Why don't you give free 10-minute consultations like other therapists?

Are 10-minute consultations really useful?

This post was updated on March 29, 2024.

​There are many reasons why I don't give free, 10-minute consultations.

• First, I don't think they are useful for picking a psychologist. I know that a good therapist relationship is the key factor in therapy success, but can anyone really figure that out from a 10-minute conversation? If you have certain symptoms or want a specific type of therapy, please read my Treatment Areas and Psychotherapies page first. If the issue you want treatment for, or a therapy you want is not on that page, we wouldn't be a good fit. To learn more about me, please read my Meet the Doctor and Philosophy pages.

• I have been seeing clients since 2003 and I can help and communicate with many people. I have spoken to over one thousand clients, but we were not always a great right fit. I tend to use more structure in therapy sessions, especially in the beginning (first five sessions). By structure I mean, before each session, I read over the notes I made from your previous sessions and review your goals and the treatment plan. Based on that information, I will plan for the new session. This keeps us on track for completing your goals and sticking with the treatment plan. This is efficient, it reduces how many sessions you will need, it reduces your treatment costs, and it is ethical to provide you with the best treatments in the most efficient way. I care a lot about being ethical. However, the session plans and treatment plans are not written in stone! I will usually suggest the session plan and ask if you want to add something to the plan or talk about something different because these are your therapy sessions, and your input and agreement is important! I provide therapies that are supported by research evidence, therefore, many of these treatments have standard components and treatment plans that I use (For some issues, e.g., PTSD, and trauma, I may even use a manual and provide you with educational materials, workbooks, handouts, and exercises to complete during and after sessions. These are the most structured treatments because many sessions are required and having structure helps keep treatment on track). ​
• I have no idea how other therapists fit 10-minute consultations into their schedules. I haven't figured this part out :( . Booking a 10-minute consultation means that another client is unable to use that time for a 55-minute therapy session. It's so hard to find a consultation time that works for me and a potential client, and if the potential client doesn't answer the phone, that's a wasted therapy hour. Also, based on my experience with free consultations, they end up being explanations of things already on my website or screener, or fee negotiations (but my fee is non-negotiable).
• Last of all, I really don't like consultations and feeling like a salesperson. I can't predict how well you'll do in therapy or if we are a good fit until after two sessions! I need to talk with you about your concerns and symptoms, ask diagnostic questions, discuss your goals and the treatment plan, and see if you can work on therapy skills between sessions before I am confident that therapy will work--I can't figure that out in 10 minutes. Reading through my website and completing the New Client Screener will be better than any 10-minute consultation, I promise. Plus, I am available to answer your questions through email. But, because many potential clients want to see how I speak, soon I'll create an introduction video where I'll describe what a first session is like and my therapy approach. I hope you will like it!

Author

Dr. Candice Bovell, Ph.D., C.Psych. is a Clinical Psychologist who treats adults with depression, anxiety, and stress online in Ontario, Canada.