Dr Philomena Tan
My standard appointments are 75 minutes in length. Please be aware of this when you are comparing my fees with those of other practitioners as they probably have sessions of 50-60 minutes only. For 2022/23, The Australian Psychological Society’s recommended fee for 50-60 minutes was $280.
Medicare increased the rebate of Better Access to Mental Health sessions in July 2021. For 2022, The Health Minister has granted a maximum of 20 possible sessions to be initiated by your GP or psychiatrist. Prior to the covid pandemic, this was only 10 possible sessions per calendar year.
| Consultation fees 2021 | Full fee with Medicare | Full fee with Private Health Cover |
| My fee (75 minutes) | $290 | $280 |
| Medicare rebate | $129.55 | Private health cover varies $30-Full fee |
| Gap (Your actual out of pocket costs) | $160.45 | Variable depending on your health fund for Extras cover (psychology) |
Therapy for couples (on going couples therapy or occasional sessions where a partner attends) is not covered by Medicare. A standard 75min session for couples is $340. Unfortunately I no longer see clients under TAC or Worksafe.
For individual and couple sessions, extra time is charged at $60 for every block of 5-15 mins.
The consultation fee is due on the date of service. For non-attendance and cancellations with less than 48 hours notice, the full fee will be charged. Medicare does not rebate non-attended or late cancelled sessions. A late cancellation impacts 3 people: (1) the client who potentially loses therapy momentum and delays therapeutic progress; (2) another client possibly on a waiting list, who could have benefited from that session time; (3) a psychologist who spent time preparing for the session.
Many clients with long term mental health issues fund their therapy with a combination of Medicare and Private Health Extras cover. Another option is to do blocks of sessions and return each year for a pulse of treatment. You can stop or pause therapy at any stage, assuming you are stable enough to do so. If we are not a good fit as client-therapist, you are free to change to another psychologist at any stage. If I feel that I am not a good fit for you as a therapist (e.g. do not have the experience or skill set necessary, or good interpersonal fit), I will also make a recommendation for another therapist for you.