I’d like to reach out to talk about working together, but I’m not sure what to say in my first message.
Here’s a great example of what to say when you contact me for the first time:
Hello Camille! My name is [your name] and I’m looking for a therapist. I’m interested in individual therapy. Phone is usually the best way to reach me. Please call me back at [your phone number]. I’m usually available on [days] from [time] to [time], but feel free to leave me a voice mail if I don’t answer. Also, feel free to email me at [your email].
How do I figure out what I can afford to pay for therapy sessions?
Please use the following self-assessment, adapted from Little Red Bird Botanicals. It is intended to help you take inventory of your financial resources and take a critical look at your experience of privilege, in service of economic justice.
Consider paying higher on the sliding scale if you:
- have investments, retirement accounts, or inherited money
- have access to family money and resources in times of need
- have a relatively high degree of earning power due to level of education, gender and racial privilege, class background, etc.
- can afford to take time off
- work part time or are unemployed by choice, including unemployment due to full-time student status in a degree-earning program
- travel recreationally
- regularly eat out, buy new clothes, attend cultural events without worrying much about your budget
- own the home you live in
- Even if you are not currently exercising your earning power, please recognize that this is a choice.
Consider paying lower on the sliding scale if you:
- are not always able to meet basic needs
- rarely buy new items because you are unable to afford them
- are supporting children or have other dependents
- have been denied work due to incarceration history
- have faced employment discrimination
- have immigration-related expenses
- are an elder with limited financial support
- have medical expenses not covered by insurance
- are an unpaid community organizer
- are descended from people who were enslaved, exploited, or survived genocide
- make under $20,000/year (not because you are working part-time by choice)