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.

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). 

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.