Admissions Process

Walden’s admissions process begins with an intake of information over the telephone, or alternatively, you can fill out your information and submit it to us using our online intake form.

The intake coordinator will collect demographic, insurance and clinical information. This includes past medical and psychiatric histories, current treatment and medications, previous treatments, family history, support systems and important telephone numbers, including emergency contact and outpatient providers. The more information you or your family member share during the intake process, the clearer the assessment of your needs will be. You should expect the call to last about 15 minutes.

After the initial intake assessment, the admissions staff will schedule a clinical evaluation with a Walden clinician for you or your family member at the Walden clinic closest to you. We ask that you bring your insurance card as well as a license or another acceptable form of identification to your evaluation.

In most situations, you will be required to have laboratory tests no sooner than 24 hours before arriving at Walden for your clinical evaluation. The admissions team will let you know where to fax the test results. In some cases, we may also request that you obtain medical clearance from either your primary care physician or local emergency room to ensure that your medical conditions are resolved before arriving at Walden for your clinical evaluation.

A referral from your provider is not required. However, we will maintain communication with outpatient providers during the admission process and throughout your stay at Walden.

Clinical Evaluation

The clinical evaluation process typically takes 60 to 90 minutes. However, the entire process may take as long as five hours, depending on how quickly we receive lab results and a response from your insurance company.

• Initial review of all intake information.
• A level of care assessment with a therapist or nurse.
• A psychiatric assessment.
• An in-depth review of clinical information, including laboratory results and the clinical evaluation.

Based on the results, a recommendation will be made as to the appropriate treatment program you or your family member should enter. After the recommendation has been made, the admission’s clinician will call the insurance company for approval of the recommended treatment. The clinician will also advise family members of the team’s recommendation and the status of the insurance approval.