Therapy "free 15 minute consultation" question

[Rowawa]

I'm trying to find a therapist for my daughter.
This lady states there's a free 15 minute consultation.

However when I messaged she said am I free for a 50 minute parental consultation which is £60.

Should I just agree to that or should I ask about talking to her for the free 15 mins?

I'm on sickness benefits so money is tight for me and I just want to see if she is on the same page as me with my daughters issue before committing?

I don't wnat her to think I'm not serious but is it rude to ask for the free 15 min chat first?

I think she is offering 15 minute free consultation with your daughter so that your daughter can see if she gets on with her. Although 15 minutes is quite a short initial consultation!

Have you asked her about sliding scale charges in case she offers these for particular benefit recipients? That would be worth asking. She sounds pretty tight on her charges, which is of course her perogtive, but when my DC had a therapist (ex-NHS Child and Adolescent psychotherapist, so well within her rights to charge through the nose), she offered free 30 min initial consultations to parents and child separately, and a free review session for parents and child every 6-8 sessions. She was amazing. So it might be worth keep shopping around too.

The free 15 minutes with therapists normally sets out the terms. Person briefly explains what they need help with, what brought them to therapy and therapists explains confidentiality and expectations from attendant - eg fees, missed appointment terms etc.

i say this as someone that’s goes to therapy not a therapist.

in your shoes I would send an email - detailing difficulties, explaining what therapy you were hoping for - eg weekly, in person and asking if they thought you would be a good fit. If they then asked you for the parent consultation then I think you need to pay it. The free 15 min is for your daughter.

My daughter is awaiting an autism assessment and wouldn't do a phone consultation.

So her first session will be a fully paid 50 min session.

I've tried to get her on the phone before and she just won't speak.

Yes I already outlined the issue in my initial email and that I was looking for face to face as that's what would suit her

I basically just want to know she isn't biased in one particular area.

And I don't want to pay £60 to find out she is, and therefore not suitable.

When I was looking for a therapist/ psychologist for my ten year old they all offered a 15 minute session with me where I outlined the issues and why we were seeking help, and they outlined how they work.

its a good opportunity to try to suss out who you think will be a good fit.

Ask for the 15 minutes then. This is precisely what it is for. You have the opportunity to ask any questions you want. They all asked me if I had any questions after they stated how they work.

Completely understand this, my DD ended up with an ASD diagnosis following therapy. It was during COVID and she point blank refused to do zoom, and took so much persuading to do a phone call and in the end that mostly consisted of silence! Got there in the end though. You really will need a therapist who has neurodiversity experience and I would say that's a fair question that shouldn't cost you £60 to get the answer to!

When I was looking for a therapist for DD most of my local ones offered a free chat to see if she felt comfortable with them. Compatibility is very important.

I think you really need 15m of free contact. My Dd is Autistic & also 'selectively mute' - she can speak but totally loses that ability under stress. You need a therapist who can work with this or its money down the drain, plus your Dd may lose confidence in the process. If you explain & the therapist is unhelpful then they're probably not a good fit anyway. Good luck x