Getting started
What the first session is actually like
Hana Okafor · 30 September 2026 · 1 min read
No couch, no interrogation. A plain account of the first fifty minutes, so the decision to book is not made in the dark.
Most people who contact me have spent weeks deciding to. It seems fair that they know what the first hour holds.
You talk, I ask questions
The first session is mostly you explaining what has brought you in, and me asking clarifying questions so I understand it properly. You will not be asked to lie down, and you will not be asked to start at the beginning of your life.
You can leave things out
Nothing requires disclosure. If a subject is not one you want to open yet, saying so is a useful answer and I will work with it. The first session is partly an assessment of whether this is the right fit, in both directions.
I will say what I think
By the end I will offer a view of what seems to be happening, what kind of work might help, and roughly how long it may take. If I think someone else is better placed to help, I will say that too.
You decide next steps
You are not committing to a course of treatment by booking once. Many people come for a single session to think aloud with someone qualified, and that is a legitimate use of the hour.