Clear thinking, for the decisions that matter.
Some of the people I work with are not unwell. They are carrying demanding roles — leading teams, building companies, holding responsibility — and what they want is a confidential thinking partner: someone who can help them analyse a situation carefully, identify the key issue, open up different perspectives, and reach decisions they can stand behind. That is what psychological consultation offers.
The situations consultation is made for.
These are some of the more common reasons professionals and founders come to see me. Often, several arrive together.
A decision you keep circling
A role change, a difficult hire, a strategic fork, whether to stay or go. We slow the thinking down, examine what is actually at stake, and find the decision you can stand behind.
A working relationship that has become difficult
A co-founder, a board member, a line manager, a key report. We make sense of the dynamic — including your part in it — and work out what can realistically shift.
Stepping up into a bigger role
New seniority brings new exposure: more ambiguity, more visibility, fewer people to think aloud with. We build the internal steadiness the role now asks of you.
The isolation of responsibility
Founders and senior leaders often have no one they can be fully candid with. Consultation is a confidential space with someone who has no stake in the outcome except your clear thinking.
Sustaining performance without burning out
You are delivering, but at a cost that is becoming visible. We look honestly at the load, the drivers behind it — perfectionism is a frequent guest — and what sustainable actually looks like for you.
A problem that resists your usual tools
You are a capable problem-solver, and this one is not moving. Often that is because the problem is partly interpersonal, partly emotional, or not quite the problem it appears to be. Finding the real issue is most of the work.
Many of the professionals and founders I work with are also neurodivergent, or suspect they may be. If that is part of your picture, it is welcome here, and it often becomes a useful lens rather than a side topic.
Structured enough to be useful. Flexible enough to be yours.
Consultation can be a single focused session on one decision, a short series around a specific challenge, or an ongoing arrangement. We agree the shape together at the start.
A brief introductory call
A free fifteen-minute call to hear what you are navigating, and for us both to judge whether this is the right kind of help.
A first consultation
A fifty-minute session to lay the situation out properly. By the end, you should expect a sharper picture of the key issue, and a view on whether one session is enough or more would help.
Focused sessions
Single sessions, a short series, or a regular slot — whatever suits the problem. Between sessions, the thinking is yours to use.
Reviewing together
We check whether the work is doing what you need, and stop when it has. You are welcome to return when the next challenge arrives.
A clinician’s depth, and a leader’s working knowledge.
This work draws on the core skills of a clinical psychologist: formulation — building a precise, shared understanding of a complex situation — careful questioning, and a trained sense of how people think, feel and behave under pressure. I tend to reach the heart of a difficulty quickly, and to offer a perspective on it that you had not quite seen.
It also draws on experience I use daily. I lead a clinical service in the NHS, and I co-founded and run a specialist private practice — so leadership decisions, difficult working relationships, hiring, and the weight of being the person responsible are things I navigate myself, not just things I advise on.
My background is international, and much of my work is with people whose careers span cultures, languages and countries. Consultation is available in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, and I am comfortable in the spaces between them — including the particular pressures of leading in a second culture.
What I do not offer is hype. There are no guaranteed outcomes here, no performance hacks, and no pretending that hard situations are simple. What you can expect is rigorous, warm, confidential thinking — and honesty about what I see.
Consultation is not therapy, and I will always be straightforward with you about the difference. The two can look similar from the outside, but they have different aims: consultation is organised around your situation and your decisions; therapy is organised around you. If our conversations suggest that therapy would serve you better — or would help alongside — we will discuss the right next step openly. Some people move between the two over time, and that is entirely normal. You can read about how I work in therapy here.
Clear from the start.
Sessions are available in person at 85 Wimpole Street, in London, online, or as a mix of the two. Fees within the range reflect the complexity of the work, and your exact fee is agreed before we begin; any future change is discussed with you in advance. Where sessions are funded by your organisation, invoicing can be arranged directly with the company, with the content of our conversations remaining entirely confidential to you.
If there is a situation you would like to think through properly, I would be glad to hear from you.
You are welcome to send a short note — a sentence or two about the situation is plenty. I read every enquiry personally and will reply to arrange a time to talk.
Email hello@drcatherinecheung.com
WhatsApp +44 7515 110 829
Practice 85 Wimpole Street, London W1G 9RJ
Sessions In person, online, or hybrid
Languages English, Cantonese and Mandarin