Please visit the fees page: https://navigatepsychology.com/fees

Although I have experience working with people across the lifespan, at this time I do not see:

·      Individuals under the age of 18

·      Couples or Family Therapy

·      People seeking out cognitive assessments, ADHD assessments or Autism assessments

·      Individuals experiencing acute psychotic symptoms

No. You can attend sessions without a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from your GP. Sometimes a MHCP is not appropriate (e.g. you may not be suffering from a diagnosable mental health disorder as defined by Medicare).

However, if you want to claim Medicare rebates you will need to speak to your GP to see if they feel you are eligible for a Mental Health Care Plan.

 If you have private health cover for psychological treatment then you may also be entitled to claim. The claimable amount and number of sessions per calendar year depends on your health cover.

A Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) is a referral provided by your GP (or psychiatrist) and is generally written for anyone who has a diagnosable mental health condition that is significantly impacting their functioning.

When you go to your GP for a MHCP you will require a longer GP consultation than normal (30 minutes or so) whilst your GP works with you to determine whether a MHCP is appropriate for you. Your GP may ask you questions and ask you to complete a short questionnaire.

Each person is eligible for 10 sessions per calendar year (January-December). Please note that you are able to receive up to 6 sessions with your initial referral under your MHCP, following which you can see your GP for a second referral for an additional 4 sessions within a calendar year.

After your 10 sessions on Medicare have been used for the calendar year, sessions will be charged privately until the next calendar year. If you have private health cover for psychology treatment then you may be able to claim some of these sessions on your private health insurance. The claimable amount and number of sessions per calendar year depends on your health fund.

Note: If you have been referred by your doctor with a Mental Health Care Plan, it is a requirement under Medicare that a brief letter be sent from your psychologist to your doctor after the initial appointment, after six sessions and after ten sessions/or at the time of completion of treatment. This letter will provide a brief summary of your treatment with your psychologist.

What happens when a new calendar year occurs?

Note that unused sessions on a referral do carry over into the next calendar year, but these sessions will count towards the maximum of 10 sessions in that next calendar year.

For example, lets say you are referred for 6 sessions in November 2023 and you use 2 of these 6 sessions in 2023. You can use the remaining 4 sessions in 2024 before going back for another referral. This will count that you have used 2/10 sessions for 2023 and 4/10 sessions for 2024.

You can use the same referral usually. If you want to check how many sessions you have used up on your Mental Health Care Plan for the year before seeking out a new psychologist, you can call Medicare on 13 21 50. Then you can tell your new psychologist how many sessions you saw with your previous psychologist (as this impacts what item codes the new psychologist uses to process your rebates).

Your first session is where we will develop an understanding of your current situation and difficulties. This session is where you get a chance to tell your story and identify goals going forward. Once some goals have been established, future sessions will be more structured and goal focused.

All sessions are 50 minutes long, with the last 10 minutes of the hour allocated for the psychologist to take notes, process payment on our system and process your medicare rebate online.

You will need to bring your completed consent form and your Mental Health Care Plan from your GP (if you are using one).

If you arrive early for your appointment please wait in the building foyer on the ground floor until your session time. This is because there is not a waiting room. Once it is time for your session, please come up to level 3. I will meet you at the door to the room.

You can cancel your session up to two days in advance with no cancellation fee. If your session is cancelled less than 48 hours before your session, you will be charged 50% of the fee full fee. If you cancel 24 hours or less you will be charged 100% of the session fee. The rationale for this is that if you cancel on short notice, another client cannot book in at that time.

A Clinical Psychologist has an undergraduate degree in psychology, a Master in Clinical Psychology and has completed a two-year post-graduation program which involves extensive professional development and supervision requirements known as a ‘Registrar Program’ (8 years in total of training).

A General Psychologist typically has an undergraduate degree in psychology and has then gone on to work in supervised practice for two years, or has completed a one year master of professional psychology and one year supervised practice (6 years of training), or has completed a different psychology masters (e.g Master of Sports Psychology).

A Psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specialises in mental health. Psychiatrists can prescribe medication, psychologists cannot.

If you are in an emergency, or at immediate risk of harm to yourself or others please contact Emergency Services on triple zero.  Other crisis support is available at Lifeline 13 11 14 (24 hours) or the NSW Mental Health Line 1800 011 511 (24 hours)