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.