Located in Byron Bay
Book an appointment now online
Serving the Northern Rivers community
Our simple aim is to provide opportunity for everyone in the Northern Rivers community to have access to psychology services and support for mental health.
We have experienced psychologists (including a clinical psychologist) on our team.
We provide multi-modal services so that everyone can access them. This means that you can choose whether to attend appointments in person at our clinic, or choose one of our Telehealth options – video-conferencing or by telephone, whatever suits you best.
Our Service Fees
Our services are eligible for Medicare rebates when you have a referral (Mental Health Treatment Plan) from your GP, making it a more affordable option for you. Similarly, rebates may apply if you have private health extras cover.
With a referral from your GP, your out of pocket expense will be approx. $80 per session.
We are also committed to providing services which are provided at a discounted rate to those in the community that need this. Should you be experiencing financial hardship and have a health care or pension card, we will be able to offer you a concessional fee – or if you are eligible – we can organise and direct you to access government funding so that the sessions are of no cost to you.
See Fees FAQ for further information.
How can you access the service?
STEP 1 Make an appointment with any GP/Doctor and request a referral to us.
This referral, also known as a Mental Health Treatment Plan, will allow you to access Medicare-subsidised funding (i.e. medicare rebate).
STEP 2 Once you have your referral, book an appointment with us. You can request to have your appointment by video-conferencing or telephone if you prefer.
The easiest way to do this is to BOOK ONLINE. You can also contact us if you prefer.
It’s that simple!
*You can also pay privately for services without a referral from your GP (no medicare-rebate). See Fees FAQ for further information.
Please check out the Services and Questions sections for any other information you may need.
Services
If you’ve never tried counselling (or otherwise known as therapy) before, you might be surprised to learn that counselling isn’t just for people struggling with mental illness or major life transitions. People attend counselling from all walks of life for various reasons. A psychologist can help you navigate a host of issues, helping you to bring clarity and progress to challenges. A psychologist can also help you determine if your are experiencing a mental health concern and provide insight and guidance.
Mental health concerns are everyday common concerns, with about 20% of Australians experiencing a mental health issue every year. Mental health concerns are nothing to be ashamed of; instead, the right treatment can help you get back on track before you know it. Some common mental health concerns include: Negative thinking, Anxiety, Excessive Stress, Overthinking, Doubt & Insecurity, Mistrust and Attention problems.
Of course everything that is discussed between you & your psychologist is private and confidential.
Our counselling or therapy services are currently available to people aged 15 and above. (There are future plans to cater for people younger than this, and people aged 12 and above can currently attend the service for assessment purposes by a clinical psychologist. See assessment services).
We are available to complete a variety of psychological assessments including, diagnosis, vocational assessments and medico-legal reports.
Often, government agencies, schools or workplaces specifically require a clinical psychologist, whom we have here at Northern Rivers Psychology, to conduct psychological assessments due to their expertise in this area. These types of assessments (which may involve the writing of a letter or report) are helpful and necessary in a number of situations.
Psychological assessments may be beneficial to provide a diagnosis of a mental health or neurodevelopment disorder, which is negatively impacting someone’s functioning (for example, at school, work, etc.). For example, clinical assessments may be requested to assess if school-aged children, teenagers, or adults are experiencing Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and a diagnosis may help their school/workplace gain an adequate level of understanding and assist with the provision of helpful supports.
Generally, medico-legal reports, are requested when an individual’s situation needs to be understood to assist in complex decision making. This might include situations where a magistrate needs to decide on an appropriate criminal sentence for someone who is experiencing mental health difficulties.
Vocational assessments and reports can also be requested by organisations such as the Defence Force or Workcover to assess someones psychological state and whether this may impact upon their capacity to work or be accepted into a career direction or vocation.
Often private fees may apply for assessment services, however, you may still be eligible for subsidised support with fees associated with such services. Please contact us to discuss this further, as this is treated on a case by case basis.
Relationship counselling, can help partners, families or individuals to navigate through the complex area of human relationships. This is a very specialised field for which we have an experienced psychologist.
Couples Counselling is not always an easy or quick process, but many couples who show commitment to the process will see benefits for their relationship, and each other.
If it’s your first time seeking relationship counselling and you may be feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and maybe even a little bit hopeless, there is hope. Relationships are powerful things; small shifts can change a lot, Research suggests that people are certainly happier when they’re in a healthy relationship. Couples counselling can help you clarify expectations and needs, develop relationship skills and improve communication. Research suggests that, in 70% to 80% of cases, couples counselling can be effective.
It can take two to create a problem. No matter how difficult things seem, both you and your partner have likely contributed to the challenges that you’re currently facing. Counselling works best when you both work together. But what if your partner is unwilling to go? Or what if you’re not comfortable going to counselling together? More than half of couples report that at least one member of the duo is reluctant to participate. Although joint counselling is the ideal, you can still make incredible changes with individual efforts. If you attend to this on your own in individual counselling, you’ll develop a host of skills which will help you to navigate the problems in your relationship.
Family relationships can also be challenging and often become an ongoing source of conflict or distress. Family therapy can help all family members communicate more effectively so that everyone feels heard and understood. Family therapy involves engaging with the whole family system as a functioning unit. Research shows Family Therapy is a very effective way to improve individual well-being, but also the way that family is functioning in general.
Often private fees may apply for these types of services, however, you may still be eligible for subsidised support with fees associated with such services. Please contact us to discuss this further, as this is treated on a case by case basis.
Counselling & Therapy
If you’ve never tried counselling (or otherwise known as therapy) before, you might be surprised to learn that counselling isn’t just for people struggling with mental illness or major life transitions. People attend counselling from all walks of life for various reasons. A psychologist can help you navigate a host of issues, helping you to bring clarity and progress to challenges. A psychologist can also help you determine if your are experiencing a mental health concern and provide insight and guidance.
Mental health concerns are everyday common concerns, with about 20% of Australians experiencing a mental health issue every year. Mental health concerns are nothing to be ashamed of; instead, the right treatment can help you get back on track before you know it. Some common mental health concerns include: Negative thinking, Anxiety, Excessive Stress, Overthinking, Doubt & Insecurity, Mistrust and Attention problems.
Of course everything that is discussed between you & your psychologist is private and confidential.
Our counselling or therapy services are currently available to people aged 15 and above. (There are future plans to cater for people younger than this, and people aged 12 and above can currently attend the service for assessment purposes by a clinical psychologist. See assessment services).
Assessments & Reports
We are available to complete a variety of psychological assessments including diagnostic and vocational assessments.
Often, government agencies, schools or workplaces specifically require a clinical psychologist, whom we have here at Northern Rivers Psychology, to conduct psychological assessments due to their expertise in this area. These types of assessments (which may involve the writing of a letter or report) are helpful and necessary in a number of situations.
Psychological assessments may be beneficial to provide a diagnosis of a mental health or neurodevelopment disorder, which is negatively impacting someone’s functioning (for example, at school, work, etc.). For example, clinical assessments may be requested to assess if school-aged children, teenagers, or adults are experiencing Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and a diagnosis may help their school/workplace gain an adequate level of understanding and assist with the provision of helpful supports.
Vocational assessments and reports can also be requested by organisations such as the Defence Force or Workcover to assess someones psychological state and whether this may impact upon their capacity to work or be accepted into a career direction or vocation.
Couples & Family Therapy
Relationship counselling, can help partners, families or individuals to navigate through the complex area of human relationships. This is a very specialised field for which we have an experienced psychologist.
Couples Counselling is not always an easy or quick process, but many couples who show commitment to the process will see benefits for their relationship, and each other.
If it’s your first time seeking relationship counselling and you may be feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and maybe even a little bit hopeless, there is hope. Relationships are powerful things; small shifts can change a lot, Research suggests that people are certainly happier when they’re in a healthy relationship. Couples counselling can help you clarify expectations and needs, develop relationship skills and improve communication. Research suggests that, in 70% to 80% of cases, couples counselling can be effective.
It can take two to create a problem. No matter how difficult things seem, both you and your partner have likely contributed to the challenges that you’re currently facing. Counselling works best when you both work together. But what if your partner is unwilling to go? Or what if you’re not comfortable going to counselling together? More than half of couples report that at least one member of the duo is reluctant to participate. Although joint counselling is the ideal, you can still make incredible changes with individual efforts. If you attend to this on your own in individual counselling, you’ll develop a host of skills which will help you to navigate the problems in your relationship.
Family relationships can also be challenging and often become an ongoing source of conflict or distress. Family therapy can help all family members communicate more effectively so that everyone feels heard and understood. Family therapy involves engaging with the whole family system as a functioning unit. Research shows Family Therapy is a very effective way to improve individual well-being, but also the way that family is functioning in general.
For all our services, our fee is a sessional rate (sessions are 50 minutes).
The Australian Psychological Society recommended rate for a psychologist is $300 per hour.
Our hourly private fees as from 1 August 2023 for any service is:
$220 (Clinical Psychologist)
$180 (General Psychologist)
*The difference in fees solely reflects the difference in the Medicare rebate that applies depending on the qualifications of the practitioner.
With a referral from your GP, this will automatically entitle you to the Medicare rebate, that is automatically paid into your bank account, which is:
$136.35 (Clinical Psychologist)
$92.90 (General Psychologist)
The out of pocket expense for you therefore will be approximately $80 per session.
So you pay the set fee upfront and then receive the Medicare rebate into your nominated bank account the next day.
Alternatively, if you have private health extras cover this may entitle you to a rebate with them. (Please check with your provider).
Unfortunately we do not offer bulk-billing. However, if you are experiencing financial hardship & have a health care or pension card – a concessional fee can be arranged, which will will mean you will only pay $30 out of pocket per session.
All our psychologists are registered Healthy Minds Providers which means that if you are eligible and experiencing financial hardship your session costs may be able to fully covered by this government program. Please discuss this with your psychologist.
If you do not have a referral from your GP, nor have private health extras cover, then the set hourly rate will apply.
Cancellation fees are something everyone wants to avoid, especially us!
While we remind you of your appointments through email & SMS reminders, these should not be relied upon and it is your responsibility to remember and attend appointments you have made.
We need you to consider that if you do not attend your appointment or cancel without contacting us & giving us enough notice:
- the time put aside for you cannot be used by someone else
- our psychologists do not get paid for that time
It is that simple.
For these reasons, if you do not contact us at least 48 hours before your appointment and let us know that you can’t attend, we believe it is only fair that we charge you a cancellation fee.
A cancellation fee of $50 will be charged to the credit/debit card you have supplied us.
If you are sick, injured or have an emergency situation arise, and you contact us prior to your session, then this fee may be waived.
*If you’re unable to attend your appointment in-person, please contact us to conduct your session by telephone or video.
Any other reason for not attending will be considered insufficient and you will be charged the fee.
We hope that this explains why we need to have this policy in place and thank you for your understanding and for taking responsibility for attending your appointments.
Medicare funding is available to anyone with a Medicare card who wants to access psychological services provided by registered psychologists.
This Medicare funding assists with making access to psychologists more affordable.
Under the Medicare funding called the ‘Better Access initiative’, people can receive:
- Up to 10 individual appointments each calendar year (1 January to 31 December).
Note: In October 2020, the government have made available an additional 10 sessions in the context of the COVID-19 situation, meaning you can potentially access up to 20 SESSIONS per calendar year.
Whether there is an end date to this increase or not is not known yet, but these additional 10 sessions will be available at least until 30 June 2022. See the Medicare Factsheet about this here.
Referrals from a GP are not provided for the whole 10 sessions. A referral is valid for the first 6 sessions, then your referring doctor will review your situation with you and then provide a new referral for the remaining 4 sessions.
After you have reached the maximum number of sessions for the calendar year, you will not be eligible for any further Medicare funded appointments from a psychologist until the new calendar year.
No. To access Medicare funding for psychology services, you first must have a referral from your GP (or psychiatrist or a paediatrician).
It is entirely your choice which psychologist you want your GP to refer you to. The psychologist must have a Medicare Provider Number (as everyone at Northern Rivers Psychology does) for you to be able to claim the Medicare funding.
Book an appointment with any GP who can prepare you a referral, which is called a Mental Health Treatment Plan – this is the referral that must be provided to us, which allows you to access the Medicare funding for your appointments.
Psychologists study the way people feel, think, act and interact. Psychologists are experts in human behavior. They have studied the brain, memory, learning and human development.
Therefore, psychologists are experts in conducting clinical assessments of people’s behaviour, personality, emotional and brain functioning.
Through a range of strategies and therapies they aim to reduce distress and to enhance and promote emotional wellbeing. Psychologists can assist people who are having difficulty controlling their emotions, thinking and behaviour, including those with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, serious and enduring mental illness, addictive behaviours and childhood behaviour disorders.
Whilst there are some differences between Counsellors and Psychologists, one thing in common is that they both can provide counselling to people. For counsellors, this is their primary skill and focus of training.
Psychologists are considered trained experts in human behaviour, first and foremost, and counselling is one of the services they are qualified to provide.
Counsellors and Psychologists undergo different levels and areas of education and training.
In Australia, the practice of psychology is highly regulated, while that of counselling is not regulated at the same standard. Therefore, a counsellor might be highly experienced and possess high quality counselling skills, however some may have as little as a three-day course of training. The Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) does require that its members complete a minimum of 350 hours of person-to-person training as well as 50 hours of supervision over at least three years. So the skills and experience of counsellors linked to such bodies can be trusted.
Accredited Mental Health Social Workers are specially qualified Social workers, specially trained in mental health and recognised as an eligible provider of Medicare Services.
To become a Medicare Provider, a Social Worker must first have been assessed by the AASW as meeting the requirements for Accreditation as a Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW).
Psychology, requires the completion of a minimum of six years of university-level training. This training includes a minimum of one to two years of supervised clinical practice. In many cases, psychologists are trained to PhD level.
All practicing psychologists must be registered with the national registration board, the Psychology Board of Australia, in the same way medical practitioners must be registered. This means that they must be competent and follow a strict Code of Conduct. Seeing someone who is registered ultimately ensures you receive high quality ethical assessment and treatment.
Multi-Modal simply means that you can attend appointments with the psychologist either in-person, by video-conferencing or telephone, whichever suits you best.
What is telehealth?
Telehealth is one of these modes available, and refers to the provision of psychological services using telecommunication technologies, i.e. videoconference or Telephone. This is similar to connecting with family, friends or business contacts using programs such as FaceTime, Skype or Zoom.
Psychological services delivered via telehealth (videoconference or telephone)
Once you have a referral from your GP (the same referral that you need to see a psychologist in-person), you are also eligible to receive these Telehealth services under Medicare.
Note: Telehealth services are currently available to anyone in Australia until at least March 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether Telehealth remains available to everyone after March 2021 we don’t know as yet, but appears a real possibility.
After March 2021, Telehealth will definitely still be available to those who live in areas that are classified as rural by Medicare. (Northern Rivers areas eligible include: Byron Bay, Suffolk Park, Bangalow, Mullumbimby, Brunswick Heads, Ocean Shores, Casino and all other smaller rural towns). See this link for more information.
Yes! We are pleased to have a vastly experienced Child Psychologist – Jaione who has worked all over the world.
Jaione sees children aged 14 and below .
However, children aged 14 and above can attend for assessment or therapy purposes also with one of other psychologists.
Children and Confidentiality:
Privacy and confidentiality are very important to us. If you decide to book an appointment, or if you would like this information prior to booking an appointment, we will email you our detailed confidentiality and privacy policies to consider and sign prior to commencing. We do not release information that you or your child share with us to any other people without your consent as the parent, though there are some important exceptions to this that we outline in our policy (that is, where we are concerned about risk of harm to yourself, your child, or an identifiable other, or if the information is subpoenaed).
When our clients are preschool-aged children, we generally only see them with a parent or guardian present and involved in the sessions, so parents are aware of all the information being shared. For older children, it is often beneficial for them to spend some time alone with their clinical psychologist at some stage, but only if and when the child and family are comfortable with this. If children spend some time in session alone with their psychologist, confidentiality also applies for them as clients, in that we would request their permission to share specific information they have shared with us, even with parents (though there are still the same exceptions, such as when there are concerns about risk of harm). A certain level of confidentiality is required in order to build a trusting and therapeutic relationship with a child, which is necessary for effective psychological treatment. It can also ensure a safe space where children can share their worries and concerns without fearing negative consequences from others. Please be assured that we are happy to provide parents with general feedback and we aim to keep parents informed and involved in the therapy work, especially when we are working with children. We believe it is important to share information with parents to help them understand the work children are doing in therapy, how they can help support this work at home, their child’s progress, as well as any other specific feedback likely to be helpful for the child and family. We do this in consultation with the child to protect confidentiality, while working over time to ensure that parents are provided with all the information that is important for them to know. For example, we often provide feedback to parents of primary-school aged children together with the child towards the end of any child session.
When working alone with adolescents, it is important that any feedback to parents is carefully negotiated with the young person wherever possible. Please see the youth page to see how we explain confidentiality to adolescents (or for more details see the youth consent form which will be emailed when an appointment is booked, or prior on request).
We encourage all parents to let us know if they would like additional time with us (either alone or together with their child and other family members) to discuss any concerns or seek further feedback.
You cannot use your private health insurance ancillary cover to top up the Medicare rebates.
You can however use your private health insurance if you are paying your fees privately and not accessing the Medicare funding. Check with your provider to se if psychological services is covered under your policy (most do).
For a detailed explanation of our practice software security levels, please click here.
Our website is securely encrypted with a fundamental security item — an SSL certificate. If you look at the address bar of your browser right now, you will see that there is a small padlock before the address of our website.
Clicking on it, a message stating that “the connection to this site is secure” will appear, depending on your browser, of course.
Okay, but what does that mean? Well, this means that there is a reputable data security company guaranteeing that the communication between you and the company responsible for the website cannot be intercepted or modified.
In addition to the padlock, you can identify this protection by the letter “s” at the end of the acronym HTTP. i.e. https:/.
HALAXY
Our practice uses an online software program called Halaxy to deal with all administration tasks.
Halaxy is the leading global health platform built for both practitioners and patients anywhere in the world.
All information that you provide to us and entered onto our system, either your details when you book online or on any online forms you may complete, is completely secure and protected with state-of-the-art technology.
Halaxy service staff cannot see personal information that you enter; when Halaxy service staff access your account to assist with service queries, all confidential details are randomised or removed. If Halaxy staff need to assist with regard to a particular patient, they will ask for an anonymous patient ID rather than a patient’s name.
Internally, Halaxy is operated from Melbourne, and data for Australian practitioners is stored within Australia in securely protected data centres with multiple backups in place. This data is protected by 256-bit bank grade security and encryption, meaning patient records, notes, and payment information are protected to the same level required by Australian banks.
Access to data is restricted, patient and practitioner data is anonymised, and data transmissions are encrypted. In the event of a data breach, an internal policy and response plan has been prepared in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme.
When Halaxy integrated with funding bodies (such as Medicare), Halaxy passed system-wide security and operational tests to be permitted to integrate with these governmental bodies.
Debit/Credit Cards:
Halaxy’s payments gateway is powered by Braintree Paypal, who as one of the world’s largest online payments providers have a stringent data and security policy when it comes to storing cardholder details.
When a patient’s or client’s card details are entered into our system (via Halaxy), they are stored and tokenised by Halaxy’s payments gateway, meaning that once initially entered and captured, they are not visible to anybody within the clinic or at Halaxy. If card details need to be altered or updated, this requires the card to be completely re-entered, as a tokenised card is unable to be edited.
You can be rest assured that any data or information you provide us is treated with utmost privacy and security.
Contact & Locate Us
Our clinic is located centrally to the Northern Rivers area in Byron Bay.
Remember you can also request appointments with us online (video-conferencing) or via telephone.
BYRON BAY
Address: Suite 3C “Byron Arcade”
13 Lawson St, Byron Bay
(Located upstairs, Enter via rear staircase of the Byron Arcade)
email: [email protected]
phone: 0423 022 252
fax: (02) 8294 7060
Our Practitioners
Alexandra McCord
Alex is a fully registered psychologist with AHPRA and holds a Master of Professional Psychology with Honours from the University of New England, having completed her undergraduate psychology degree with City University of New York. She has worked with a broad age range of clients in Australia from adolescents to adults and seniors, also holding the APS practice certificate in services for older adults. Additionally, Alex has practiced across a range of contexts from community public health to residential facilities.
Person-centred and trauma-informed care are important to Alex. She believes that each client is unique and there is no “one size fits all” approach. With that, Alex uses a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches including but not limited to cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy. She is also able to administer tests of intellectual functioning and achievement. Alex has experience treating depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety, cognitive impairment and its impact on the individual and carers, psychosis syndromes, eating disorders, PTSD and complex trauma.
Jacki Elphinstone
Jacki has a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, over 30 years of clinical experience, is a Full Member of the Australian Psychological Society, registered with the Australian Psychology Board and provides services through Medicare, NSW Workcover and CTP claims. Jacki’s therapeutic work is grounded in mindfulness, compassion and emotional intelligence.
Jacki utilises a client centred integrative approach drawing on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Interpersonal skills, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Trauma, and Hakomi Professional Skills. Jacki provides assessment, solutions and treatment for such issues as anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and loss, adjustment to life change, and relationship conflict, in the context of fostering personal growth and human potential.