What to Expect
Not knowing what happens in a first session keeps a lot of people from booking one. So here it is, from the first phone call through to what the work looks like once it is underway.
The first call
Before anything is booked, there is a free phone consultation of about fifteen minutes. You tell me roughly what is going on and what you are hoping for, and I tell you honestly whether it sounds like something I can help with.
If I am not the right fit, I will say so on that call and point you toward someone who is likely to be better placed. That is a genuinely useful outcome, and it costs you nothing.
Before the first session
You will get intake paperwork to complete beforehand: some history, what brings you in, consent forms, and the practice policies including privacy and cancellation. Filling it in ahead of time means the first session is spent talking rather than form-filling.
The first session
The first session runs about an hour. Mostly I want to hear what brought you here, in your own order and at your own pace. I will ask questions, some of them about how things are for you right now rather than only about the history.
You are not obliged to arrive with your situation neatly summarised. Not knowing quite how to describe the problem is a normal place to start, and often the first thing worth looking at together.
Near the end we will talk about whether to continue, and if so, roughly how often. Nothing is decided for you.
After that
Most people come weekly at first. That is a starting point, not a rule, and it is something we revisit rather than something you commit to indefinitely.
Sessions are a conversation, more attentive than most. I will sometimes slow us down to look at something happening in the moment, and I may suggest an experiment — saying a thing out loud, or speaking to someone as though they were in the room. These are invitations. You can decline any of them and the work carries on.
There is no homework and no worksheets, though people often notice the work continuing between sessions on its own.
How long people stay
It varies more than anyone likes to admit. Some people come for a few months around a specific difficulty; others stay considerably longer because the work opens out.
I would rather talk with you honestly about whether the work is doing anything than have you keep booking out of habit. If it is not helping, that is worth saying out loud, and you should feel free to be the one who says it.
Scheduling
I see people most weekdays and I keep evening appointments, which tends to matter for anyone fitting sessions around work.
You can request a consultation through this site, or book directly through Zocdoc.
