Rapid Access Assessment Clinic
A mental health assessment is a critical first step before starting treatment.
Many people can tell when they are struggling with their mental health, but often do not know where to begin in finding the right treatment. Specifically, people may not understand the symptoms they are experiencing and if they meet criteria for a diagnosis. In other instances, people may have tried certain treatments or worked with therapists, but do not feel like they are making much progress, and want to find out more about their mental health to help formulate a better treatment plan. These are a few of the reasons why receiving a rapid mental health assessment can be very helpful.
At Veridian Wellness Clinics, the Rapid Access Assessment (RAA) Clinic provides brief and efficient mental health assessments to help clarify the mental health condition(s) that are causing your struggles, and provide treatment recommendations and a roadmap to help you start improving your mental health and quality of life. We offer both the Psychiatric RAA and the Psychological RAA. ​The Psychiatric RAA is provided by the psychiatrist, Dr. Wang, while the Psychological RAA is provided by the clinical psychology clinician, Dr. Legg.
By receiving an RAA, not only will you have a more thorough understanding of your current mental health challenges, you will also have more concrete steps of how to move forward with getting help. If you are struggling with your mental health, but are not sure what to do next, receiving a RAA is a helpful first step.
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SHOULD I SEE A PSYCHIATRIST OR A PSYCHOLOGIST?
While psychiatrists and psychologists are both mental health professionals with extensive training to assess, diagnoses, and treat mental health conditions, there are some distinct features between the two types of professionals. Please see below to help you determine whether you need to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist:
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Psychologists:
- Assessments may involve standardized psychometric testings (ex. cognitive assessments, personality questionnaires, learning disability assessments)
- Treatment recommendations focus on psychological and behavioural interventions (ex. which type of therapy is most suited for your diagnosis)
- Cannot prescribe medications
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Psychiatrists:
- Assessments is more medical, but does NOT involve standardized psychometric testings
- Treatment recommendations focuses more on medications and medical treatments (ex. repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulations)
- Can prescribe medications
1. Psychiatric Rapid Access Assessment
Dr. Wang provides a time-limited, thorough and efficient psychiatric assessment to evaluate your symptoms and provide a. diagnosis to help you better understand your challenges. Each assessment will result in a consultation report which will be sent to your referring physician; alternatively, if you are a private pay patient without BC MSP and are paying privately to see Dr. Wang, you will be provided a copy of the report.
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Features of the Psychiatric RAA
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A psychiatric assessment with emphases on clarifying mental health diagnostics and providing medication recommendations, medical treatment recommendations (e.g., repeatitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) & preliminary psychotherapy recommendations
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This assessment is most helpful if you are interested in learning about what medications and medical treatments may be most helpful for you
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Payment model:
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If you have BC MSP and your physician refers you for a Psychiatric RAA, BC MSP will cover for your assessment appointments with Dr. Wang as long as you show up to the appointment
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If you do not have BC MSP, you will have to pay privately
2. Psychological Rapid Access Assessment
Brief and efficient psychological assessments helps you understand your symptoms, diagnosis, and make sense of your current challenges, and provide a clearer direction of how/where to seek psychological treatment moving forward. Dr. Legg will provide you with a brief assessment report that outlines diagnoses that may best describe your functioning, and helps you to understand why you are experiencing symptoms or challenges, and provides information about the most evidence-based therapy and psychological treatment(s) for your particular concerns. These reports are helpful to send to your GP, therapist, or other health care provider to ensure your care team is aware of your history, symptoms, and situation.
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Features of the Psychological RAA
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A psychological assessment with emphases on clarifying mental health diagnosis and providing psychological treatment recommendations (ex. which type of therapy is most evidence-based for your concerns), brief behavioral recommendations, and recommendations for how to move forward in seeking psychological treatmen
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This assessment is most helpful if you are interested in learning about what psychological/therapy treatments may be most helpful for you, and different options and pathways to move forward in seeking psychological treatment
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Payment model:
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Psychology services are not covered by MSP in BC and private payment is required for Psychological RAA’s
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You may self-refer to receive a Psychological RAA and a physician referral is not required
3. Combined Psychiatric & Psychological Rapid Access Assessment
There will be times when you seek and receive a psychiatric or a psychological RAA, and your clinician recommends you to seek out a combined psychiatric and psychological RAA if you would likely benefit from both.
This is the most comprehensive RAA, as you will receive both medical recommendations (ie. medications and other medically relevant psychiatric recommendations) and psychological recommendations. With the combined expertise of a psychiatrist and a psychologist, this is an assessment you can trust.