Dr. Lori Golden has helped thousands of Dallas and Fort Worth area weight loss surgery patients. Dr. Golden's Dallas/Fort Worth area  practice is committed to helping you achieve, and maintain, a healthier lifestyle. As many patients who have had weight loss surgery will tell you, a surgical procedure alone does not guarantee successful weight loss and maintenance. A successful outcome requires significant behavior change on the part of the patient. There are many psychological, emotional, environmental, and social factors that can undermine successful change. Having knowledge of and tools to cope with your particular challenges can go a long way toward helping you achieve your goals. Bariatric surgery experts agree that a comprehensive approach, involving guidance and support from professionals in nutrition, mental health and behavior change, exercise physiology, and support groups, along with surgery, is the best approach. Dr. Lori Golden helps morbidly obese patients prepare for surgery with a pre-operative psychological evaluation and helps people achieve the appropriate behavioral changes necessary for success. 

Services Offered

Pre-Surgical Psychological Evaluations

Dr. Lori Golden has performed over 3,000 pre-surgical psychological evaluations for persons pursuing weight loss surgery. Dr. Golden specializes in assessing and treating bariatric surgery patients. Many insurance companies and surgeons require a psychological evaluation prior to surgery to ensure your readiness to proceed. While "psychological evaluation" can sound scary, Dr. Golden is there to be your ally in preparing for weight loss surgery. The evaluation will identify potential barriers to success and maximize your likelihood for a smooth transition through education and recommendations suited to meet your needs. When you visit our Dallas/Fort Worth area practice, you will find a compassionate and supportive professional who truly understands your struggle with weight. Dr. Golden has helped many people obtain access to life-saving bariatric surgery procedures and can help you, too.

Post Surgical Psychological Support

As you know, having weight loss surgery is a life-changing experience. Any change, even change for the better, can be stressful. Many individuals choose to work with a psychologist to help with adjustment and behavioral change. The following are some of the benefits of working with a bariatric, weight loss psychologist:

• Learn Behavior Modification Techniques
• Increase Healthy Coping Skills
• Decrease Depression and Anxiety
• Manage Relationships Effectively
• Reduce Stress
• Control Emotional Eating
• Learn to Self-Monitor
• Change Self-Defeating Thoughts
• Maintain Weight Loss
• Learn to Set Appropriate Limits to Achieve a Balanced Life 

All of the above are very important for successful weight management.

Psychological Therapy 

In addition to Dr. Golden's extensive experience with the specific issues bariatric surgery patients face, she is also experienced in treating many mental health problems, such as Major Depressive Disorder, anxiety disorders like Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety, eating disorders like Binge Eating Disorder and Bulimia Nervosa, life transitions such as divorce, and other problems that can be disruptive or interfere with life satisfaction. Nearly 50 million Americans suffer from emotional problems. Emotional distress can make it difficult to implement lifestyle changes effectively. Untreated psychological problems can make you feel overwhelmed and more likely to resort to familiar old coping patterns, like using food and eating for comfort. A study conducted by Consumer Reports found that 90% of psychotherapy participants reported improvement. In other words, therapy helps! While there are many psychotherapy approaches available, the course of therapy with Dr. Golden depends on your particular needs and goals. Some are interested in short term work for a very specific problem and find relief with just a couple of sessions, others are interested in exploring more complicated issues affecting their functioning, such as long-standing relationship problems or a difficult childhood. Whatever the issue, therapy with Dr. Golden will help you identify goals, better understand why you are behaving and feeling as you are, and learn practical and concrete tools to adapt and change. 

Education & Prevention

An informed decision to have bariatric or weight loss surgery must include a thorough understanding of its potential impact on your life. Your bariatric surgeon will inform you about its impact on your body, including improvement or cure of many obesity related medical conditions. But did you know that having weight loss surgery also often impacts your relationships, your self-image, and your awareness of problems underlying overeating in significant ways? Many people find that when they can no longer overeat (after surgery) as they used to, many of the problems and issues that they were covering up or "stuffing" with food can surface in unexpected ways. Dr. Golden will educate you about common experiences, both positive and negative, following weight loss surgery to better prepare you and help you make an informed choice. Your medical history, your current health, your expectations for surgery, your support system, your psychological strengths and vulnerabilities, and your motivations for electing to have weight loss surgery should be understood to help prevent unanticipated consequences following surgery. 

High Standards 

You can feel confident knowing that Dr. Lori Golden is a highly trained and skilled clinician. Clinical psychologists like Dr. Golden graduate from college, attend four to five years of graduate school in psychology, complete a comprehensive research project (dissertation) in their field, complete an internship (approximately 2,000 hours), one year of postdoctoral supervised training (an additional 2,000 hours) and pass national and state examinations to be licensed as a psychologist. These rigorous training requirements are important to prepare psychologists to properly assess and treat the complex problems people have. To give you the best possible service and results, Dr. Golden is committed to continual education and participation in professional organizations, attending bariatric surgery lectures, meetings, and related conventions to stay informed about new techniques and research. As an expert in the field, Dr. Golden has presented at some of these conferences to help educate other professionals. 

A Positive Experience

We understand how uneasy some patients may feel about consulting with or being evaluated by a psychologist, or about bariatric surgery itself. Dr. Golden strives to ease anxiety by creating a relaxed and positive experience. Our Dallas area facilities are equipped to properly handle the special needs of bariatric surgery patients. Our entire team is dedicated to providing you with the excellent, personalized care and service you need to make your visits as comfortable and pleasant as possible.

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your weight loss journey. We look forward to helping you live a better life!

Make an appointment today by contacting our Dallas/ Fort Worth area office at 214.228.0796 and experience the life changing effects of weight loss surgery!

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