Our Psychology & Counselling Fees

A Medicare rebate of $89.65 per session for seeing a Registered Psychologist and a rebate of $131.65 per session is available for seeing a Clinical Psychologist and $79.05 for Registered Mental Health Social workers.

To be eligible to receive psychology services under Medicare, a person must be referred by their general practitioner (GP) and in some instances by another medical specialist.

The first step could be the hardest: recognising and accepting that you need help for your mental health.

To be eligible to receive psychology services under Medicare, a person must be referred by their general practitioner (GP) and in some instances by another medical specialist.

Many people do not have a regular GP. Simply find your nearest medical centre that does bulk billing to see a general practitioner. Make sure that you bring your Medicare card so that you do not have to pay for the consultation.

Once you’re at your appointment, tell your GP about what you’re going through, and ask about a mental health treatment plan.

If you haven’t received a diagnosis for a mental illness before, your GP will need to assess whether you have a diagnosable mental illness.

Often the GP will want to make another appointment, because to do a quality plan they usually need longer than ten minutes.

If they think it’s the right decision, your GP will refer you to a psychologist or an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker for up to six Medicare rebatable sessions. A Medicare rebate is where Medicare will refund you part of the cost of your appointment with a doctor or specialist.

It is important that you feel comfortable with your psychologist so it is okay to change who you’re seeing if it’s not working.

Please note that every session you have counts toward your limit of rebatable sessions.

So even if you “start over” with a new psychologist, your rebatable sessions won’t be refreshed until the New Year.

Rebates are available for clients with a Medicare Mental Health Care Plan, or through client’s private health fund.

Rebates on psychological services are dependent on your health fund and your level of cover. Please enquire with your health fund for specific details.

Payment is made at the end of each session and is available via cash, eftpos and credit card.

Rebates can also be provided immediately via debit card.

For a number of psychology services, New Vision Psychology is able to offer online counselling support.

Clinical Psychologists have a specific practice endorsement, or speciality, in the area of Clinical Psychology. Clinical Psychology integrates theory and clinical practice to understand, prevent and relieve psychological problems or disorders. It involves the research, assessment, diagnosis, formulation, treatment and evaluation of mental health issues. Clinical psychologists design and implement treatment strategies in clinical settings such as primary care, psychiatric and rehabilitation settings.

Meanwhile, registered or general psychologists do not specialise in an endorsed area of practice. More than 60% of Australia’s psychologists are registered psychologists. In private practice, they often end up doing the same type of work as clinical psychologists. Psychologists with a general registration apply their skills across a broad range of professional settings. They can assess, diagnose and treat a wide range of clients and areas of concern. They use evidence-based psychological approaches tailored to each situation. They also conduct psychological assessments and write psychological reports.

All psychologists, whether Clinical or Registered, must be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and meet high standards in education, training, supervised practice, ethics and ongoing professional development. Whether you’re seeing a Clinical or Registered psychologist, you should expect the same quality of care, ethical behaviour and standards of practice.

For registered psychologists, after-hours fees are $215 per session or $125.35 after Medicare rebate.

For clinical psychologists, after-hours fees are $255 per session or $123.35 after Medicare rebate.

Make an appointment with your General Practitioner (GP) or a relevant medical specialist to get a Mental Health Treatment Plan. Bring this along to your first session.

This will enable you to claim a Medicare rebate of $89.65 per session for a Registered Psychologist; $131.65 per session for a Clinical Psychologist; or $131.65 per session for a Registered Mental Health Social Worker.

You can currently receive Medicare rebates for a maximum of 20 sessions per calendar year. Your rebate will be provided immediately after each session.

To book your first session, we charge a $20 non-refundable deposit which will go towards the total fee payable at the end of your session.

For follow up appointments, you can pay the full fee after your session.

If booking an appointment within 24 hours, you will have to pay the full fee upfront due to our 24-hour cancellation policy.

When booking online, you will have to pay the full fee upfront every time. If you prefer not to do so, call us to book and you can pay after your session.

Our preferred payment methods are credit card, debit card and EFTPOS. In exceptional circumstances, we can accept bank transfers (EFT) and cash (except for the first session).