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Pre-surgical Psychological Evaluation for Weight Loss Surgery

Undergoing bariatric surgery requires a pre-surgical psychological evaluation. This assessment is vital for identifying potential challenges and risk factors impacting your weight loss and overall health. It also ensures that you are well-informed and emotionally ready for the surgery and the significant lifestyle changes. Many insurance providers require this evaluation before approving coverage for weight loss surgery.

All evaluations are conducted via TeleHealth for your convenience and flexibility.

The Evaluation Process

The evaluation consists of three main components:

  1. Initial Clinical Interview:

    • Dr. Meyers will conduct this interview, which usually lasts 90 minutes, divided into two sessions (60 minutes for the first session and 30 minutes for the second). During this time, Dr. Meyers will gather information about your medical history, mental health background, substance use, and previous weight management efforts.
  2. Questionnaires and Self-Assessment Tools:

    • You will be asked to complete several questionnaires and self-assessment tools, typically taking about 2 hours. These tools are designed to collect comprehensive information about your attitudes, behaviors, and emotions. The data from these assessments, combined with insights from the clinical interview, will be used to create a detailed report.
  3. Follow-Up Session:

    • You will have a follow-up session with Dr. Meyers one week after completing the evaluation. During this 30-minute meeting, Dr. Meyers will discuss the results and provide clinical recommendations. The final report will then be sent to your physician and bariatric team.

What to Expect from the Results and Recommendations

The assessment will highlight your strengths, pinpoint areas that need attention, and identify factors that will help optimize your long-term weight loss success. The recommendations for psychological clearance typically fall into four categories:

  1. Fully Cleared for Surgery: No additional mental health services are required.
  2. Conditionally Cleared for Surgery: Surgery is recommended, but ongoing psychological support will be necessary before and after the procedure due to moderately controlled mental health issues or behavioral problems.
  3. Surgery Deferred: Surgery is postponed until the patient shows improvement in areas such as poorly controlled mental health issues, severe eating disorders, or behavioral challenges through continuous psychological treatment.
  4. Not Cleared for Surgery: Surgery is not recommended due to severe issues like active psychosis, significant substance use problems, or a history of multiple suicide attempts.
How can Therapy Help me?

A number of benefits are available from participating in therapy. Therapists can provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship troubles, unresolved childhood issues, grief, stress management, body image issues and creative blocks. Many people also find that counselors can be a tremendous asset to managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, marriage issues, and the hassles of daily life. Therapists can provide a fresh perspective on a difficult problem or point you in the direction of a solution. The benefits you obtain from therapy depend on how well you use the process and put into practice what you learn. Some of the benefits available from therapy include:

  • Attaining a better understanding of yourself, your goals and values
  • Developing skills for improving your relationships
  • Finding resolution to the issues or concerns that led you to seek therapy
  • Learning new ways to cope with stress and anxiety
  • Managing anger, grief, depression, and other emotional pressures
  • Improving communications and listening skills
  • Changing old behavior patterns and developing new ones
  • Discovering new ways to solve problems in your family or marriage
  • Improving your self-esteem and boosting self-confidence
Do I really need therapy? I can usually handle my problems.

Everyone goes through challenging situations in life, and while you may have successfully navigated through other difficulties you've faced, there's nothing wrong with seeking out extra support when you need it. In fact, therapy is for people who have enough self-awareness to realize they need a helping hand, and that is something to be admired. You are taking responsibility by accepting where you're at in life and making a commitment to change the situation by seeking therapy. Therapy provides long-lasting benefits and support, giving you the tools you need to avoid triggers, re-direct damaging patterns, and overcome whatever challenges you face.

Why do people go to therapy and how do I know if it is right for me?

People have many different motivations for coming to psychotherapy. Some may be going through a major life transition (unemployment, divorce, new job, etc.), or are not handling stressful circumstances well. Some people need assistance managing a range of other issues such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, addictions, relationship problems, spiritual conflicts and creative blocks. Therapy can help provide some much needed encouragement and help with skills to get them through these periods. Others may be at a point where they are ready to learn more about themselves or want to be more effective with their goals in life. In short, people seeking psychotherapy are ready to meet the challenges in their lives and ready to make changes in their lives.

What is Therapy like?

Because each person has different issues and goals for therapy, therapy will be different depending on the individual. In general, you can expect to discuss the current events happening in your life, your personal history relevant to your issue, and report progress (or any new insights gained) from the previous therapy session. Depending on your specific needs, therapy can be short-term, for a specific issue, or longer-term, to deal with more difficult patterns or your desire for more personal development. Either way, it is most common to schedule regular sessions with your therapist (usually weekly).

It is important to understand that you will get more results from therapy if you actively participate in the process. The ultimate purpose of therapy is to help you bring what you learn in session back into your life. Therefore, beyond the work you do in therapy sessions, your therapist may suggest some things you can do outside of therapy to support your process - such as reading a pertinent book, journaling on specific topics, noting particular behaviors or taking action on your goals. People seeking psychotherapy are ready to make positive changes in their lives, are open to new perspectives and take responsibility for their lives.

What about medication vs. psychotherapy?

It is well established that the long-term solution to mental and emotional problems and the pain they cause cannot be solved solely by medication. Instead of just treating the symptom, therapy addresses the cause of our distress and the behavior patterns that curb our progress. You can best achieve sustainable growth and a greater sense of well-being with an integrative approach to wellness. Working with your medical doctor you can determine what's best for you, and in some cases a combination of medication and therapy is the right course of action.

Do you take insurance, and how does that work?

To determine if you have mental health coverage through your insurance carrier, the first thing you should do is call them. Check your coverage carefully and make sure you understand their answers. Some helpful questions you can ask them:

  • What are my mental health benefits?
  • What is the coverage amount per therapy session?
  • How many therapy sessions does my plan cover?
  • How much does my insurance pay for an out-of-network provider?
  • Is approval required from my primary care physician?


Confidentiality is one of the most important components between a client and psychotherapist. Successful therapy requires a high degree of trust with highly sensitive subject matter that is usually not discussed anywhere but the therapist's office. Every therapist should provide a written copy of their confidential disclosure agreement, and you can expect that what you discuss in session will not be shared with anyone. This is called “Informed Consent”. Sometimes, however, you may want your therapist to share information or give an update to someone on your healthcare team (your Physician, Naturopath, Attorney), but by law your therapist cannot release this information without obtaining your written permission.

However, state law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations:

* Suspected past or present abuse or neglect of children, adults, and elders requires therapists to report to the authorities, including Child Protection and law enforcement, based on information provided by the client or collateral sources.

* If the therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming him/herself or has threatened to harm another person.

Schedule an Appointment

You're going in for weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery), and as part of the process, you'll be meeting with me, a mental health professional, for an evaluation. Don't worry, this isn't a test with a pass or fail grade. It's more like a pre-surgery chat to ensure you're on the right track for success. We'll discuss your mental well-being and identify any challenges that might impact your weight loss journey after surgery. I'll also make sure you understand what to expect and are emotionally prepared for the significant changes coming your way.