I don't charge a fortune but...

Sometimes I get phone calls that start "How much do you charge?"

Well, at that point I try and find out a little more about what the person wants but I also know that 9 times out of 10 their decision making is going to be based on cost, not effectiveness.

That means that 9 times out of 10 they will not be a client.

Often they have been down the standard medical routes, sometimes with counselling, sometimes with SSRI anti-depressants. Often they feel they have no where else to turn and then I'm too expensive.

I don't have a smart answer for this. I do take on reduced fee clients and sometimes no-fee clients but without a fee being charged I don't have the resources to deliver the change work.

It feels wrong, but right now I don't have a fix for the issue of needing to charge for those who can't afford to pay and have been left behind by the medical establishment. (Arguably the medical establishment should not be involved in emotional and life skill issues anyway.)