Frequently Asked Questions
All the Answers You Seek, In One Place
What to Expect
Therapy is a safe space to explore the challenges you’re facing and work towards the life you want for yourself. Therapy is a collaborative process and sessions are tailored to suit your needs and goals.
Adult/Adolescent Therapy: In your first session, we undertake an initial assessment. This involves a semi-structured interview covering a range of topics about your life and experiences as well as your goals for therapy. In this session we will also collaboratively develop a plan for therapy moving forward. Subsequent sessions will focus on moving towards therapeutic goals and reviewing these goals based on your needs at any given time.
Child Therapy: The first session is attended by the child’s significant caregiver/s. If you are unsure about who might constitute an important caregiver in your child’s life, this can be discussed over the phone prior to the first session. In this session, a semi-structured interview is conducted covering a range of topics related to your child’s development. We ask that your child does not attend the first session with you. In this session we will also collaboratively develop a plan for therapy moving forward based on the needs of your family.
Prior to Attending: Prior to your first session you will be emailed an ‘information and consent’ form. This form will outline details related to fees, confidentiality (including limits to confidentiality), and storage to/access of your information. This form will also request your contact information, credit card details used for payment, and have an option to include details for Medicare/private health insurance. We require this form to be completed prior to your first session.
How long does therapy take?
Sessions are 50 minutes long.
Frequency of sessions will be determined following the initial assessment session, based on your individual therapy needs and goals. Typically, sessions are booked weekly or fortnightly to begin with, although this can be reviewed at the end of each session.
The length of treatment is largely determined by your personal goals and the nature of your concerns. I will regularly check in with you to ensure your goals are on track and that we are addressing any barriers you might be facing.
Practice Hours
Tuesday - Thursday: In Office
Monday & Friday: Telehealth Only
Cost/Fees
The fee is $285 per session or $147.95 per session with a referral from your GP. You do not need a referral to see a psychologist, however this does reduce the cost.
Cancellation Policy: As you may have experienced, access to sessions when you need them most can be challenging. The cancellation policy is in place to help maximise the amount of time I can be available to clients and to limit waiting periods. The cancellation policy requires 48 hours’ notice to avoid a cancellation fee. 100% of the session fee will be charged for non-attendance or cancellation with less than 48 hours’ notice. This is to ensure that clients requiring cancellation/waitlist appointments have sufficient opportunity to book into these time-slots.
Accessing Medicare Rebates
Medicare rebates are available for a range of specified psychological services. To be eligible to receive psychological services under Medicare, you must be referred by your GP or in some instances by a psychiatrist or paediatrician.
The GP or specialist will enquire about your mental health issues and will frequently administer a questionnaire to assess your levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. The GP or specialist will then write up a referral to the psychologist of your choice and will create a ‘mental health care plan’ which you will both be required to sign.
The mental health care plan provided by your referring GP or specialist will determine how many sessions you can access (usually 4 or 6 to begin with). This is then reviewed once the allocated sessions have been completed. Currently, Medicare is offering up to 10 sessions per calendar year in total that can be accessed through referrals from your GP.
If you wish to access Medicare rebates, please provide both the referral letter and the mental health care plan at the initial assessment session.
Private Healthcare Funds
Many private health funds offer a rebate for psychological services. You will need to check with your fund to ensure that they cover mental health consultations with a registered psychologist. Health fund rebates do not require a GP referral. You cannot claim from Medicare and your health fund for the same consultation.
Privacy and Confidentiality
As a psychologist and member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), I work under the APS code of ethics. Information that is disclosed in session will remain confidential unless you provide consent for me to disclose or exchange information with other parties (such as GPs or other health professionals). The exceptions to this are if there are concerns about your safety or the safety of others, or in the case of subpoenas. Details about limits to confidentiality will be discussed further at your first session and are provided in the information and consent form.