PSYCHIATRY & PSYCHOLOGY — Visit flow mini‑guide

Psychiatric and psychological encounters require a balance of structure, therapeutic pacing, and clinical clarity. This mini‑guide gives you a simple, predictable visit‑flow you can use for therapy sessions, medication‑management visits, or blended encounters.

The goal is to reduce cognitive load, maintain rapport, and help patients feel grounded throughout the visit.

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What’s inside

This preview includes:

• a predictable visit‑flow structure

• high‑value micro‑skills for therapeutic communication

• a closing script that reduces unnecessary messaging

• a full example showing how the flow works in practice

The full Psychiatry & Psychology module includes advanced scripts, documentation templates, crisis‑communication workflows, and interdisciplinary coordination tools.

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Visit flow structure

• 1. Opening + grounding

  • Brief check‑in

  • Confirm focus for today

  • Identify any urgent concerns

  
  💡PRO TIP:

  • Use a one‑breath agenda: “What’s the most important thing you want to leave with today?”

  • This keeps the session focused and reduces drift. ✔️

• 2. Symptom + functioning snapshot

  • Mood, sleep, energy, appetite

  • Safety check if indicated

  • Impact on daily functioning

  💡 Pro tip

  • Use a micro‑scale to speed up assessment: “On a scale of 1–10, how has your mood been on average this week?”

  • This anchors the conversation and reduces narrative sprawl. ✔️

• 3. Explore the primary concern

  • Clarify the timeline

  • Identify triggers or patterns

  • Explore coping strategies used

  💡 Pro tip

  • Use the one clarifying question rule to prevent over‑probing: “What’s the part of this that feels most important for us to focus on today?”

• 4. Therapeutic work or medication review

  Depending on visit type:

  Therapy visit:

  • Cognitive, behavioral, or insight‑oriented work

  • Skills practice or reframing

  • Reinforce progress and strengths

  Medication‑management visit:

  • Symptom response

  • Side effects

  • Adherence

  • Dose adjustments or monitoring needs

  💡 Pro tip

  • Use one‑sentence reflections to maintain pacing: “What I’m hearing is ____ — does that feel accurate?”

• 5. Plan + next steps

  • Summarize insights or clinical decisions

  • Provide clear next steps

  • Reinforce coping strategies or medication plan

  • Confirm follow‑up timing

  
  💡 Pro tip

  • Use a one‑sentence rationale to improve adherence: “I’m recommending this because it aligns with what you said you want to work on.”

• 6. Closing script

  A consistent closing reduces uncertainty and unnecessary portal messages.

  Script:

  • “Here’s our plan for this week:

  • …..

  • If anything shifts or feels unsafe, please call the clinic. Otherwise, we’ll continue this work at our next visit.”

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Full example

• “Good to see you. What’s the most important thing you want to leave with today?”
  Patient: “My anxiety has been worse.”

• “Got it. Before we dive in, anything urgent you want to make sure we don’t miss?”
  Patient: “No.”

• “On a scale of 1–10, how has your anxiety been this week?”
  Patient: “About a 7.”

• “What’s the part of this that feels most important to focus on today?”
  Patient: “I can’t stop worrying at night.”

• “Here’s what I’m hearing: the nighttime worry spikes are making it hard to settle. Let’s work on a strategy you can use tonight.”

  • (Brief therapeutic work or medication review)

  • “Here’s our plan for this week:

  • Try the nighttime grounding exercise we practiced.

  • Continue your current medication dose.

  • Track sleep and anxiety patterns.

• If anything feels unsafe, call the clinic. Otherwise, we’ll build on this next visit.”

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Next steps

Explore the full Psychiatry & Psychology module for advanced scripts, documentation templates, crisis‑communication workflows, and interdisciplinary coordination tools