Engage

How to engage.

A private practice, correspondence first. Every engagement begins as a written exchange and moves at a thoughtful pace.

Four ways to engage

Four containers, one door.

Mode

Correspondence

Email as a real medium, not an intake channel. Write the situation, the question, the timeframe. Some conversations begin and end here without ever needing a session.

Mode

Individual session

Sixty to ninety minutes on video or in person, anchored to a real decision you are carrying that week. Booked after a short intake letter. Billed by the session on invoice.

Mode

Advisory retainer

A monthly cadence for owners and executive teams who want a steady seat rather than a one off. Standing sessions plus correspondence between them. A small number of slots per quarter.

Mode

Talk or interview

Podcasts, private groups, keynotes. English or Russian, on subjects actively practiced rather than performed. A limited number are accepted each quarter.

What a first note usually covers

No form, no template.

The first note reads best when it sounds like the writer, not like an intake questionnaire. A few things help the reply arrive well pointed:

  • The situation, in a paragraph. Who is inside it, what is at stake, what is holding it up.
  • The question you are actually carrying. Not the polite version; the real one.
  • The timeframe. Whether this is a decision this week, a pattern across a quarter, or a longer arc.
  • What has already been tried and where it stopped being enough.
  • How urgent it feels, honestly. Urgency changes the shape of the reply.
  • Preferred language for the conversation: English, Russian, or either.

Rhythm and boundaries

How time and confidentiality work here.

First replies arrive within two working days. Correspondence inside an active engagement runs on a roughly one week rhythm. If something is genuinely time critical, name that at the top of the email and it will be handled differently. There is no fast lane bought by paying more.

Sessions are billed on invoice, per session or per month. Nothing is on autopay. Every invoice is confirmed before it is sent. Retainer clients receive one consolidated invoice per month. No card is held on file.

Confidentiality is never in doubt. Session content is not shared, aggregated, published, or referenced without written permission. Primary mental health treatment is not offered inside this container; where that is what is needed, a clean referral is given to a licensed clinician in your region.

Common questions

Before writing.

What if my question is more clinical than executive?

Write anyway. The first reply will name honestly whether the question sits inside this practice or belongs with a licensed clinician in your region. Where the two lenses overlap, the work is welcome.

Do you run group programs, cohorts, or courses?

No. The container is intentionally one to one. Occasional invitation only cohorts have formed when several retainer clients are inside the same window, but there is no open enrollment and no recorded course.

In what language do sessions run?

Either English or Russian, chosen at the start. Bilingual clients often move between languages inside a single session, which is welcomed. Written correspondence follows the session language by default.

Do you sign NDAs?

Yes. Mutual confidentiality is the default in every engagement, with or without a signed document. A formal mutual NDA is signed on request, typically before the first session.

What does it cost?

Pricing is on request and quoted per engagement type after the first correspondence. Individual sessions are billed per session on invoice. Advisory retainers are billed monthly. Talks are quoted per engagement. Nothing autopays.

Begin a correspondence.

Email is the door. Every note is read personally.

hello@irinafain.com

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