If you're asking yourself this question, the answer is likely to be now. Often we wait until the wheels fall off before we act, when noticing they've become a little wobbly is reason enough. Prevention can be better than the cure, but it's also okay to show up at any stage.

You don't need to feel ready to reach out. You might even have mixed feelings: hesitancy, scepticism, or a little anxiety. That's all welcome.

For some, life may be too full at the moment and there isn't enough space or time to give to this, and that's fine too. Therapy is here when you feel like you've got more capacity for it. Alternatively, it may be that therapy is the thing that builds capacity, offers clarity and direction, and a renewed sense of hope that it is actually possible to feel better.

First sessions. Almost everyone arrives at their very first session feeling a little anxious, and that makes sense. We're not sure what to expect, and this may have been a long time coming. But therapy is different to most other health appointments we may have had. This time we're sitting across from a professional trained to listen and understand what's going on for you with curiosity and compassion.

The first sessions are about getting to know you: what's brought you here, and what you'd like to work on, whether you already know or we figure that out together. This is also where we start to learn what's led up to this moment, the context behind what's going on, not just the presenting issue on its own.

Ongoing support. From there, we start trying things together, putting different therapeutic approaches into practice and adjusting as we go. Therapy is collaborative, it's something we do together. You bring the inherent wisdom of your own life and experience, and Sarsha brings her knowledge about psychology, and we work together to understand what's showing up and what we can do about it.

Good question. Some people come for a few sessions around something specific, others find longer-term work more useful, particularly for patterns that have been around a while. There's no set number upfront. It's something we can keep talking about as we go, based on how things are actually landing for you, what you want to work on and what works financially.

Most people start fortnightly. Sessions closer together early on make it easier to build momentum and to carry something from one session into the next, rather than spending each one catching up.

As things settle, many people move to monthly, or drop back to occasional check-ins. Frequency is something we decide together and revisit as we go, taking into account what's useful, what fits around your life, and what's manageable financially.

A 50-minute individual session is $220. With a Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP, you may be eligible for a Medicare rebate of $101.55, bringing the out-of-pocket cost to $118.45.

No referral is required to book. This is only needed if you'd like to claim the rebate.

Private health insurance rebates may be available to you depending on your provider.

Medicare and private health rebates cannot be claimed for the same session, but you can use them separately across different sessions.

The Australian Psychological Society's recommended price guide for a standard session is $330. Here, fees are kept well below this recommendation in an effort to make therapy more accessible for everyone.

Life happens, and sometimes plans need to change. If you do need to cancel or reschedule, please give at least 48 hours' notice. With shorter notice, the time cannot be offered to someone on the waitlist and is lost. In this instance three people miss out: you miss the session, Sarsha loses the time, and someone waiting loses an opportunity, something we would all rather avoid. Sessions cancelled with less than 48 hours' notice are charged the full fee for this reason. If you're too unwell to attend, please get in touch. Sessions can be moved to telehealth or rescheduled instead. If there are extenuating circumstances, please reach out and we can see what's possible.

Sarsha doesn't offer couples counselling or family therapy with all members in the room. She is happy to work individually with people on relationship and family concerns.