What To Expect

~ The Intake Process ~

When calling, the Office Manager will need the following information about your case:

Name, address, phone number, and date of birth
Type of evaluation
The referral question to be answered (e.g., can this person live independently, can this person effectively parent)
Pertinent information regarding the case, (e.g., alleged crimes, client’s location (Jail, Foster Care, Juvenile Center, adult foster care home, out of home, etc.,)
Scheduling considerations

The office manager will mail a post card to the client with the date, time, address, & directions to the specific appointment agreed upon, plus a gentle reminder call the day prior to meeting. Should the client not show up to the appointment, the office manager will call and/or e-mail the party who set up the appointment originally. Clients that no-show three times will not be allowed to reschedule.

Very few people come to see Dr. Kitchen voluntarily. They are most often referred by some third-party agency such as a court, protective service agency, or other agent. Because of this, people are often coming to see Dr. Kitchen during the worst or most stressful part of their life. They have parenting, substance use, independent living, or overall distress issues that have led to the imposition of some other party into their life. Dr. Kitchen and the office manager are very much aware of the vulnerable situation and circumstances that lead to a person coming to be evaluated by Dr. Kitchen. Therefore, we make every effort to treat every client with dignity, respect, and concern. No judgment is made regarding the reason why a person is referred for evaluation. Dr. Kitchen seeks to provide the most professional and respectful information to the court or other agency in order to maximize the resolution of the issue that led to the initial referral.

First Contact:

Either the referring agency will ask you to call our office and arrange an appointment or we will be given your phone number and asked to contact you. During the first contact, the office manager will ask basic questions such as name, date of birth, reason for referral, and type of evaluation requested. In some cases, this will have already been discussed between the office manager and the referring party prior to first contact and you will be just confirming. The office manager will then work with you to arrange the most appropriate and convenient appointment time.

Second Contact:

Please try to arrive at your appointment up to 15 minutes early because there is some paperwork to be completed. You will be asked to sign an informed consent to the evaluation as well as asked to fill out some demographic information such as name, address, birth date, and telephone number. Once the paperwork is completed, Dr. Kitchen will ideally begin the evaluation process for the clinical interview so that you can get to know him and he can get to know you. Occasionally, due to scheduling issues, you may be asked to begin the process with paper pencil style testing. Should that occur, you will be given instructions on how to complete the tests.

The evaluation lasts between 30 minutes to 3.5 hours depending upon the type of evaluation requested. You will be informed prior to the evaluation approximately how long you may be there.

Reports are generally available 7-10 business days after the completed evaluation. Evaluations are emailed and sent by US Postal Service. From time to time rush evaluations can be accommodated, but the ability to accommodate should not be assumed and there may be an added cost for an expedited evaluation.