Your Privacy

In accordance with the Australian Psychology Association Code of Ethics, your personal information will be kept confidential and private and used solely by your practitioner for the purposes of psychological services.

 

There are three instances in which part of your information may be disclosed:

1. Failure to disclose information would place you or another person at risk of harm.

2. Court order: your practitioner must release information if a Court Order is issued compelling them to do so.

3. If you provide consent for certain aspects of your information to be communicated with a third-party involved in your care (e.g., your GP, psychiatrist, a parent, etc.). Note that you may withdraw this consent at any time without explanation or prejudice.

 

Reception Management of Your Privacy

This practice employs the use of a reception and administration service. They perform secretarial tasks such as appointment scheduling, invoicing, following up on queries, etc. In order for reception do this work, some of your information will be made available to them. This is typical of any private psychology practice that utilises a front desk reception. The information to be made available to reception staff will include:

• Full Name, Date of Birth, Address

• Contact details (mobile and email)

• Emergency contact details

• Medicare card number

• GP referral information (date, referring GP name, number of sessions)

• Invoices

 

Reception staff will only access this information if required in order to complete an administrative task.

No clinical information (such as session notes) will be shared with reception staff.

 

Payment and unpaid sessions

Payment is due at the end of your appointment.

The fee for a 50-minute session is $235.

There are three options for payment:

1. Eftpos processing at the end of the session.

2. Automatic payment via credit/debit card (payment authority form must be signed).

3. Bank transfer.

 

Please note that if you have an unpaid session, you will not be permitted to make any further appointments until this account has been settled. This is in order to avoid potential accumulation of debt. 

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Medicare Rebates

There are three Medicare initiatives under which Psychology services can be provided:

1. Mental Health Care Plan: Between 6 and 10 rebatable sessions per calendar year. Regular GP reviews are required. (Rebate = $131.65 per session)

2. Eating Disorder Treatment Plan: Between 10 and 40 rebatable sessions per calendar year. Regular GP reviews are required as well as at least one Psychiatry review before the 21st session. (Rebate = $131.65 per session)

3. Chronic Disease Management Plan: Up to 5 rebatable sessions per calendar year. (Rebate = $56.00 per session)

Please speak with your GP to check whether or not you are eligible. If you wish to claim a Medicare rebate for your initial session, please ensure that you have obtained a care plan from your GP before your first appointment. Please either bring this plan to your session or email it through beforehand.

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Private Health Fund Rebates

Depending on your private health fund, you may be eligible for a rebate.

Please note that you cannot claim a private health fund rebate and a Medicare rebate for a single session.

Please contact your private health fund to check your eligibility and the amount rebated, as this differs depending on your level of cover.

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Cancellations

​Late Cancellations (less than 24 hours notice)

A minimum of 24 hours notice is required to cancel or reschedule an appointment. Should this requirement not be met, a late cancellation or non-attendance fee of the full session amount will apply.

 

Please ensure that you have been clear in your message or email to cancel your appointment (i.e., by using the words “cancel” or “reschedule”) in order to avoid any fee.

 

Please note that cancellation / non-attendance fees cannot be rebated by Medicare or via Private Health.

If there have been three late cancellations or non-attendances, all future bookings will be cancelled.

 

Frequent Cancellations

Frequent cancellations (even with 24+ hours' notice) may be an indication that therapy is not a priority at this time. If you are frequently cancelling your booked appointments, you may be discharged.

 

File Closure / Termination of service provision

In accordance with the Australian Psychology Society Code of Ethics, termination of the provision of psychological services may occur in the following instances:

• If it is reasonably clear that the client is not benefiting from the services provided.

• If clinical needs exceed beyond the professional expertise and capacity of the practitioner (e.g., if a private practice setting is deemed inadequate for the needs of the client; or if specific therapeutic interventions are required in which the practitioner is not adequately trained).

• Practitioner illness or injury which may impair their ability to provide competent psychological services.

• Session fees remain unpaid despite appropriate reminders.

• Frequent late cancellations or non-attendances.

• Frequent cancellations (even with a 24+ hours' notice) which may be an indication that therapy is not a priority at this time.

• Harassment and physical intimidation from the client towards the practitioner.

• Non-attendance of therapy sessions for 3+ months.

  • Generally, clients who have not attended therapy for 3+ months will not be contacted prior to file closure. This is because often, such contact may be received as a disruption; and clients may return to therapy out of obligation rather than need.

  • Clients are more than welcome to return to therapy at any time; but may need to wait until an available space opens up.

 

Additional Fees

While every effort is taken to avoid the need for this; should additional time be required outside of sessions, additional fees may be charged. For example:

• Reports or extensive letters to schools, workplaces, or other clinicians (over and above what is typically required within a private practice setting).

• Responses to extensive emails (after an invitation to discuss in-session has already been offered).

• Phone call contact extending beyond 10-15 minutes.

• Multidisciplinary team meetings.