Face to Face: sessions are held in a family health clinic with other allied health professionals. It is a warm, welcoming, and friendly space.

Telehealth: is a useful choice for adults who are unwell, time-poor or less mobile. If this is your preference, a link will be sent before your appt and conducted via secure video.

Availability

Fridays: 9 am-5 pm

Monday evenings: 5.45 pm - 9.45 pm

Additional telehealth hours are available on Mondays 9 am - 5 pm upon request.

Please get in touch with me for my current availability.

First Appointments

Children and adolescents: Parents are asked to attend the first session for a thorough assessment of psychological needs, which includes taking a full clinical history of social, emotional, behavioural and developmental concerns.

Adults: Includes a full clinical history, exploration of concerns, key support areas, and an initial therapy plan. 

Fees

The cost of a consultation in person, via telehealth or by phone (usually around 50 minutes) is $220.

The fee will have been discussed at the initial appointment and may be subject to change during treatment. Fees are payable at the end of the session by Eftpos, Visa, Mastercard, or direct debit.

If you think Understory Psychology is the right fit for you, get in touch. If you would like a 10 minute chat to explore this further send an sms to organise a chat.

Medicare

Please visit your GP to discuss your eligibility for a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) under the Better Access Initiative. The MHTP may provide financial assistance for up to 10 psychology sessions per calendar year.

If a MHTP has been obtained, you will be able to access a rebate for six sessions with a registered psychologist. Upon completion of the six sessions, you and your psychologist will discuss your progress. If further support is required you may wish to make another appointment with your GP. They will review suitability to access a further four sessions on a MHTP.

If you have a referral from a GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician for a MHTP, you will be eligible to receive a Medicare rebate of $96.65 (for a registered psychologist) per individual session for up to 10 sessions per calendar year.

Once payment is processed post-session, you will be provided with a receipt, which you can submit via myGov to seek your rebate. Or your psychologist may submit it for you.

It is your responsibility to track the number of Medicare sessions provided under a GP MHTP. This would include seeking the initial plan, arranging review appointments and further referrals from your GP, as required.

Private Health Insurance

If you have private health insurance that includes psychological counselling as extras cover, you may be eligible for a partial rebate. It is recommended that you contact your insurance provider for further information about your coverage.

You cannot claim with both Medicare and Private Health Insurance.

How long are sessions?

Sessions at Understory Psychology are approx. 50 minutes.

What if I cancel or miss my appointment?

We understand life can become busy and, on some occasions, it may be difficult to attend a scheduled appointment. In these circumstances, we would appreciate as much notice as possible of your inability to attend an appointment, so your session can be allocated to another client. We will also reschedule your appointment to a more convenient time.

In order to provide every client the opportunity to receive timely mental health support, all aspects of Understory Psychology operate on an appointment basis. Therefore, we are generally unable to fill appointment spaces that are cancelled late or not attended, disadvantaging other clients and the psychologist.

Accordingly, Understory Psychology has a late cancellation and non-attendance policy.

If, for some reason you need to cancel or postpone your appointment, appointments need to be cancelled by 5.00pm, two business days (48 hours) prior to the appointment. Late cancellations will incur fees as listed below.

Greater than 48 business hours notice - no fee

Between 24 and 48 business hours notice - $100 fee

Less than 24 business hours notice or non-attendance - $220 fee

These fees cannot be claimed on Medicare or private health insurance.

Your psychologist is very reasonable and encourages you to discuss any missed appointments or oversights, to achieve a workable outcome.