Frequently Asked Questions

A mental health treatment plan is supplied by your general practitioner. You can access up to 10 Medicare rebated psychology appointments per calandar year. Speak to your GP regarding your suitability.

You can schedule an appointment with a psychologist without a referral from a general practitioner, however, you won’t be able to will be able to recieve a Medicare rebate. To receive Medicare rebates, you will need to make an appointment with your general practitioner to discuss eligibility for a mental health treatment plan.

Each appointment is 60 minutes, consisting of a 50-minute consultation and 10 minutes to complete case notes.

Therapy duration will depend largely on the reasons you are seeking help. The number of sessions can vary between one appointment for minor contextualised issues (e.g., grief after loss) and forty sessions or more for complex issues usually involving childhood trauma.

Cognitive behavioural based therapies for common conditions like mild anxiety, depression, and insomnia will likely see some improvement after 6-10 sessions.

Please refer to the ‘Appointments’ section of this webpage for an overview of the initial psychology consultation.

Psychological therapy is an active process that will involve participation in and outside of sessions if you wish to get the most out of it. By participating in ongoing therapy sessions, you can expect to discover more about yourself and develop different skills to cope with the challenges in life.

A standard consultation is $103.15 after a Medicare rebate, with the full fee being $245. 

Please note that fees are less than the current Australian Psychological Society (APS) recommended fee of $311 per hour.

If you are looking for lower fees, you can try the USC Psychology Clinic which offers free treatment with a supervised provisional psychologist.  

Please see the ‘Appointments’ section of this webpage for details about our cancelation policy.

We encourage you to be honest with us if you did not feel a connection with your psychologist. We are happy to discuss any issues or concerns that may have contributed to your experience or help you find a more suitable psychology or community support group.

We offer telehealth for those who are unable to attend their appointments in person.

Out-of-hours appointments are available for subsequent consultations only (i.e., not initial appointment) after discussion with your psychologist. Please note that out-of-hours appointments will incur an additional fee.

Psychology is for anyone who wants to learn more about themselves and improve their life. This includes individuals wishing to recover from mental health issues, those wishing to build resilience for when life challenges inevitably occur, or those striving to fulfill their highest potential in life. You can get in contact with us if you are unsure if psychology is a good fit for you, we would be more than happy to discuss this further with you.

Psychologists are experts in the field of mental health and psychology, which includes areas such as learning processes, emotion, cognition (i.e., thoughts) and perception, attachment, behaviour, relationships and social processes, and communication. All psychologists are registered professionals with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and have undergone between four and six years of formal university training. Psychologists use evidence-based treatment approaches to help clients with a wide range of problems and difficulties, and they are required to follow a strict code of ethics to ensure that proper professional conduct is maintained.

Psychiatrist: Psychiatrists are medically trained doctors who are registered with AHPRA and specialise in psychiatric related issues. Their focus area is the diagnosis of mental health issues and treatment with drug therapy (i.e., medication). Some psychiatrists also use psychotherapy to treat patients.

Psychologist: ‘Psychologist’ is a legally protected term in Australia. Only individuals who have completed comprehensive training and meet AHPRA registration standards can use the term psychologist. Psychologists are qualified to assess, diagnose, and treat individuals with psychological problems using a variety of techniques and therapeutic modalities including counselling and psychotherapy. Psychologists can also provide Medicare rebates for treatment. Unlike a psychiatrist, psychologists do not prescribe medication.

Counsellor: Anyone can call themselves a counsellor as the term is not protected in Australia, however, there are several governing bodies (e.g., ‘The Australian Counselling Association’ and ‘The Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia’) that set professional standards for members. Counselling is usually short-term and problem-focused, dealing with a range of issues such as interpersonal relationship issues, domestic violence, addiction, bullying, financial stress, grief, anger, anxiety, and depression. Counsellors have varying degrees of training, with some being skilled psychotherapists having completed training in different therapeutic modalities.

Psychotherapist: Psychotherapy is an umbrella term relating to the use of talk therapy to treat psychological issues. Similarly, to the term counsellor, anyone can call themselves a psychotherapist, as the term is not protected. Psychotherapists can also apply to become members of the Australian Counselling Association and the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia if they meet the criteria. Compared to counselling, psychotherapy is a longer-term treatment targeting complex mental health issues which usually involves exploration of developmental and family history.

A psychological diagnosis is like a medical diagnosis, in that a qualified health professional has identified a group of symptoms that relate to a specific type of problem. A diagnosis can bring relief to a person, giving them peace of mind that the symptoms they are suffering from are treatable, and in some cases, a diagnosis is needed to access certain kinds of funding and government support. A diagnosis also helps health professionals communicate efficiently with each other to assist with treatment. A disadvantage of diagnoses is that they can sometimes stigmatise and categorise people in unhelpful ways.

As mentioned above, diagnoses are used for ease of communication between health professionals, to access support services, and to guide treatment. A diagnosis will only be given if relevant and doing so is useful to your treatment and goals. Please note that a formal diagnosis will need to be made and documented with your GP to receive a mental health treatment plan.

If you were referred by your GP or another health care provider, please bring your referral letter to the first appointment. Please also bring your Medicare card or private health details, and any past relevant health records (e.g., current medications, past psychology appointments, etc.). Finally, please bring any completed paperwork or questionaries that were emailed to you prior to your initial appointment.