Internal Mental Health Consultation Service

The Internal Mental Health Consultant is a psychologist, social worker or psychiatric nurse practitioner specially trained to work as a member of your Patient Centered Medical Home team. Because you will be seen by the IMHC within the primary care clinic, you can expect your IMHC to have a close working relationship with your primary medical provider.

Your appointment should last no longer than about 30 minutes. You will be asked specific questions about your physical symptoms, the emotional concerns you are experiencing, your behaviors, and how all of these might be related. Your IMHC will share with you brief, solution-focused skills and techniques that might help you feel better.

The IMHC does not provide traditional psychotherapy, it simply adds another facet to your complete healthcare within your PCMH team. If you request it, or the IMHC thinks you would benefit from it, he or she will work with your provider to enter a referral to specialty mental health services for you. Another difference from specialty mental health care is that your IMHC will document the assessment and recommendations in your outpatient medical record. He or she will not document in a separate mental health record.

Your IMHC will make every effort to protect your privacy and confidentiality, consistent with military and federal regulations. However, your IMHC will share your information with your PCM and other members of your healthcare team. Additionally, like all providers, they must report information from any active duty patient that could have a negative impact on our mission.

Your Primary Care Manager is in charge of your healthcare. The IMHC's main job is to help create the best integrated healthcare plan for you!