Questions people ask before booking
The questions we are actually asked, answered plainly. If yours is not here, ask us — we would rather answer it than have you guess.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, this page is not the right place — here is what to do.
Booking an appointment
Can I walk in without an appointment?
No. PHC is an appointment-only practice and walk-ins are not accommodated at either clinic. Every appointment is arranged in advance: we confirm it with you by phone or on WhatsApp, and the slot exists once the booking payment has been received.
Is my booking confirmed as soon as I send my details?
No — and this is the part most people do not expect, so it is worth being clear about.
Sending your details starts an enquiry. We come back to you by phone or on WhatsApp with a psychologist, a time and a fee. If you agree, you pay the booking payment, and the slot is held once it arrives. Until then, no time is being held for you.
If you would rather pick a time yourself, the booking page sets out what applies to a booking made there.
Why is a booking payment needed at all?
Because a slot that is only spoken for is a slot standing empty. The booking payment is what turns an agreed time into a held one. It is either 50% of the consultation fee or the full amount, paid in advance by bank transfer within an hour of us confirming the time and the fee, with a screenshot sent to us so we can check it. The account details are on the fees page and the booking page. Nothing is charged before you have agreed the psychologist, the time and the fee.
What happens if the booking payment does not arrive?
The time is not held, and it goes back. You will not have paid anything at that stage, so there is nothing to refund. Tell us and we will look for another slot.
What exactly can I book?
Three things: an online session, an in-clinic session at PECHS or at DHA, and diagnostic services — that is, a psychological assessment.
You do not need to work out which of the three you need, or which assessment. Tell us what has brought you and we will tell you. An assessment always begins with an initial session that decides which tests are clinically warranted, so nobody is tested for the sake of it.
Can I ask for a particular psychologist?
Yes. Give us the name when you send your details.
Not every psychologist is taking new bookings at every moment, so we will tell you plainly whether the person you have asked for has a slot, and who else would fit if they do not. If you would rather not choose, you do not have to — tell us what has brought you and we will match you by speciality.
I have been to PHC before. Do I have to start from the beginning?
No. Tell us your name, who you saw last time, and the days and times that suit you. We do not need the full set of details again.
Can I book on behalf of my child, or for a parent?
Yes. Most appointments for children and for elderly relatives are arranged by somebody else.
Send the patient's name and age, say whether the patient is a minor or elderly, and — if the person paying is not the patient — add the payer's details as well. That is one of the six things we ask for.
Who we work with
What age groups do you serve at PHC?
All of them. PHC works with children, adolescents, adults and the elderly, and our services are shaped to the stage of life the person is at.
The psychologist you are matched with is assigned by speciality, so a child is seen by somebody whose own practice is with children.
Can I book a session from outside Pakistan?
Yes. PHC works with clients across Australia, the UK, Germany, Kuwait, Canada, the United States and beyond, and online sessions run in every time zone by appointment. Say where you are paying from when you enquire and we will tell you how to pay.
Sessions are by audio or video on the platform you prefer, and the same clinical standards apply wherever you are connecting from.
Once you have started
Can I switch psychologist if I am not comfortable with mine?
Yes, and you do not have to justify it at length. It matters that you are comfortable with the person you are working with, and nobody here will take it personally.
Tell us, and we will help you find another psychologist who fits what you need. If we cannot offer you a better match ourselves, we will transfer you to a psychologist elsewhere.
Fees and payment
What are your payment methods?
A booking payment is made before the session, and that is what holds the slot. Nothing is charged before you have agreed to the psychologist, the time and the fee.
The booking payment is by bank transfer, and it is either 50% of the consultation fee or the full amount, whichever you prefer. It is paid within one hour of us confirming the appointment with you, and you send us the screenshot so we can check it. The account details are on the fees page and the booking page — and do confirm them with us before you send anything.
If you cancel or reschedule within 24 hours of the session, the booking payment is not refunded. If your therapist reschedules, it is refunded on request, or it counts as the booking payment for your next session — your choice. Both are our own position on a payment we have received; our booking page sets out its own terms, and they are not the same.
Fees vary by psychologist and by service type, and you are told your own fee before you pay anything. What a session and an assessment cost, how a fee is arrived at and when you hear it are set out in full on the fees page.
Five more questions, answered on our home page
To keep one answer in one place, these five are on the home page rather than repeated here:
- What is the process for getting an appointment?
- Do you offer psychological assessments?
- Do you offer remote therapy sessions?
- Is my information kept confidential?
- How long does a typical therapy session last?
Still not answered?
Then ask. Message us on WhatsApp, call the clinic, or email [email protected]. We come back to you within a couple of hours.
If you want to go ahead, the booking page sets out the six details we need and exactly what happens after you send them.
Not sure if this is us? Ask. We will tell you directly whether we can help, and refer you elsewhere if we cannot.
Everything on this page is general information about our services. It is not a diagnosis, not treatment, and reading it does not create a clinician–client relationship.
Speaking to someone starts here
PHC is appointment-only. Message or call and a real person answers — Monday to Saturday, 10am to 8pm PKT.
Not sure whether this is us? Contact us anyway. We will tell you directly whether we can help, and refer you elsewhere if we cannot.
Six details, and we can match you
- Name of the person who will attend
- Their age
- What is going on, in your own words
- Whether you would prefer a male or female psychologist
- Online, or in clinic in Karachi
- Whether the person attending is a minor or elderly
If someone else is paying, we will also ask for guardian or payer details. How an appointment is booked, and the terms that apply to it, are set out on the booking page.