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 — half the fee — at least 24 hours before the appointment, and the slot is held once it arrives. Until then, no time is being held for you.
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 half the session fee, it is paid at least 24 hours before the appointment in cash or by bank transfer, and it is what turns an agreed time into a held one. The rest of the fee is paid after the session.
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. Payment can be arranged by bank transfer.
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 of half the session fee is paid at least 24 hours before the appointment, and that is what holds the slot. The rest is paid after the session. Nothing is charged before you have agreed to the psychologist, the time and the fee.
Cash and bank transfer are both accepted, for either payment.
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 support@phchelps.com. 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. A slot is held once the booking payment is received — half the fee, at least 24 hours ahead.