What is in this policy?
This policy describes guidelines on how to conduct an initial assessment session on Unmind Talk. As with all Unmind Talk policies, this is a tool to aid decision-making, not a replacement for it, and this policy does not replace your professional judgement. All Unmind Talk practitioners are expected to consult with their clinical supervisor whenever they have any safeguarding concerns, or to inform decisions regarding the most appropriate care for a client.
This policy is reviewed frequently. If you have a question about this policy or want to share feedback, please get in touch.
Contents
Principles
Practitioner Assessments
Review of client policies
Collecting information
Outcome measures
If you deem the client unsuitable for Unmind Talk
If you deem the client unsuitable for you
Booking subsequent appointments
Note on Risk
Principles
Unmind Talk aims to connect clients to the right help at the right time. We recognise that the first practitioner a client matches with will not always be the most suitable person to help them, and that Unmind Talk will not be the right means of support for everyone. A good assessment helps determine this.
Practitioner Assessments
Clients are not triaged before entering Unmind Talk, therefore your first meeting with any new client will be an initial assessment. In a minority of cases, a client will have been assessed by a different practitioner on the platform, but you will not have access to details of this.
Therapists and coaches are expected to take a holistic, integrative approach to client assessment in line with their own ways of working. However, there are certain things we require you to cover in the initial assessment.
You must assess:
- Client suitability for Unmind Talk
- Whether your skills and approach are a good fit for that client
- Risk (to self and others)
Review of client policies
Each client will be sent links to Unmind Talk’s key policies at the time of booking their initial session. While we expect clients to digest this information in their own time, we encourage you to check in with them during the assessment session to ensure they have understood the following policies:
- Cancellation policy
- Platform T&Cs
- Privacy Policy
- Getting the most out of Unmind Talk
Collecting information
We encourage you to collect the following information from the client:
- Client contact details
- Details of their doctor or any other relevant healthcare professional
- An emergency contact
If you collect any of this information, you must store and protect it in line with your local data storage regulations, and agree with the client how you’ll use this information (e.g. under what circumstances you’d contact their emergency contact).
Outcome measures
Before the first session clients are invited to complete ‘Session Preparation’ which consists of 18 questions:
- The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 clinical outcome measures asking about symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Two work impact questions about presenteeism and absenteeism.
The data will be visible to you in the Connect platform and we encourage you to review and reflect on the results ahead of your sessions. For more information on how to use these measures see: Using session preparation.
If you deem the client unsuitable for Unmind Talk
We’re aware that the “right” help might not be found straight away. We also recognise that some clients will need more specialist care than Unmind Talk can offer, and we encourage you to use your professional judgement to determine whether this is the case.
Examples of reasons why Unmind Talk might not be the best route for a client are often due to risk or complexity:
- Complex mental health issues that cannot be managed well in weekly online sessions, e.g. active psychosis, mania, or ongoing serious substance misuse.
- When a client requires in-depth assessment and support, psychiatry or input from a multidisciplinary team.
- When a client presents with a high degree of clinical risk.
In the case that you believe the client needs more than Unmind Talk can offer, we recommend you discuss suitability with the client and refer them to more appropriate services.
We want to avoid anyone being left without support, or feeling like they can’t be helped. If you’re unsure of where to refer someone please get in touch and we will aim to assist.
If you deem the client unsuitable for you
We recognise that certain therapeutic approaches or styles will be more beneficial to some clients than others. Again, we encourage you to use your clinical judgement to determine whether your approach, and level of competence, is right for any given client and the issues they’re bringing to therapy.
If you a feel a client is unsuitable for you we suggest you take time to assess what your options are in that:
- Do you feel you have a good enough sense of the client and their presenting issues?
- Assess if things can be pursued with the client.
- Is the client out of your professional or personal competency?
- Have you spoken in supervision about the client?
If you think you’re not the most appropriate person to see the client, but you deem them suitable for Unmind Talk more generally, we encourage you to take the following steps:
- Discuss with the client about this in a clear way, keeping in mind ethical considerations ensuring the therapeutic relationship aligns with professional standards.
- If appropriate, explain why they are not suitable for you.
- Give the client some guidance on what they might look for in choosing another practitioner (e.g. if you think a specific therapeutic modality would be helpful).
- Support them with a transition where necessary and appropriate.
- Get in touch if you would like us to support them to find a therapist to meet their needs.
- Cancel sessions on the Unmind platform.
Booking subsequent appointments
At the end of the assessment session, you may wish to encourage the client to reflect on whether they’d like to continue to work with you. We encourage clients to “shop around” and try more than one practitioner, therefore it might be that they want to meet some other practitioners before they make a decision on who to work with.
If they wish to see you again, they can either (i) make a booking request via the Unmind Talk platform (if you have open availability in your calendar) or (ii) email you directly. If it’s clear at the assessment session that the client wants to continue to work with you, it can be more efficient to book your next session while you are still on a call with them.
Note on Risk
If you are concerned about a client’s safety, we strongly advise you to refer to our policy on Risk and Safeguarding. Your approach must include a thorough risk assessment, making a safety plan and ensuring the client has access to crisis services. You may also wish to contact an emergency contact on behalf of the client.
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