What to expect during a Brookhaven intake assessment

Best first step: Bring your medication list, recent discharge instructions, referral details, insurance information, and the name of any support person you want involved.

• The intake assessment is used to understand your needs and route you to the right Brookhaven service.
• You may be asked about symptoms, safety, medications, substance use, medical history, prior care, and current support.
• The assessor may ask direct safety questions. These are routine and help determine the safest next step.
• A support person can help when you allow it, but Brookhaven may still need to speak with you directly.
• The assessment may result in outpatient scheduling, medication review, additional screening, crisis follow-up, referral elsewhere, or higher-level care review.
• Do not wait for intake if you are in immediate danger or cannot stay safe.

Assessment area	Why Brookhaven asks
Current concerns	To understand what brought you to intake and how urgent the concern is.
Symptoms and daily functioning	To understand mood, sleep, anxiety, trauma symptoms, concentration, appetite, work, school, relationships, and daily routines.
Safety needs	To decide whether outpatient scheduling is appropriate or whether faster support is needed.
Medications and substances	To identify medication concerns, side effects, withdrawal risks, interactions, or treatment needs.
Care history	To understand prior therapy, hospital stays, crisis care, diagnoses, referrals, or discharge plans.

• Bring a current medication list or medication bottles if the assessment is in person.
• Bring referral paperwork, discharge instructions, or recent visit summaries if you have them.
• Have insurance or payment information available.
• Write down your main concerns so they are easier to explain.
• Tell Brookhaven if you need an interpreter, mobility support, sensory support, larger print, or another accommodation.
• Tell Brookhaven if you want a support person included.

• You can ask for a question to be repeated or explained.
• You can ask for a short pause if you feel overwhelmed.
• You can say when you do not remember something.
• You can ask what will happen with the information you share.
• You can ask what information may be visible in the portal and what may be restricted.
• You can ask what the next step will be before the assessment ends.

Topic	Examples
Current symptoms	Mood, anxiety, sleep, appetite, energy, panic, trauma symptoms, hallucinations, paranoia, confusion, or distress.
Safety	Thoughts of self-harm, thoughts of harming others, recent attempts, access to weapons or medications, and what helps you stay safe.
Substance use	Alcohol, cannabis, opioids, stimulants, sedatives, withdrawal symptoms, prior treatment, or medication-assisted treatment needs.
Medication history	Current medications, past medications, side effects, missed doses, allergies, and pharmacy information.
Support and care goals	Who helps you, what kind of care you are hoping for, what has helped before, and what you want Brookhaven to know.

Important: Answer as honestly as you can. The goal is to match the next step to your current safety needs, not to punish you for needing help.

• Adult patients generally decide who can participate unless a legal representative is involved.
• Children or dependents may require parent, guardian, or legal representative verification.
• Brookhaven may still need to speak with the patient privately for part of the assessment.
• Some teen, behavioral health, substance-use, or safety-related information may have extra privacy rules.
• Proxy access does not always include every Brookhaven record, message, medication, or intake note.

Possible outcome	What it may mean
Outpatient appointment	You may be scheduled with therapy, psychiatry, medication management, or another outpatient service.
Medication review	A prescriber or medication-management team may review current medications, side effects, or refill needs.
Additional screening	Brookhaven may need more information, forms, records, insurance review, or safety follow-up.
Referral elsewhere	Another service, provider, community program, or level of care may better match the request.
Urgent or higher-level care review	Brookhaven may recommend crisis support, urgent evaluation, emergency care, inpatient evaluation, or another immediate option.

• Confirm whether an appointment is scheduled or still pending.
• Ask who will contact you next and when.
• Ask what number to call if symptoms worsen.
• Ask whether any forms, records, releases, or insurance steps are still needed.
• Ask whether instructions will appear in the portal.
• Ask what to do if you do not hear back by the expected time.

Do not wait for an intake assessment or portal reply if there is immediate danger, thoughts of self-harm, thoughts of harming someone else, possible overdose, severe withdrawal, severe confusion, or you cannot stay safe.

• Use emergency services if there is immediate danger.
• Call or text 988 in the U.S. for mental health, emotional distress, substance-use, or crisis support.
• Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 in the U.S. for possible poisoning, overdose, or medication mistakes.
• Call Brookhaven or your discharge contact if you recently left Brookhaven and the concern is connected to your safety plan.