In short

I am offering a few slots for free brief counseling for people within the EA space. You can book them using this link. More slots will be available next week probably. You just need to tell us what you want to discuss during the session and whether you prefer to have directions and strategy-focused work with specific goals (more behavioral coaching-style), or a less structured environment to explore your emotions. If we have enough interested people, we might close the form sooner. 

What are we doing?

A colleague of mine, Isabella Hemmingsson and I are starting a new counseling & behavioral coaching service, DB Coaching, with the goal to offer cheaper internet-delivered online interventions - coaching and counseling. We plan to have a sliding scale of prices, so students and people from LMIC can pay less, and we want to start by offering some pro-bono sessions. We are also EA-friendly as we are both in the EA orbit. 

Who are we?

I have a BA in Psychology and Brain Science from NYU and a postgraduate advanced certificate in psychotherapeutic counseling from the University of Cambridge, where I am currently pursuing a master’s-level diploma. I have a background in early career coaching for university and school students, and I am currently working on a feasibility study of lay counselor-delivered online acceptance commitment therapy in refugees. I previously founded EA Georgia.

 Isabella studied Psychology at the University of Westminster and she is continuing studies in neuroscience at King's. She is interested in AI safety. We both decided to transition to offering brief counseling sessions and coaching after pursuing some courses and certifications, doing independent studies, and offering services for free to people in our extended circle. Isabella has a background in social pedagogics, and I come from an integrative background, so we do not adhere to a single discipline religiously, rather, we integrate analytical and behavioral-based techniques based on specific goals and requests of the client (you). 

What are the sessions for?

I will be offering some free sessions this week and Isabella will also offer some in the near future. We work with what you decide to bring to the session, but it’s important to let you know that at this stage we can only offer a limited number of free sessions, and after an initial 45-minute call, we can offer up to 3-4 additional sessions if you require so. Thus, we would be happy to help you with things like behavior change, mild-to-moderate anxiety, communication issues in relationships and appropriate strategies, as well as provide you with a non-judgmental, empathetic space to unpack your emotions. We are also happy to explore specific techniques and behavioral interventions to help you align your life with values using ACT. 

The sessions wouldn’t be a good fit for cases of severe anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges requiring more long-term work. The sessions are also probably not a great fit if you prefer to stick to a single approach (ACT/CBT/CBT Coaching), or if you are looking for more experienced practitioners. We are both in the process of continuous training but have spent some time providing free mental health services. 

All sessions are confidential and guided by empathy. It is completely free, but we strongly encourage you to provide us with some feedback and referrals and we would be eternally grateful for that!