After The Intake Assessment

I wish I had known that as relieved as I felt that my daughter was finally getting a thorough intake assessment, I had no idea for how draining and painful it would be for her for a few days.

Imagine taking 2-3 hours focusing on your worse enemy. How much you hate her. How much she has ruined your life. How she wants you dead and actively pursues your destruction. Hours and hours of listing every way she has created an obstacle to ruin your life.

Thanks so much for playing, now go live life and I’ll get back to you in a few days.

And then you’re left a hurting mass of pain that feels simply miserable.

If you are starting treatment soon or getting an assessment for a new program, you might feel overwhelmed at the intake interview – my daughter was. Two hours of questions for her eating disorder assessment. Even while given by a caring and compassionate counselor, my daughter was not prepared to feel as bad as she did for the next day or so.

Facing the reality of how badly she felt about herself, her body and her eating was a rude awakening – even though it was a necessary one. Just a gentle reminder for those in recovery and caregivers that the initial intake may be tough to recover from.

Be prepared. Lower your expectations of yourself or your loved one. Provide or ask for additional support. Try not to be alone or isolated.

Beginning this stage of the journey is painful, but I do believe that there is hope.