What are your fees?

Please see the Services page and choose ‘Counselling’, ‘Assessments’ or ‘Supervision’ for more information.

Are there rebates available on sessions?

Counselling

If you have a Mental Health Care plan from a GP including a referral letter to see a psychologist, then we can process Medicare rebates for you until the session limit. You’ll pay the full session fee and then the rebate is normally paid to you by Medicare within 1 business day. For the current rebate amount, see the ‘85%’ benefit amount at the MBS item 80110 page. The rebate will be higher if you have reached the Medicare safety net threshold.

If you are a self-managed NDIS participant, we’ll send you a receipt after your payment which you can then use to claim reimbursement from your NDIS funding.

If you are a plan-management NDIS participant, you won’t pay anything – we’ll liaise directly with your plan-management agency to pay invoices directly from your NDIS funding.

Assessments

Medicare rebates for assessment sessions are only applicable where a referral is provided by a paediatrician or psychiatrist to clients under 25 years old for assessment of a ‘Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorder’ (CND). The rebate amount is typically equal to the rebate for a counselling session, up to 4 appointments where the client is present.

Some private health insurance providers may offer coverage for psychological assessments, but this varies between policies and insurers.

What is your cancellation policy?

Counselling

We will not charge any cancellation fee if we are able to book another client for the appointment time.
If we are unable to fill the booking, the cancellation fee will depend on how much notice was given:

• If at least 2 business days of notice is given, no fee will be charged.
  (For example, a Friday appointment must be cancelled by Wednesday.)

• If 1 business day of notice is given (e.g., the day before the appointment), a 50% fee will apply.

• For cancellation on the day of the appointment, or for non-attendance without notice, the full fee will be charged.

Please ensure that you contact us as soon as possible about cancelling or rescheduling an appointment. Late notice of non-attendance causes inconvenience to three parties: yourself (for delaying your progress), your psychologist (who was preparing for your session), and another client on a waiting list who might have been able to take the appointment if sufficient notice was given.

Assessments

A deposit of 25% will be taken at the time of booking. If at least 4 business days of notice is given to cancel the interview session of an assessment, the deposit will be refunded to you. (For example, a Monday interview must be cancelled by Tuesday of the previous week.)

For late notice (or non-attendance), the deposit is not refundable due to the time taken in administration and preparation for the assessment. However, if we are able to fill part or all of your appointment time with another client, then part or all of the deposit will be refunded back to you.

Assessments are conducted over multiple sessions on different days, with time allocated between sessions for the psychologist to write the comprehensive report. If the rest of an assessment is cancelled after some sessions have been attended, then the deposit amount and the instalments due by those sessions attended will be non-refundable.

We will allow one rescheduling of an assessment appointment without fee, for sufficient reason within 4 business days of the appointment. If a session needs to be rescheduled at short notice for a second time, a cancellation fee charged at the clinician’s counselling rate may apply.

Do you offer services for NDIS participants?

Yes, we can see self-managed and plan-managed NDIS clients. Please enquire to discuss further.

You should ensure that your plan covers Capacity Building for ‘Improved Daily Living’ with adequate funds to cover your appointments. For self-managed clients, fees are to be paid in full on the day of service, and then you will be able to claim this back with the NDIS. For plan-managed clients, we will ask you for your NDIS number and your provider’s contact details for invoicing.

Please note: We do not offer services for behaviour support, including Behaviour Support Plans or items in the funding category of ‘Improved Relationships’.

Do I need a referral to see a psychologist?

No. Clients do not need a referral or a Mental Health Care plan to be able to make an appointment with a psychologist; however, in this case they would not be eligible for Medicare rebates. Those with private health insurance may be able to claim part of their session fees back, but this will depend on the specific coverage. We suggest checking with your insurer if this applies to you.

The most common way that someone sees a psychologist for counselling is by obtaining a Mental Health Care plan from their general practitioner (GP), as this gives them access to partial rebates on session fees via Medicare.

What training does a psychologist have?

Psychologists are health professionals who are trained in human behaviour. This includes understanding the ways in which people think, feel, behave, and learn.

All psychologists have a minimum of 6 years of university education, including supervised practice. As a regulated profession, psychologists must be registered with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) under the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA). The title ‘psychologist’ is a legally protected term which can only be used by an individual who maintains registration with these bodies, and adheres to requirements for ethical standards and ongoing professional development. This is in contrast to terms such as therapist, counsellor, or psychotherapist which are not regulated and can be used by anyone.

A psychologist with endorsement has undergone additional years of supervised training to reach certain goals in their particular area of psychology. There are nine possible areas of endorsement. While undertaking the supervision, the clinician is known as a ‘registrar’. After completing the endorsement, the psychologist gains a descriptive title, such as ‘educational and developmental psychologist’ or ‘clinical psychologist’.

What is the difference between a psychologist and psychiatrist?

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has specialised in mental health and is able to prescribe medications. Psychologists do not have this medical training and cannot write prescriptions, but may make recommendations for their client to speak with a psychiatrist if this is appropriate. Psychologists and psychiatrists may sometimes both work with the same client, supporting them with different approaches.

Can I use TAC, VOCAT, DVA, or WorkSafe funding?

At this time, clinicians at Infinity Psychology & Assessments are not registered for these funding schemes.