FAQ | UpBeat

Do I need a referral to make an appointment?

You do not require a referral to make an appointment, however, you are unable to claim Medicare rebates for your sessions without a referral. Private health insurance rebates may be available without a referral for a Psychologist or Counselling. Please check with your private health insurance provider before your appointment. Third parties also often refer to iPsychology (for example TAC, WorkCover, VOCAT, VAP, NDIS, EAP providers and others).

Who can provide a referral?

A General Practitioner (GP), paediatrician or psychiatrist can provide a referral to see our Psychologists. We recommend that you book a long appointment with your doctor so that they may determine that you are eligible for a mental health care plan.

How much does therapy cost?

January 2022 Fee’s

At iPsychology we maintain that counselling should be accessible and therefore do not charge the Australian Association of Psychologists recommended rate for Psychology in 2022 of $280 for a 50-minute psychology session (out-of-pocket cost of $190.35).

We instead charge clients between $170-$220 per session, leaving you $80 – $135 out of pocket with a Mental Health Care Plan. Lower fees may apply for concession card holders and pensioners (limited spots; call us to know more).

Third Party Payees are charged at each parties’ standard scheduled rates.

How do Medicare rebates work?

Clients may be eligible for Medicare rebates on psychology services after obtaining a referral and Mental Health Care Plan from their GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician. Clients are eligible for up to 10 Medicare rebates per calendar year for individual sessions, and up to 10 rebates per calendar year for group sessions. Initially, you will be referred for up to six sessions. After which you can return to your GP for a Mental Health Review and another 4 sessions may be approved if we believe you would benefit from more sessions.

You will be asked to pay on the day of consultation. A rebate means that a portion of your cost to see a Psychologist (the amount is set by Medicare) will be paid back to you from Medicare.

Please note, we are not a bulk billing practice.

Can I get a rebate from Medicare?

Since November 2006, psychology services have attracted a Medicare payment. In order to access this payment a mental health care plan must be completed by a GP, Psychiatrist or Paediatrician. This plan allows you to receive Medicare rebates for six sessions. After six sessions the referring doctor must complete a review. They can request an additional four sessions to be rebated through Medicare. Due to recent Federal budget changes, sessions have now increased to up to 20 visits per calendar year. However, alternate funding can be sought and a new referral can be considered for the next calendar year.

What happens if I need to cancel?

iPsychology’s cancellation policy was developed with the awareness that when appointments are booked, the Psychologist reserves the whole hour especially for you. Therefore, the following cancellation policy is in place:

We require 48 hours’ notice to reschedule or cancel a session without incurring any extra fees.

This policy is in place to allow us to offer the allocated time to another client who may be on a cancellation or waiting list for an appointment.

We understand that sometimes you may be unable to keep an appointment because of sudden illness or an unexpected personal emergency. If this happens to you, please contact us as soon as possible to explain the situation.

A late cancelled appointment or non-attendance is a loss to three people:

the client who is delaying their therapy process,
another client who has been on the waiting list to see the clinician urgently,
the clinician who spent time preparing for the session.

What are the cancellation fees?

Less than 48 hours’ notice will incur a $50 FEE

Less than 24 hours’ notice or non-attendance will incur FULL SESSION FEE

Who can get counselling?

We provide counselling to adults, couples, adolescents, children and families. Therapy at iPsychology is for people of all ages, genders and gender expressions, sexualities, and cultural backgrounds.

We see clients with:

GP Mental Health Care Plans
GP Chronic Disease Management Plans (Or known as EPC’s)
TAC approved funding
NDIS self-managed or plan-managed funding
WorkCover approved sessions
Victims of Crims referrals
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) referrals
Insurance approved sessions
Personal referrals

Does my teen need counselling?

Taking a moment to consider the challenges your teenager is facing and whether there have been significant shifts in your teen’s behavior, can be a good place to start.

Has there been a death or major illness in the family or in your teenager’s friendship group?
Have relationships broken down between family members?
Has there been a bullying incident at school or in their workplace?
Is your teenager struggling with their learning?
Have you noticed that your teenager’s eating habits have shifted lately?
Are you having trouble getting along with your teenager?
Perhaps your teen has stopped socialising with friends or has become withdrawn.
Has your teen become highly emotional or has their behavior become unusually erratic?

Any change in behavior can signal that the teen is dealing with something, be it peer pressure, bullying or something else. Parents need to be aware of any signs of distress or issue that may be contributing to this for their teen.

How soon can I get an appointment?

Each Psychologist or Counsellor has different wait times, depending on their case load and commitments. At times, we receive quite a large number of referrals and often this can create longer than usual wait times. Whilst we do our very best to book you in as soon as we can, we would recommend booking your sessions with iPsychology in advance, as this will ensure that your desired outcome for treatment can be reached with regular appointments, as we can get booked up 4-6 weeks in advance.

We also currently have provisionally registered psychologists at our practice who are under the supervision of our director. If you are interested in booking with them, please let us know.

Persons in emergency crisis or at risk to themselves should present to the Emergency Department of their local hospital or consult their medical practitioner. iPsychology does not offer emergency support or crisis counselling.

Will what we talk about be repeated to anyone else?

Anything you say to your psychologist is confidential, and there are strict penalties for psychologists found to have breached this duty. However, this confidentiality is not absolute, and there are a number of specific situations in which confidentiality can be breached by the psychologist. These include:

Immediate threat of harm to self or others.
Court Subpoena.
Insurance companies can request information regarding your treatment, this information will only be provided with your written consent.
Supervision / Second opinion – Under national law, registered psychologists are required to seek supervision from a colleague approximately once a month to discuss their practice. It is possible that some aspects of your treatment will be discussed with another psychologist.

The iPsychology team values a transparent and trustworthy therapeutic relationship and so we will to talk with you before any disclosure to a third party, of our work with you.

One of our favourite quotes

Smile:

“The curve that sets everything straight” – Phyllis Diller

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