psychologist appt tomorrow

I have my appointment with my psychologist tomorrow.  I am seeing her before I see Dr.Cahill, what should I expect from this?  What is normally talked  about in the sessions?

My psych eval was basically just a rubber stamp.  The psychologist even said, "I don't know why these are even required anymore for weight loss surgery."  

But I get the feeling that my experience with this might be atypical :P

The primary focus is ensuring you understand what the surgery and lifetime commitment to WLS entails. My doctor also inquired as to my support system--would family and friends be supportive and/or did I have an alternative support network in place.

Mine and my husband's were multiple visits. I am going to assume yours is not just a one stop appointment.

We had a joint interview talking through our relationship, how we felt we would be able to make it through without the support of the other if there was a change of heart/relationship post-op and what our general support system was like. Our assumptions, beliefs and general approach to how we felt our lives would be different and the changes we were going to have to undertake to be successful. 

Then I had a solo appt (and my husband had one for his as well) and then I had a very long visit to take two computer based tests, then I returned to talk through my responses and hear the feedback from the psychologist and then a final one after getting my authorization and mapping out a support plan and talking about the specifics of my first 45 days post-op. 

I have continued to see my therapist every 2 to 3 weeks to deal with a lifetime of habits, issues, hurts and unresolved issues.  I am thankful to have found a therapist with which I can actively work, even if she is over an hour away. I am worth the drive and the time!

I do the psych evals sometimes as part of my work, and I don't rubber stamp, but it's not pass fail, and you don't have to jump through hoops.

The psychological  evaluation is primarily to evaluate your ability to handle weight loss surgery and the requirements of diet and exercise ha*****ange that will come after. It is major permanent surgery, and the evaluation will help determine your readiness for those changes. It also evaluates for preexisting conditions such as depression, anxiety, or other forms of mental illness that might impact your ability to respond well to the surgery and manage those changes which are essential for short term as well as long term success. In addition pre-existing mental health issues can effect the risk of complications.  

Many surgeons have gotten stricter about the mental health requirements for surgical workup than they used to be because so many people have had difficulty managing the requirements post-op. My surgeon has- the eval I got was a rubber stamp, but he wants something more thorough now.  

Be as honest as you can, because that will be better for you in the long run.

It was not as "painful" as I thought it was going to be.  Quick 20 minute session and I got the all clear.

mine was about an hour and half session with lots of questions about my past, and my support system. Then I had 3-4hrs or personality testing about a week later. I passed though.. the questions were very repetitive, they asked the same thing over and over and over just worded it differently. Good luck!

I had one psych appointment and it went well - I thought I was all set.  Just got a call from the Weight Center -- I'm going to an Informational Meeting tomorrow and they said I have to see psych again.  Caught me off guard.  First appt. was a breeze - but personally I don't like people probing my mind (might find some of my loose marbles!).  But it must be done.  

My insurance requires one psych eval but my surgeon required two because i have bipolar disorder.  Both evals took 60 to 90 min and consisted of IQ testing, personality testing and discussion of my goals.  The purpose of the evals was to make sure my mental health was stable and that I had a realistic idea of what WLS could do for me. The surgeon just wanted to make sure I was mentally ready for the enormous changes that WLS would bring.  There was no rubber stamping in either eval. Both psychologists took their responsibility very seriously.