. A superbill is provided on request so you can seek out-of-network reimbursement from your carrier.