What happens in a free discovery call?

A discovery call is a short, free conversation before any commitment. Its only job is to establish whether working together makes sense. It is not a therapy session, and it is not a sales call, though I understand why anyone would be suspicious of a free consultation.

How the time is usually spent

1. 01You describe what has been going on. In whatever order it comes out. No structure required.
2. 02I ask a few questions, mostly to understand the shape of the situation and how long it has been going on.
3. 03I explain how I work — the approach, session length, frequency, fees, confidentiality and its limits.
4. 04You ask me anything. Qualifications, experience with your particular difficulty, what the first few sessions would involve.
5. 05We decide. Either a first session, or a straightforward acknowledgement that I am not the right person.

What you will not be asked

You do not have to disclose your full history, describe anything you are not ready to describe, or justify why this matters enough. "I would rather not go into that yet" is a complete answer on a first call and will not be pushed.

Questions worth asking me

• —What is your training, and what does your qualification actually cover?
• —Have you worked with this kind of difficulty before?
• —How do you work — what does a session actually look like?
• —How will we know whether this is helping?
• —What is your cancellation policy, and how are fees handled?

There is a fuller list in questions to ask a therapist before you start. Asking them is not rude. A practitioner who bristles at being asked about their training has told you something useful.

Why it is free

Because fit is the single largest determinant of whether therapy works, and because charging someone to find out whether I can help them would be a poor way to begin. It is also efficient for me: I would rather spend twenty unpaid minutes establishing that someone needs a psychiatrist, or a trauma specialist, than take their money for three sessions first.

If I am not the right fit

I will say so on the call, and where I can I will point you toward the kind of professional who would serve you better. That happens reasonably often and it is not an awkward outcome — it is the call doing its job.

Booking one

You pick a slot on the booking page, complete a short intake form, and receive a video link. Nothing is charged, and there is no obligation to book anything afterwards. If you want the full picture of what follows, what to expect sets out the process end to end.