Frequently Asked Questions
What services does Empathic Counselling provide?
Empathic Counselling provides trauma-informed and evidence-based counselling for individuals and couples. Individual Therapy appointments are available in-person in Brisbane, and online (video call) Australia wide. Please note that Couples Therapy appointments are only available in-person.
How long is each appointment?
The initial individual therapy appointment is 90 minutes. All subsequent individual therapy appointments are 60 minutes. All couples therapy appointments are 90 minutes. These longer sessions allow more time for each partner to express themselves, engage in skill-building, and make more rapid progress towards achieving their relationship goals.
How much does it cost?
Please see the fees page for details.
Why do I need to pre-pay for my appointment?
- It confirms your commitment to yourself in making the courageous first step in accessing counselling support.
- It avoids wasting appointment time settling payments and reduces my administration time following up on late payments. This allows me more time to focus on the important stuff, i.e. therapy with you!
- On many occasions I have gone to my office and clients that had booked an appointment failed to show up without any communication. Not only does this waste my time, but it wastes the appointment space that could have been filled by someone else that really needed it.
- I am committed to supporting you, and pre-payment just guarantees that we are both equally committed to the therapeutic process!
How do I pre-pay for my appointment?
You can book and pay through the Booking page. All payments are made through PayPal. You can pay either with your PayPal account or use their credit card payment option.
Is what I say during my counselling appointment confidential?
All personal information gathered during counselling appointments will remain confidential and secure apart from the following exceptions:
- if it is subpoenaed by a court;
- a child is at risk of harm; or
- you present a risk to yourself or someone else.
What can I expect at my first appointment?
It is perfectly natural to feel a bit nervous before your first appointment. After all, you are about to share your innermost thoughts and feelings with a stranger! The aim of the first appointment is to get to know you and find out what you would like to gain from attending counselling. It is important that you feel comfortable and safe, so all of your questions will be answered and your concerns addressed. We will decide together how you would like to proceed and how I can best support you and your therapeutic goals.
How many counselling sessions will I need?
Counselling is an investment of time, money and emotions. It is not a quick fix. The amount of counselling sessions you choose to attend varies depending on your specific circumstances, such as the duration and severity of issues that you have been experiencing, your specific counselling goals and of course, your finances! For couples therapy, I recommend at least 5 or 6 counselling sessions to begin with, in order to start making progress towards your therapeutic goals. Making changes takes time, commitment and perseverance. It is similar to when making changes to improve physical fitness: we can’t go to the gym once or twice and expect to increase our fitness levels dramatically. It is important to have realistic expectations when it comes to counselling. It takes time and effort to see results.
Is Couples Therapy right for me and my partner?
Couples Therapy can be beneficial for most couples and can help improve communication, connection and intimacy. Both partners need to be committed to the therapeutic process in order for it to be successful. If one partner is not willing to actively participate, couples counselling will not be effective. In these cases, individual therapy is recommended.
Couples Therapy is not recommended if there is current abuse or violence in the relationship. If you are experiencing violence in your relationship, please call 1800 737 732 for support, or please call 000 in an emergency.
**If you have any further questions, please email Sasha or use the Contact form.
