Does a psychologist accompany one to a visit with a psychiatrist?

Question

If you are in therapy with a psychologist and meds are required does the psychologist usually just refer you to a psychiatrist and not go along with you to the meeting? So that the patient goes alone to the meeting.
Instead of being there together with the patient when consulting the psychiatrist for meds.

Is this common practise? Why?

Answer 1

When I first began my practice in mental health, we accompanied our clients in to see the psychiatrist simply as a way of "babying" our clients and looking "politically correct" or "professionally correct", and maybe answering a question or two the psychiatrist might have about our assessment. Then, over time, we began realizing that if we developed a form to present to the psychiatrist prior to him seeing the client, that addressed the significant factors the psychiatrist wanted to know about, that we needn't accompany our client to the psychiatrist. That saved professionals' time, reduced the cost of providing the service, and allowed the patient / client to have yet another confidential session with a mental health professional instead of their getting the feeling that they were the minority in a room where everyone was talking about them and not to them. It really depends on what the particular professionals choose to do as to whether it is "common practice" or not. God Bless you.

Answer 2

The psychologist will send a referring letter to the psychiatrist.
OR, the psychiatrist can request a copy of their findings.

The psychologist finds out the why of your behaviour, and the psychiatrist is a medical doctor who treats emotional illnesses, which is why the psychiatrist is the only one who can prescribe medication.

Answer 3

They will refer you but they can also come along especially if they are in the same office.