Bariatric Surgery

Our licensed mental health clinicians serve important roles throughout the entire span of the pre-and-postsurgical process.

All surgical candidates are required by our program to participate in a psychosocial evaluation prior to surgical approval.

Presurgical Psychosocial Evaluation

Psychosocial factors can affect the long-term outcomes of bariatric surgery including emotional adjustment, compliance with surgical recommendations and weight loss outcomes. The purpose of the presurgical psychosocial evaluation is to identify factors that may pose challenges to optimal surgical outcomes.

The psychosocial evaluation provides an opportunity for each patient to establish a relationship with their evaluator: who serves as an ongoing resource and plays an integral part of postoperative care.

Appointments are scheduled in sixty-minute increments. A licensed mental health clinician will collect information about a variety of topics including: weight history, psychosocial history, and health-related behaviors. As a result of the evaluation, the evaluator will provide recommendations to the bariatric team on a patient’s readiness for surgery from a mental health standpoint.

Therapy

Psychotherapy may be recommended before or after surgery, or may be initiated by the patient at any point throughout the surgical process. Our licensed mental health clinician will work closely with the bariatric team to create and implement a unique treatment plan to best suit the patient’s needs and promote optimal patient outcomes.

Common areas of focus include: resolving emotional/barriers to weight management, preparing for bariatric surgery, establishing healthy patterns of eating, increasing motivation, accountability, overcoming challenges to exercise, adjusting to changes after bariatric surgery, and fostering long-term change.