Frequently asked questions
The things I am asked most often, including the ones that are hard to ask.
Every question, before every answer
Nothing here is hidden behind a click. Go straight to your question, or read them all.
If your question is not here, ask it in your message: nearly everything on this page started that way.
Before you begin
How do I start?
You write through the contact form, even just a few lines. I reply myself within two working days with one or two possible times, and we meet once. There is no step in between and nobody to get past.
Do I need to know already what to say?
No, and this is the question I am asked most. Almost nobody arrives with a tidy explanation: people arrive with a feeling, an episode, a sentence someone else said that stuck. Bringing the question into focus is part of the work, not a precondition for it.
Is my problem serious enough?
There is no threshold to clear, and people who ask have almost always spent months playing it down first. If something takes up enough of your mind to bring you to this page, that is reason enough for a first conversation.
Costs and payment
What does a session cost?
Eighty euro for fifty minutes, in the consulting room or online. A first conversation costs the same as any other. I issue an electronic invoice for every payment.
Is it tax deductible in Italy?
Yes. Psychological services count as healthcare expenses and are deductible from income tax at 19% on the amount above 129.11 euro. For the deduction to hold, payment must be traceable: paying in cash loses it.
What happens if I miss a meeting?
If you tell me at least twenty-four hours ahead, there is no charge. Below that, the meeting counts as held, because the hour stays reserved for you and cannot go to anyone else. The same holds for me: if I have to cancel, the meeting is made up.
The path
How long does the work take?
I have no answer that holds for everyone, and I am wary of anyone who does. Some work closes in a few months, some runs for years. What I can say is that we talk about it openly as we go, and that an ending is prepared together.
How often do we meet?
Usually once a week, on the same day and at the same hour. The regularity is not an administrative convenience: it is what lets the work hold in the weeks when you do not feel like coming.
Does online work as well as in person?
For most people yes, on one condition: a room where you can shut the door and reasonable confidence that nobody will walk in for fifty minutes. If you are afraid of being overheard you say different things, and then the difference becomes large.
Confidentiality
Who reads what I write in the form?
Only me. The form does not pass through a secretary and is not forwarded to anyone. The content of the message is deleted automatically within ninety days, even if we have met in the meantime.
Could my family find out that I come?
Not from me. I confirm to nobody that you are someone I see, not to whoever pays for the session and not to someone who calls saying they are a relative. If anyone asks, the answer is that I cannot give that information.
Do you take notes on what I say?
Brief clinical notes, on paper, in a locked drawer. They are not transcripts and they are on no computer. I use no note-taking apps and no cloud services for clinical work.
Writing is the first step
Tell me in your own words what this is about. I answer you myself, personally.