FAQ

Appointments are between 45-60 minutes long.  We offer extended sessions for those that require a longer appointment (such as a family) but this must be discussed prior to the appointment as the fees do change.

Psychological assessments generally take longer than a standard consultation and generally you will be provided some guideance as to how long you may need.

No, a referral is not necessary to see a psychologist. Some people chose to obtain a referral or one is recommended by their GP or psychiatrist which may enable them to receive a Medicare rebate. If you have private health insurance with the appropriate level of extras cover you may also be eligible for a rebate; you do not need a referral for Health Insurance rebates.

A referral is only necessary if you wish to receive a Medicare rebate for your appointment. Some people prefer not to have a referral (or have not yet got to the doctor to discuss a referral) and that’s fine.  If you choose not to have an assessment or a referral, you may still be eligible for a rebate from your private health fund if you have one. If not, we can just process the appointment under a general code.

Yes. If you have a referral and Mental Health Care Plan, which can be completed by a General Practitioner (GP), you will in most circumstances be entitled to 10 sessions of psychological therapy for which there is a rebate from Medicare.” Add: “The maximum of 10 appointments are for each calendar year and after the 5^th or 6^th you will need to return to your GP for a Care Plan review to access the remaining consultations if they are required.

It is important to note that you can’t receive Medicare rebates for appointments that you attended prior to obtaining a referral.

We believe that everyone should have access to mental health care and with Medicare rebates that has become easier. You will need to visit your GP and explain what has been happening emotionally. It is a good idea to let them know ahead of time that this is what you want to do so they can book you into a longer consultation. That’s just so that they have enough time to discuss what has been happening and prepare a plan for you and write a referral letter. The plan is called a “Mental Health Care Plan” and entitles you to the rebates mentioned above. Please bring the plan and referral letter with you when you first come along or make sure it is faxed to us prior to the appointment.

We follow the recommendation of our professional body the APS (Australian Psychological Society) when we set our fees.

Our fees are below the recommended fees of our professional body the APS (Australian Psychological Society): https://www.psychology.org.au/for-the-public/about-psychology/what-it-costs), Generally the fees for a General psychologist are lower than those for a Clinical psychologist – please call us to enquire.

Bulk billing may be available at the discretion of the Psychologist, after the initial consultation.

Yes. Please bring your card with you as we offer HICAPS claiming (meaning you pay a gap depending on what your policy covers). It is important to check with your health fund as policies vary and yours may not cover psychologist appointments.

No. You cannot claim a private health care rebate if you are also claiming a Medicare rebate for the same appointment.

That really depends on the issues that we are discussing and working upon and we will work it out with you.

How often you see your psychologist is dependent on the reasons you are seeking treatment and what you and the psychologist decide is the best frequency of treatment. For some the frequency can be weekly or fortnightly and for others it may be monthly.

Yes. We will send you a text message reminder 2 days prior to your appointment.

Just call us at least before 48 hours before your appointment and we can look at rebooking you.

After that, you will be charged a cancellation fee as below.

• If you need to cancel the appointment (less than 48 hours and more than 24 hours) – 50% of the consultation fee is applied.
• If you need to cancel the appointment (less than 24 hours) – 100% of the consultation fee is applied.

Yes, we can. Although this will incur increased fees to cover travel costs. You are still able to claim a Medicare rebate but while the fees go up the rebate does not.

Yes. If you are enquiring on behalf of a school, we do have psychologists that see students at their school.

We take your confidentiality seriously and, when you come to an appointment, we give you detailed information about how we treat information. We ask you to sign a policy which outlines what we do with your information. We only use your personal information for the purposes for which you give it to us and for management purposes directly related to providing services.