It is usually best to discuss your concerns with your GP who can help you to find services that can help and provide you with rebates if eligible. Make a long appointment with your GP to discuss your concerns and ask for a referral. When we receive your referral, our senior clinical psychologist will match you with a psychologist who meets your needs.
Please note: We are not currently taking new referrals, and apologise for the inconvenience.
We understand the importance of privacy and confidentiality, especially in a small rural setting, and no details of any clients are shared without their permission unless we have a duty of care due to safety concerns. We do not confirm or deny who attends the clinic and cannot give out any personal information.
For all sessions, payment is required in full on the day of the treatment. Rebates will usually be received into your bank account within 24 hours. Funded organisations will be billed for the funding amount on the day.
Payment types: direct deposit is preferred. Payment can also be made via Eftpos, Hicaps and Credit card. This clinic does not take cash.
Our psychologists do not provide couple therapy. Local services that provide this therapy include Relationships Australia. We see parents for part of the time with children and adolescents and we often work with multiple family members. We do not provide the specific type of therapy called Family Therapy.
Most people feel some anxiety before seeing a new psychologist for the first time. So you can expect those feelings and know that they are normal. You might like to make some notes about the things you most want to discuss. We will ask a lot of questions and guide you through the first session.
It is useful to view charts and documents in the Resources section and complete the pre-therapy questionnaire.
This is your choice, but you are not allowed to use both methods of rebate for the same appointment. Many people choose to use their Mental Health Care Plans first because these often provide higher rebates. Private health care rebates can then be used if you require more than 10 sessions in a year.
Once you have been matched with a psychologist within our clinic, we do not normally recommend changing provider. It sometimes takes a couple of sessions to develop a working routine together, and you might have to wait for longer periods of time if you change. However, if you feel your psychologist is not meeting your needs, you can discuss this with them and if need be, with the clinic director. Sometimes people change between clinics, in which case, you can have your Mental Health Care Plan allocated to your new psychologist.
There is a feedback box in the clinic near reception and we welcome your input. Please feel welcome to provide feedback to us via our email address: admin@sevenscreekpsychology.com.au.
Telehealth is when psychology services are provided by telephone or video call rather than in person. The benefits are that you can receive services at home and save the costs and time of travel. A challenge of telehealth is the need for good internet coverage, the remote possibility of calls being heard, and frequent dropouts. Some people are uncertain about not being face to face with their psychologist, but we have found that people get used to it very quickly.
Mental health sessions cost from $110 to $390 per session. Rebates are available for most people, usually for up to 10 sessions in a calendar year. For more information, see appointments and fees.
No, we do not conduct these specialised and detailed assessments. Providers who offer this service include local provider Kristy Nihill at KN Psychology (admin@knpsychology.com.au) and Melbourne provider Autism Spectrum Australia in Flemington (1800 277 328).
Clients must provide 48 hours’ notice if they need to cancel an appointment, otherwise they will be billed half of their appointment fee. This is because that space is kept available for a booked appointment and other people will miss out if clients don’t cancel ahead.
Mental Health Care Plans allow people to access up to 10 sessions with a Medicare rebate in each calendar year. You attend 6 sessions then review with your GP and you may be allocated the additional 4 sessions.
While we are doing our best to attract more psychologists to our region, we are currently experiencing a high volume of referrals and waiting times can be up to 6 months. In most cases, we would recommend that you go elsewhere at this time, as we are not currently taking new referrals.
Clinical psychologists have done specialist training in clinical psychology, through a master’s or doctoral degree and at least 2 years' practical training in that specialty area.
Psychologists have often done training in other specialties such as Forensic, Counselling, or Health Psychology. Psychologists have trained through a combination of a university degree and practical experience. Some psychologists may also be early in their career, having studied a master’s degree but not yet had 2 years’ experience in the field. In this case, they might be completing a registrar program to become a specialist.
Provisional psychologists are people undertaking their training in psychology. They do not yet have enough experience or training to call themselves a psychologist and they are in a program where they are doing that training, such as master’s students.
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