Worksheet 1: the first-conversation brief
Use a single page to make the opening conversation easier to follow. Write the person’s name only in the private copy you keep, not in a public website submission.
- The question we need help answering:
- The person’s own goals and preferences:
- The concern we want to describe:
- The professionals already involved, if any:
- The records the provider has asked us to bring:
- Questions about method, experience, availability and cost:
- The supporters the person wants included:
- The next step agreed during the conversation:
NIMH’s provider-question guidance is the source for the experience, method, duration, insurance and cost prompts. The structure of this brief is an editorial planning tool.
Worksheet 2: the next-step log
After each call or appointment, record the task, its owner, the due date agreed by the people involved and the evidence that it is complete. Use actual commitments; do not turn every unanswered question into someone else’s assignment.
- Task or decision:
- Person who accepted responsibility:
- What is needed to complete it:
- Date agreed:
- Completion evidence:
- Next conversation, if one was scheduled:
A source library worth keeping
NIMH’s help page explains routes to a professional and questions about fit. SAMHSA’s quality-treatment guide provides program comparison prompts. SAMHSA’s family navigation publication takes a broader view of the roles families may play across care.
Keep these worksheets with your own records. They are intended for preparation and communication, not as a public case file or a substitute for a professional evaluation.
A directory to support your questions
Private Health Trust’s private case-manager directory offers another starting point for identifying published service descriptions. Use the appointment and comparison worksheets above to confirm each provider’s current scope, fees, availability and relationship to the family.
These are related websites in Robert Tredinnick’s business network. Their inclusion is disclosed here so readers can distinguish a related publication from an independent source.