PSYCHIATRY PATIENTS
Prior to being our patient:
After referral is accepted:
WHAT DO WE OFFER?
We are a private practice and niche psychiatry clinic in Halifax, NS. What makes us unique is that unlike the public mental health system, our clinic focuses on specific populations and specializes in a single-session consultation model and only offers group therapy follow up when clinically indicated. A detailed report will be sent to your referring physician or Nurse Practitioner including any diagnoses and a comprehensive treatment plan. We triage all referrals within 2 weeks of being received and a letter is sent to the referring clinician regarding next steps, so if you are unsure of the status of your referral you may wish to follow up with them within that time frame.
This approach allows Dr. E. A. Wilson to maximize the support provided to Family Physicians and Nurse Practitioners for their patients, as well as maximize the number of people they are able to follow when clinically indicated.
Services are covered by your Canadian Provincial Health Plan, as long as your healthcard is up-to-date and valid. For Nova Scotia Residents, this is MSI. Provincial health plans do not cover no-show/late fees. Canadian Inter-Provincial Agreement: If you are a Canadian citizen, physically located in Nova Scotia for work or school, but not a Nova Scotia resident- we can accept your Canadian provincial health card so long as it is up-to-date and valid.
Patients whose referrals have been accepted and wish to be seen more promptly may request to be placed on our cancellation list if they are available on short notice.
HOW DO I GET TO SEE A PSYCHIATRIST?
In NS, you must be referred by your Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner to be seen by any specialist, including psychiatrists. We are a specialty clinic, so only referrals that fall within our patient criteria are provided with an appointment. If you do not have a Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner, you may be referred by a walk-in doctor. The referring clinician is responsible for follow up and implementation of the recommendations made.
If you have previously been assessed by our psychiatrists and wish to be re-assessed but have not been seen in over 1 year, you must be re-referred as per MSI guidelines. If you wish to be re-referred, please contact your physician to discuss your suitability and the appropriate procedures.
WHO IS SEEN AT INSPIRED LIVING MEDICAL?
At Inspired living medical WE DO ASSESS ADULTS (18 yo +) with suspected or diagnosed:
-
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
-
Persistent Depression (PDD)
-
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
-
Panic Disorder, +/- Agoraphobia (PD)
-
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
-
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
-
Social Phobia (SP)
-
Substance Use Disorder (SUD; mild- moderate)
-
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
-
Eating Disorders, mild to moderate
-
Health Anxiety
-
Somatoform Disorders
-
Sleep Disorders
-
Sexual Dysfunction
-
Diagnostic clarification re: suspected Personality Disorders up to moderate impairment
-
Diagnostic clarification re: suspected Bipolar illness
WHO IS NOT SEEN AT INSPIRED LIVING MEDICAL?
As we are a small and specialized clinic in the community, we are not equipped to deal with certain mental health challenges. In such cases the individual is better served by the public health system and their multi-disciplinary teams as well as their availability for crisis management services.
As a result WE DO NOT ASSESS individuals diagnosed with or presenting with symptoms suggestive of the following:
-
Children and youth (17 yo and under)
-
Personality Disorder, moderate to severe impairment
-
Substance Use Disorder, severe
-
Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI)
-
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
-
Bipolar Disorder (BD) ; we can provide diagnostic clarification if BD is in question, however we do not see already diagnosed BD to provide management recommendations)
-
Psychosis (including suspected psychosis)
-
Neurocognitive Disorders (ie., dementia)
-
Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ie. Intellectual Disability)
-
History of violence or significant volatility
These populations require a team approach and acute care resources for optimal and safe care which is out of the scope of our practice.
HOW LONG IS THE WAIT TIME?
New referrals as of September 1, 2023 will have approximately a 9 month wait from the date of referral.
Older referrals are approximately 12 months from the date of referral.
- Please note that Dr. E. A. Wilson's wait times are updated monthly.
WHAT CAN I DO IF I CANNOT GET AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE DR. E. A. WILSON ?
Referrals are triaged based on the information provided and our office will contact you to schedule an appointment. If you do not fall within our patient criteria or if there is a conflict of interest, a letter will be sent to the referring clinician to inform them asap so alternative arrangements can be made.
You may wish to chose from our list of RECOMMENDED THERAPISTS.
You may choose to use our internet-based resources including FREE WORKSHEETS.
Many people have found our HEALTH LINKS to be a valuable resource.
Alternatively, you may also self refer to the public mental health system:
Community Mental Health & Addictions Intake: 1-855-922-1122 or visit https://mha.nshealth.ca/en
Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team: 902-429-8167
Unfortunately we do not know of any other private Psychiatrists currently accepting new patients.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT ?
As noted above, in order to provide as much support as possible to community clinicians, Dr. E. Adriana Wilson follows predominantly a one-session consultation model and only offers group therapy follow up when clinically indicated. The reports are quite comprehensive and recommendations for individual therapy as well as medication management are provided.
We currently provide services both electronically and in-person. For individuals interested in electronic service provision (Zoom for healthcare or telephone) and/or who would like to correspond with the clinic via digital means (ie. email ), we ask that you review the risks and limitations of electronic service provision or communication by pressing here:
WHAT SHOULD I KNOW BEFORE MY APPOINTMENT?
-
You must provide your valid Nova Scotia Health card upon arrival. If we can not validate your coverage, you will have to pay out of pocket for your services.
-
You will be asked to present a piece of photo ID if it is your first assessment or asked to confirm your identity using personal information.
-
We require 2 business days notice should you need to reschedule your appointment, otherwise there is a late-cancellation/no-show fee of $240 (please see below for more details).
-
If you have a virtual appointment:
-
You MUST be physically located in Nova Scotia during the time of your virtual appointment.
-
Please watch this brief video BEFORE your appointment to know what to expect and learn about Telemedicine.
-
There is a CHARGE for LATE CANCELLATIONS, NO-SHOWS and LATE ARRIVALS. Our clinic offers appointment confirmation requests as a courtesy and reminder of the cancellation policy. It is the patient's responsibility to directly contact our clinic by telephone or email (or respond accordingly to the confirmation request), with 2+ business days notice to avoid late cancellation fees.
For more details about these fees, please see our page about CLINIC POLICIES.
We are committed to providing quality care to those who are ready to receive it. Therefore, if a patient confirms but does not attend (no-shows) on 3 occasions, they will be discharged back to their Family Physician at the time of their third missed appointment, even if their fees have been settled.
WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS FOR FOLLOW UP?
You will follow up with your referring physician to follow through on your treatment plan outlined in the report from our doctors. The reports are quite comprehensive and recommendations for individual therapy as well as medication management are provided.
You may also choose to self-refer to our psychologist Dr. Ryan Wilson who provides individual follow up, covered by extended health care insurance plans. He specializes in late teens and adults with physical manifestations of stress, as well as mood and anxiety disorders and also offers couples and family counselling services. He also offers walking appointments for those who wish to combine physical activity and therapy. Please see Psychology Services for more information or our list of RECOMMENDED THERAPISTS.
As exercise is a first-line, evidence-based recommendation in the management of most mental illnesses, we strongly recommend you start there. If it seems daunting or you need some extra help, we recommend a personal trainer in a small and personalized setting. You may also consider nutrition consultation services with a Registered Dietician and/ or yoga classes.
REQUIRED FORMS FOR NEW PATIENTS
Dr. E. Adriana Wilson: INTAKE form below
WHY DOES DR. WILSON HAVE AN INTAKE FORM?
Dr. Wilson requires an INTAKE form be completed in order to allow patients to maximize the benefit of their appointment time. As psychiatry assessments can be quite stressful, the INTAKE form often helps people provide more accurate histories and allows patients to provide more details than they are able to on the spot. It also allows for loved ones to provide input under the ADDITIONAL COMMENTS section and affords patients' time to clarify what past medication trials they have had, which impacts the treatment recommendations.
Although it may look long, the majority of it is checking boxes. If it seems overwhelming to do, we recommend you do a page or portion of a page per day to make it feel more manageable. If you require an extension on getting it in or there are issues with completing it, please contact our office and we are happy to accommodate you or assist you in problem solving.
Appointments for Dr. Wilson are only scheduled once the INTAKE is received, consequently, if you wish to be added to the cancellation list once you have been accepted, we recommend you complete the form below and return it to our office asap.