Contact Chauncey
Write to me and I will answer. You do not have to know what you want yet, nothing has to be arranged through a GP first, and nobody is ahead of you in a queue. Questions from people who are only thinking about it are just as welcome as booking requests.
hello@chaunceysjostedt.comAnswered within 48 hours. If two days pass with nothing from me, check your spam folder and then send it again. Occasionally replies land there.
Send a message
Everything here goes straight to my inbox and nowhere else.
Prefer email? Write to hello@chaunceysjostedt.com instead. Either way it reaches the same place.
What is worth putting in your first message?
Not much, honestly. People often labour over this and it is not necessary. Two or three sentences gives me enough to reply usefully, and a wall of detail is no more likely to get you a good answer than a short note is.
If you want a steer, these help:
- A rough sense of what is going on, in whatever words you have
- Whether you would rather meet in Surry Hills, in Glebe, or online
- Which days and times are realistic for you
- Whether you would like the free introductory call first
- Anything you specifically want to check before committing
You are not required to explain yourself, justify why you are getting in touch, or prove that things are bad enough. If writing the message is itself the hard part, send four words and we will take it from there.
One thing that does speed things up: if you already know a particular day is impossible, say so early. The rooms run on Saturdays and Wednesdays only, so availability is the question that most often decides whether this works at all.
What happens after you hit send?
No automated sequence and nobody else reading it. Three steps, then a decision that stays entirely yours.
I read it and reply
Within two days, personally. If what you need sits outside what I offer, I will tell you plainly and point you somewhere more useful.
We settle a time
I send the times I have open and a short intake form to complete beforehand, so the first appointment is not spent on admin.
We meet once
Fifty minutes. Afterwards you decide whether to continue, and there is no awkwardness if the answer is no.
What do you need to know before booking?
The administrative facts in one table, so nothing arrives as a surprise later.
| Detail | How it works |
|---|---|
| Response time | Within 48 hours to every enquiry, including the ones that turn out not to be a fit. |
| Introductory call | Free, brief, and available before you book anything. Ask for it in your message. |
| Appointment length | Fifty minutes. Longer can be arranged if you flag it when booking. |
| Who can book | Individual adults, 18 and over. No couples, families or joint appointments. |
| Referral | None needed. No GP referral, no Mental Health Care Plan, no diagnosis, no waiting list. |
| Medicare | Not applicable, since I am registered with PACFA rather than as a psychologist. |
| Private health | Fund dependent. Ring yours, quote membership 29367, and ask what they pay. Receipts are itemised. |
| Fees | Sent on request rather than published, so you always get the current figure. Say if cost is a barrier. |
| Paying | Card or direct deposit, before the appointment or on the day. |
| Rescheduling | Two days notice lets the time go to somebody else. Later changes may be charged. |
| Between appointments | Use the contact form or email for admin. I am not available for support between sessions. |
Who sees what you send?
Only me. Enquiries arrive in an inbox I read myself, there is no reception desk and no assistant, and nothing you write gets forwarded to anybody. I am bound by the PACFA code of ethics from the first message, not only once you become a client.
Your address is not added to a mailing list, because I do not run one. You will not receive a newsletter, a reminder campaign or anything you did not ask for. If you enquire and decide against it, that is the end of the correspondence unless you restart it.
One practical note
Email is convenient but it is not a secure channel, so it is worth being a little careful about how much sensitive detail you put in a first message. You genuinely do not need to include much. Anything private is better discussed in the appointment itself, where it belongs.
Where are the consulting rooms?
Two addresses in the inner city, plus video for everyone else. Confirm which one you are coming to when you book, because they run on different days.
Surry Hills
Suite 324, 410 Elizabeth StreetSurry Hills NSW 2010
9:00am to 2:00pm
Third floor with lift access. Roughly ten minutes on foot from Central Station, and buses run along Elizabeth Street. Street parking nearby fills on weekends.
Glebe
Genki Centre, 1 Arundel StreetGlebe NSW 2037
2:00pm to 7:00pm
A quieter option on the inner west side, straightforward if you are coming from Newtown, Camperdown or Annandale.
Online
Encrypted video callAustralia wide
Either day, same times
A private space, a connection that holds and a working camera. The link arrives by email beforehand.
Questions people ask at this stage
Is there a phone number I can ring?
No, and that is deliberate rather than an oversight. I am with clients for most of the hours I work, so a phone would ring out far more often than it would be answered, which helps nobody. Email reaches me properly and gets a considered reply instead of a rushed one. If you would rather speak than type, ask for the introductory call and I will arrange a time to ring you.
What is the free introductory call, exactly?
A short conversation, at no cost, before you commit any money. You can ask whatever you want, hear how I sound, and decide afterwards. It is not a session and nothing therapeutic happens in it. Quite a few people use it simply to check that a stranger they found on the internet sounds like somebody they could talk to, which seems entirely reasonable to me.
Can somebody else enquire on my behalf?
A partner or a friend can certainly send the first message, and sometimes that is what gets things moving. But the appointment has to be arranged with you directly, and you have to want to be there. Therapy booked by somebody else for a reluctant adult tends not to go anywhere useful, and I would rather say that at the outset.
How soon could I actually get in?
It depends on what is open when you write, which is why I do not publish a number here. There is no waiting list to join, so it is genuinely a question of matching your availability to mine across the Saturday and Wednesday slots. Ask and I will tell you honestly what I have.
Do you have a waiting list I should join?
Nothing exists for you to be added to. I either have something workable in the Saturday or Wednesday hours or I do not, and I will tell you which when you write rather than holding your name against a future that may not arrive. If nothing suits, you are welcome to try again later, and it is worth doing so.
Can I ask questions without booking anything?
Yes, and plenty of people do. Asking what a modality involves, whether I have worked with something before, or how the money side runs is not a waste of my time and does not oblige you to follow up. I would far rather answer three questions from somebody deciding carefully than take a booking from somebody who is unsure.
What if I write and then change my mind?
Nothing happens. You are not on a list, you will not be chased, and there is no follow up sequence waiting to remind you. Sending an enquiry commits you to precisely nothing, and people go quiet for all sorts of ordinary reasons. If you come back in six months, that is fine too.
Still deciding? You might find how the work runs or a bit more about me useful first.