FAQs
How do I know you're the right fit for me/us?
I provide a free consultation on the phone so that we can chat first with no obligation.
What if I don't find the session helpful?
I provide a 100% money-back guarantee.
What if I/we are struggling between therapy sessions?
I provide full email and phone support throughout therapy at no charge. You deserve to be supported while making a change in your life or relationship.
How are you different from other counsellors and therapists?
Like many other talk therapy forms, Relational Life Therapy (RLT) sessions involve compassionate and professional care. However, there are several critical differences between mainstream psychotherapy and RLT. I'll explain a bit about that here:
Traditional talk therapists may present themselves as experts in their fields. At the same time, Relational Life Therapists speak as imperfect people ("coaches") who are also learning about their relationships with people in their lives. We can help you because we've been through this ourselves, learned from our mistakes, and can share this hard-won wisdom with you. We don't see ourselves as experts - we see ourselves as walking along beside you.
Traditional talk therapists tend not to address behaviours or dynamics directly. Relational Life Therapists address issues and behaviours clearly and directly, without shaming the person seeking help. What does this look like in a session? Well, we won't sit there and listen and nod at you. If you’re coming for couple therapy, we won't let you try and "talk" things out with your partner either (if that were working, you wouldn't need to be in therapy, right?). We won't tell you what you want to hear; we'll let you know what you need to hear. We won't spend much time talking about feelings or getting you to do any weird communication techniques. We'll treat you like the adults you are, who can make their own choices, but we'll give you the skills, knowledge, and support to change the dynamic that's causing you problems.
In other words, we're not going to do much talking, but we will be taking a lot of action.
How long are the sessions, and how often should I/we see you?
It does not matter how often you come to therapy, but it does matter how you use the time. Some people want to attend weekly; others wish to attend fortnightly. I will chat through this with you. For individuals, the first session is 90 minutes; then we move to 60 minutes. For couples, sessions are 2 hours long.
How long will it take to feel better about my/our problem?
I work fast. You will see me anywhere between 1 - 8 times; then we're done because I will fix the deeper underlying issues.
This is what folks usually do:
They book a free consultation to chat with me.
They then book a session if they want to.
I offer a 100% money-back guarantee, so if you didn't find the session helpful, I give you your money back.
I provide full email and phone support because it's essential that you feel supported while going through this personal transformation.
But please remember, I work fast, so we only see each other several times, which makes me hundreds - thousands more affordable.
Why online therapy?
I have chosen to provide online therapy after years of seeing my clients encounter constant barriers to treatment. Many people don’t have the time to fight traffic! Busy professionals often do not have the time necessary to travel to and from 60 minute appointments. In addition to this, some people may live in towns or cities not serviced by a specialist sex and relationship therapist. In order to reach as many people as I can, I decided to offer services online in a safe and convenient way.
Is online therapy effective?
Yes! Not only is online therapy effective in general, there is research to show it is equally effective to in-person therapy.
What if I don’t want to talk to someone online about my personal stuff?
I can understand that worry, having experienced it myself. Before I tried online coaching, I felt awkward and not particularly excited about the idea! If this is you, email me to let me know that this is a concern you have and we can chat about it online at no charge to you. Then you can decide for yourself about whether it’s something you could get used to, or whether it won’t work for you.
Do you offer in-person appointments?
Yes. Usually for couples. For 1/2 day - 2-day sessions, these occur in-person. Please email me for the brochure about how this works.
How will I know whether you’re helping me / us or if therapy is working?
One of the things vitally important to my service is that psychotherapy and coaching works for you. That the things that brought you to see me are improving.
We can keep track of this using 30-second questionnaires. These questionnaires give us a snapshot of how things are going in your life. When we use each session, we can see very quickly if things are getting better, worse, or staying the same. This way, we can be agile and nimbly make changes if needed.
This co-design approach to therapy/coaching means we get real-time feedback. Together we can -
Identify when things are going well
Identify when things have improved (and this has been sustained over time), so we can talk about finishing up
Identify if things aren’t progressing, and tweak them so that you do make progress.
Do I have to have a computer to attend session?
My HIPAA compliant online platform works on computers, laptops, mobile phones, and tablets. You just need a good internet connection.
Is the software you use secure? Do you use ZOOM or Skype?
I have a subscription with Doxy.me for sessions and these are NOT recorded. I do not use ZOOM or Skype as these are not safe and secure enough. There is no charge to clients for using the software.
