Frequently Asked Questions

  • The fee to see a psychologist range from $200 to $250 per session.

  • You do not need a referral to see a psychologist privately. If you wish to claim rebates from Medicare, a doctor’s referral or Mental Health Care Plan is required.

    If you have extras under your private health Insurer, you may also be able to claim it through your insurer.

  • If you have a Mental Health Care Plan, you are entitled to receive a part rebate for your session fees through Medicare.

  • Our treatment is individually tailored to your needs, we offer Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Interpersonal therapy and positive psychology.

  • Yes, we have appointments available from 8am to 9pm.

  • Our sessions are generally 50 minutes.

  • We do not bulk bill, we are a private practice and therefore gap fees apply.

  • We do accept Workcover and TAC referrals. All claims are required to be initially lodged via your treating GP.

    We require a letter of approval for psychology treatment from your case manager, or the appropriate third party prior to commencement of any psychological treatment.

  • Yes, we are able to undertake comprehensive assessments for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

    Please contact our friendly reception team on (03) 9344 1386 for further information.

  • The key difference between a clinical psychologist and a general psychologist is their post graduate qualifications. A clinical psychologist will have studied a master’s in clinical psychology.

    -Both have a minimum of 6 years of psychology training

    -Both can treat a wide range of mental health issues

    There is no difference in the standard of care they provide clients.

  • The Mindful Centre has limited availability to offer Couples counselling so there may be a wait to access an appointment. We do not keep waitlists beyond 3 weeks as we think people deserve immediate access to treatment. We will provide you with other services to consider if there is no availability with us.

  • The Mindful Centre currently does not have capacity to see children under the age of 12. We provide anxiety treatment only for children aged 11 – 15.

  • We currently do not have availability for face to face appointments.

    Telehealth appointments are proven to be equally effective for anxiety and depression.

    Benefits of telehealth include:

    - Improved accessibility when you need it

    - Increased flexibility to accommodate last minute delays/traffic jams

    - Ability to access the service anywhere, anytime

    - Helpful to build rapport for those with anxiety and hesitancy in starting the counselling process.

Costs

Better Access Program – Medicare

Psychological assessment and treatment sessions usually take 50-60 minutes. If you have a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP, Medicare provides a significant rebate towards the total cost. The out of pocket fee for an individual consultation will be approximately $105. Patients are eligible to receive rebates for up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year. This is based on Government budget allocation and is not representative of how many sessions a patient may need.

In addition to individual therapy sessions, Medicare provides rebates towards Group Therapy sessions. Patients can access rebates for up to 10 individual sessions and 10 Group sessions per calendar year.

TAC and Workcover

Patients with an accepted claim under any of these schemes, will have most of their fee paid with out of pocket expenses ranging from $9 - $54. Our psychologists are registered to provide psychological assessment and treatment to patients under these schemes. The number of sessions is dependent upon the type of claim you have.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

The Mindful Centre is registered to provide assessment and treatment to patients registered under the NDIS who are plan or self managed. There are no out of pocket gaps for NDIS patients and accounts are all recovered from NDIS directly. Find out more about our work with NDIS here.

Private Health Cover

Psychological assessment and treatment sessions usually take 50-60 minutes. Patients with Private Health cover can receive rebates towards a consultation. The number of rebated sessions and the out of pocket fee will depend on the type of cover you have. We suggest you check your cover and level of rebate directly with your provider.

Private Fees

Patients who wish to see a psychologist outside of the Medicare or any other schemes are able to pay the full fee for a consultation. The fees for a 50-60 minute, individual session are as follows:

  • Director $250

  • Clinical Psychologist $240

  • Senior Psychologist $200

*Cancellation fees are charged for sessions cancelled within 48-hours