Free Somatic Therapy Consultation

Booking a session with someone you've never met is a big step. It's natural to want to know what you're actually saying yes to before you commit, so let me tell you.

A free consultation, or what I call a chemistry session, exists for exactly that reason. It's a conversation where you find out what it's like to work with me, with no obligation attached. If you get to the end and it's not for you, you can walk away and never book again. That's completely fine.

Here's how it usually goes.

How we start

We start gently. I'll ask how you're arriving today, not how you've been for the last ten years. Whether you turn up rushed or a bit nervous, that's a fine place to begin, and there's nothing to prepare.

I'll probably glance down at the short form you filled in when you booked. If my eyes drift for a second, that's why. I'm still right here with you.

Usually I'll ask how you found me. Some people tell me they'd been lying awake at night replaying conversations in their head. Others say a line on my website put words to something they'd been carrying without a name. However you got here, it tells me something about what you're hoping for.

Why you came

You won't have to relive anything difficult here. I'll ask a bit about what's hard right now, and what you'd hope might change. For some people that's more ease, or feeling less all over the place. For others it's wanting to feel something again after a long stretch of numbness.

If something painful surfaces, I won't push you into the middle of it. We stay at the edges of the story, because there's nothing to gain from reopening a wound just to make a point. A little goes a long way.

A bit about me

You're interviewing me too, so I'm happy to tell you about my background. I trained first as an Integral Coach, then delved deeper into Internal Family Systems and Somatic Experiencing. I'm also a teaching assistant with the Somatic Experiencing Institute, which means I've completed the three-year training and now help support people as they come through it themselves. A lot of what I understand here, I learned by living it.

Then I'll explain how I work, in plain terms. For almost everyone, the first job is helping the nervous system settle and find a bit more steadiness. When your system feels safe, a lot of other things tend to ease, from sleep and digestion to how quickly you get rattled during the day. None of this is a quick fix. Most of the real change happens in the small things you practise between sessions, a couple of minutes at a time, a few times a day.

You'll get a feel for it

Most people expect us to only talk. We can do more than that. If you're up for it, we'll try a small piece of the work together, right there in the session, so you can feel it from the inside. You can always say no.

It's usually something simple. I might invite you to slow your movements right down, take a few unhurried breaths, then look around the room slowly and let your eyes rest on colours and textures. Sometimes it's feeling your feet on the floor, or putting a hand on your chest and noticing whether your heart is racing or slow.

As we go, I'll ask what you notice in your body. Not what it means, just what's there, whether that's a bit of warmth or a flutter you can't quite name. Sometimes tears come, and they're welcome. Often that's just the body letting go, and it doesn't have to mean anything in particular. People are often surprised to feel calmer after only a few minutes.

A little of the science

I like you to understand what's happening, so I'll point things out as they come up. Your nervous system moves through a natural rhythm all day, ramping up under pressure and then coming back down again. The trouble starts when it ramps up and never quite comes down. A lot of the work is learning how to let it settle again.

I might talk about the resource vortex too, which is the store of calm you build up so that when life knocks you sideways, you've got something to draw on. And there's a small framework I keep returning to, the idea that a nervous system settles when it has context, choice and connection. You'll notice I try to offer you all three in our conversation, including the freedom to take your time and decide nothing today.

The practical side

Towards the end, I'll explain how working together could actually look. I see people in person in Thornbury and Elsternwick, and I also love meeting outdoors in nature, which many people find really settling (and it saves on room hire). If getting to me in person is tricky, we'll sort out something that works.

My fees work on a sliding scale, so there's room to find something that fits your situation, and you're welcome to tell me your budget. I usually suggest starting with a short series of sessions, maybe six across a few months, with the first two a bit closer together while we find our feet, then spacing out from there. If something comes up between sessions, you can reach me. I'm not going anywhere.

There's no pressure to decide on the spot. Plenty of people go away and talk it over with someone they trust before coming back when they're ready. That's exactly how it should be.

What happens after the call

When we finish, I won't ask you for an answer right then and there. I'll ask you to sit with the conversation and let your nervous system decide whether I'm the right person for you. Your body often knows before your head does, so give it a little time.

If it turns out to be a yes, the next steps are straightforward. I'll send you a client services agreement to read over, you'll fill in a short pre-intake form so I can prepare, and we'll book your first session. Payment is due when you book your first session, and from there we get started.

Nothing to prove

You don't have to arrive with the right words or a tidy account of what's wrong, and there's no need to perform being okay for my sake. Please don't push through anything that feels like too much either. I won't see you as broken or as a problem to be solved. You're someone who wants a bit more ease and a bit more agency in your life, and that's plenty to start with.

Ready when you are

A chemistry session runs around thirty to forty-five minutes. You can ask me anything, and there's no expectation to book at the end. Even if you decide I'm not your person, you might leave knowing a little more about your own nervous system than when you arrived.

Whenever you're ready, you can book a chemistry session through my website. I'd be glad to meet you.