My practice operates from these locations:
- Mind Your Health Centre, 260 Lower Plenty Rd, Rosanna
- Watsonia General Practice, 327 Greensborough Rd, Watsonia
I provide psychological assessment and therapy services for a range of mental health and life transition issues including anxiety, depression and difficulties arising from physical health problems.
What You Can Expect
I am committed to empathetic, professional and ethical psychological practice.
I will contact you to arrange your first appointment. You will receive a confirmation letter via email/post. This tells you the date and time to arrive, where to come and what to bring. The confirmation letter/email will include a Consent Form and Disclosure of Information Form to read and sign with regard to your confidential information. Please see Confidentiality for more details. Please print (if required), sign and complete these forms and bring them to your first appointment.
Appointments generally last for approximately 50 minutes. Initially, there will be some paperwork to complete and a chance to deal with any questions you have.
Therapy may not commence until your second session due to the time it takes to complete a professional assessment of your concerns and collaboratively develop some goals and a therapy plan.
Subsequent sessions will be tailored to your therapy goals and will typically involve assistance with clear thinking, problem-solving and more formal psychological therapy techniques.
In the interests of maximising your gains, it is likely that I will invite you to complete some tasks between therapy meetings, which will be further discussed when we meet.
Note that, in the interests of your privacy and wellbeing, phone calls need to be kept brief – for example to organise appointments. Therapy and other confidential issues need to be discussed in session.
Confidentiality
All information you provide is confidential. Any written information is securely stored and can only be accessed by me. Release of information to others can only occur with your written permission. The only exception to this is if a court subpoenas records for testimony in a case in which you are involved, or if you are in imminent danger of seriously harming yourself or others. If any of these rare events should occur, I would attempt to discuss the release of information with you in advance.
Compensable clients should be aware that their insurers may require assessment and progress reports when funding psychological services.
Fees
Sessions are usually about 55 minutes in duration. Fee-paying clients pay $156.65 ($131.65 for holders of a valid concession card). These may or may not be refundable through health insurance. Please check this with your health insurance provider.
Attendances funded by authorities such as Work Safe and TAC are charged directly to those authorities at their standard published rates.
Medicare
Clients referred by a GP or psychiatrist under the Better Outcomes in Mental Health scheme will be able to claim a Medicare rebate. As at July 2022 this rebate was $131.65.
If you have been referred to me by a GP or psychiatrist under a mental health care treatment plan, please bring along a referral letter signed by them at your first appointment to ensure that you can claim a Medicare rebate. It is also useful if they can provide a copy of your plan for you to bring to our meeting.
Note that full session fees apply if you can’t provide a referral letter at your first appointment.
Private Patients
You do not have to go to your GP to visit a psychologist. You may come direct as a private patient. However, this will mean that you will be liable for the full cost of each session.
Availability
The service operates Wednesday and Friday mornings. I may be able to communicate with you by phone or email on other days to organise appointments but therapeutic discussions need to be confined to our face-to-face meetings. Note that I cannot provide a crisis service. If you need support in a crisis, Lifeline is contactable 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 13 1114.
Reports
Reports (e.g. for TAC, WorkSafe) may be undertaken by negotiation, although there are some reports that I am unable to provide.
Charges apply for written reports and/or letters other than session letters to your GP/Psychiatrist, as required by Medicare under the Better Access to Mental Health Care Scheme.
For general reports, a cost estimate will be provided when you inquire.
There is no Medicare rebate for general reports.
Full payment must be received before a report can be released.
Standard reports required by authorities such as TAC or Work Safe are charged to those bodies at their latest published rates.
Payment for reports can be made via bank transfer, cash, EFTPOS or credit card.
Please note that I am unable to provide forensic assessments or reports or attend court proceedings related to forensic matters.
