FAQs and Common ConcernsDo you offer a free initial consultation?
Yes, we start with a free 30 minute initial consultation on Zoom. What are your fees? 100€ for each 50 minute session |
Start by booking your free consultation:
katie@berlincounseling.com |
How long is a session?
50 minutes
Are sessions online or in-person?
Online
Do you offer couples therapy?
No, I specialise in one-one individual therapy.
How many sessions will I need?
This varies and I am happy to be flexible based on your needs. It could be that we aim do do some focused work for a few sessions, or it may be that we work together for years. You don't have to decide that in advance.
Do you offer any student discount or other concessions? Can we negotiate the fee?
No, my policy is to keep the fee the same for everyone.
How often will we meet?
It is often great to start with weekly sessions when possible and then space them out more later if that feels right to you. but I understand that weekly sessions won't be doable for everyone so we can also do good work with biweekly sessions or meeting as and when.
What if I need to cancel an appointment?
I have a 48 hour cancellation policy. So I ask that you let me know at least 48 hours before an appointment if you need to cancel. I charge 50% for appointments cancelled with less than 48 hours notice.
What is your availability?
Appointments are available Monday to Thursday from 8am to 7pm. You can see my current availability in my online calendar.
Should I prepare anything for the initial consultation?
Make sure Zoom is ready if you haven't used it for a while. Apart from that there's no need to prepare anything. I will ask you to tell me a bit about yourself and the things you are struggling with that you might like my help with in counseling. You might like to have some tissues to hand, it can be an emotional moment when you take the step to reach out for help. And it can be a good idea to have your calendar ready in case we would like to go ahead and schedule a session. There will also be the opportunity to ask any questions you might have.
Will there be homework?
Let me know if you are someone who has time and would like to have some home practice. I can support you to find a home practice that will compliment the work we do in session. It can be really empowering to learn to do some of the work we do in session for yourself at home. There is a lot you can do to be able to work with yourself in difficult moments when you need that support. I make some suggestions for home practice here.
What if I don’t feel good enough to come?
Sometimes when people are feeling low they don’t feel that they deserve to get help. It’s common to feel like you should stay at home and feel bad on your own. This is a normal feeling. My counseling service is a place where you are welcome to come. Together we will try to find a way forward, however bad you feel.
What if my problems aren’t that bad?
Many people use counseling to help them work through smaller difficulties in their lives, become happier, or to make decisions. Many people just find it useful to talk to someone who is not involved in their lives. You don't have to be feeling bad enough to 'deserve' to speak with a counsellor, wherever you are at in your own journey through life I want to help and it's ok to ask for help.
I’m not sure about opening up to a stranger:
The idea of talking about personal things with a stranger can seem strange. Part of a counselor's role is to build a relationship of trust so that you feel able to share your thoughts and feelings. How much you share is always up to you and there is no pressure to share more than you want to.
At the same time, it is also part a counselor's job to be able to hear even the most difficult things, so you can use counseling sessions as a place to talk about things which you don’t feel able to share with your friends or family.
If there are things you don't want to share right away, it's totally ok. It's not strange or wrong to hide things from your counselor sometimes. It's absolutely fine to wait until you feel enough trust before you share some things and it's ok to come to counseling even if you are not sure that you will ever be able to talk about some things.
There are ways of working in counseling where I can help you heal from a trauma without you ever necessarily having to tell me what happened. You can just let me know that there is a trauma you would like to work on but that you would rather not tell me what it is and we will work on it that way. This is still effective.
What is actually happening in my brain when we do this work?
Some of what we do is called memory reconsolidation. I've written a longer explanation here.
I'm not a native-level English speaker:
Many of my clients are not native English speakers. You don't have to have perfect English for us to have a helpful counseling relationship. Even if you think your English isn't good enough, you are welcome to give it a try anyway in a supportive space.
What is your cancelation policy?
I have a 48 hour cancelation policy. For sessions canceled with 48 hours or more notice there is no charge. If you have to cancel with less time than that, I understand, things come up! In this case I charge 50%.
Are you queer affirming?
Yes, I am LGBTQIA+ affirming and highly experienced in working with members of the queer and trans communities here in Berlin. I’m also familiar with working with non-traditional relationship structures. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns before booking a call with me.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please ask: katie@berlincounseling.com
Or feel free to book a free initial consultation and we can discuss everything there.
50 minutes
Are sessions online or in-person?
Online
Do you offer couples therapy?
No, I specialise in one-one individual therapy.
How many sessions will I need?
This varies and I am happy to be flexible based on your needs. It could be that we aim do do some focused work for a few sessions, or it may be that we work together for years. You don't have to decide that in advance.
Do you offer any student discount or other concessions? Can we negotiate the fee?
No, my policy is to keep the fee the same for everyone.
How often will we meet?
It is often great to start with weekly sessions when possible and then space them out more later if that feels right to you. but I understand that weekly sessions won't be doable for everyone so we can also do good work with biweekly sessions or meeting as and when.
What if I need to cancel an appointment?
I have a 48 hour cancellation policy. So I ask that you let me know at least 48 hours before an appointment if you need to cancel. I charge 50% for appointments cancelled with less than 48 hours notice.
What is your availability?
Appointments are available Monday to Thursday from 8am to 7pm. You can see my current availability in my online calendar.
Should I prepare anything for the initial consultation?
Make sure Zoom is ready if you haven't used it for a while. Apart from that there's no need to prepare anything. I will ask you to tell me a bit about yourself and the things you are struggling with that you might like my help with in counseling. You might like to have some tissues to hand, it can be an emotional moment when you take the step to reach out for help. And it can be a good idea to have your calendar ready in case we would like to go ahead and schedule a session. There will also be the opportunity to ask any questions you might have.
Will there be homework?
Let me know if you are someone who has time and would like to have some home practice. I can support you to find a home practice that will compliment the work we do in session. It can be really empowering to learn to do some of the work we do in session for yourself at home. There is a lot you can do to be able to work with yourself in difficult moments when you need that support. I make some suggestions for home practice here.
What if I don’t feel good enough to come?
Sometimes when people are feeling low they don’t feel that they deserve to get help. It’s common to feel like you should stay at home and feel bad on your own. This is a normal feeling. My counseling service is a place where you are welcome to come. Together we will try to find a way forward, however bad you feel.
What if my problems aren’t that bad?
Many people use counseling to help them work through smaller difficulties in their lives, become happier, or to make decisions. Many people just find it useful to talk to someone who is not involved in their lives. You don't have to be feeling bad enough to 'deserve' to speak with a counsellor, wherever you are at in your own journey through life I want to help and it's ok to ask for help.
I’m not sure about opening up to a stranger:
The idea of talking about personal things with a stranger can seem strange. Part of a counselor's role is to build a relationship of trust so that you feel able to share your thoughts and feelings. How much you share is always up to you and there is no pressure to share more than you want to.
At the same time, it is also part a counselor's job to be able to hear even the most difficult things, so you can use counseling sessions as a place to talk about things which you don’t feel able to share with your friends or family.
If there are things you don't want to share right away, it's totally ok. It's not strange or wrong to hide things from your counselor sometimes. It's absolutely fine to wait until you feel enough trust before you share some things and it's ok to come to counseling even if you are not sure that you will ever be able to talk about some things.
There are ways of working in counseling where I can help you heal from a trauma without you ever necessarily having to tell me what happened. You can just let me know that there is a trauma you would like to work on but that you would rather not tell me what it is and we will work on it that way. This is still effective.
What is actually happening in my brain when we do this work?
Some of what we do is called memory reconsolidation. I've written a longer explanation here.
I'm not a native-level English speaker:
Many of my clients are not native English speakers. You don't have to have perfect English for us to have a helpful counseling relationship. Even if you think your English isn't good enough, you are welcome to give it a try anyway in a supportive space.
What is your cancelation policy?
I have a 48 hour cancelation policy. For sessions canceled with 48 hours or more notice there is no charge. If you have to cancel with less time than that, I understand, things come up! In this case I charge 50%.
Are you queer affirming?
Yes, I am LGBTQIA+ affirming and highly experienced in working with members of the queer and trans communities here in Berlin. I’m also familiar with working with non-traditional relationship structures. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns before booking a call with me.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please ask: katie@berlincounseling.com
Or feel free to book a free initial consultation and we can discuss everything there.