We understand that talking to a new person about your difficulties and goals in life can provoke anxiety, so we strive to put you at ease in our first appointment.

Your initial appointment, which lasts approximately 50 minutes, involves a comprehensive assessment of your current life situation and the broader context in which they have developed and evolved.  It will also involve a discussion of your goals for treatment. This will assist us in developing a treatment plan tailored to your specific issues and goals.

The importance of a comprehensive assessment cannot be overlooked: just as you would like your GP to recommend a treatment based on a sound understanding of your symptoms and your health history, it is essential for your psychologist to gain a clear understanding of your issues in order to devise the most effective plan for helping you.

Following your initial appointment, we will provide information to help you better understand your difficulties, how they have developed, and what keeps them going.

Then, depending on the therapeutic approach that best suits your needs and goals, subsequent sessions will involve exploring key patterns that contribute to your problems and using a range of strategies to address them. This could include introducing better ways to manage emotion, helping you to identify and change unhelpful thoughts and beliefs, learning to heal from past trauma,  reducing your reliance on unhealthy coping mechanisms, confronting avoided situations, improving how you communicate, learning ways to live more in the present moment, or increasing your involvement in meaningful activity. 

Each treatment session will generally start with a review of your week and any tasks set during the previous session. Important themes will be revisited and new strategies will be introduced during the session. You may be given reading or activities to complete before the next session.

The number of sessions required depends on several factors, including the nature, duration and complexity of your difficulties. Your goals for treatment and your level of participation in tasks outside of sessions also influence required number of consultations.

For many problems,  you may benefit from between 10 and 15 sessions, but a simple issue may require fewer sessions and complex or longstanding issues may need many more.

In the initial sessions, we will discuss the estimated length of treatment and develop a flexible treatment plan with which you are at ease. Initially, sessions are often held on a weekly or fortnightly basis and the frequency usually decreases over the course of treatment, ideally with a three-month follow-up session.

We offer consultations at:

North Sydney: Suite 6, Level 9, 122 Arthur Street
Northbridge: Suite 2B, Level 1, 115 Sailors Bay Rd

No referral is required unless you wish to claim a rebate from Medicare.

The cost of sessions is $265. Fees are payable at the time of consultation. Accepted forms of payment are EFTPOS, Visa and Mastercard.

Medicare rebates: If you have been referred by a GP under a GP Mental Health Care Plan, you may claim a Medicare rebate of around $137 for up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year. If you have reached the Medicare Safety Net amount you may rebated 80-100% of the fee.

Private health fund rebates: Rebates may be available from a private health fund (depending upon your fund and your health plan). Our clinical psychologists are registered with all major health funds. Contact your fund for more information regarding rebates for psychological services.

If you have a Compulsory Third Party or an Income Protection claim, we may be able to bill the insurance company directly. Please contact us for further information.

If you still have questions please call us on 1800 768 411. If we aren’t available to speak to you immediately, please leave a message with our friendly receptionist, Lisa, and will we call you back as soon as possible. If you prefer, you may e-mail us at [email protected]
Additional information regarding commonly experienced difficulties and their treatment may be found at the following websites:

Depression:
www.blackdoginstitute.org.au
www.bluepages.anu.edu.au
www.depnet.com.au
www.beyondblue.org.au
www.depressionet.com.au

Anxiety:
www.anxietyaustralia.com.au
www.socialanxietyassist.com.au

Other:
www.lifeline.org.au/pages/toolkits.php
www.mindtools.com

Please note: The content on this website is not intended to be, nor should it be relied on as, a substitute to the obtaining of professional advice.   No warranties or representations regarding the quality, accuracy or fitness for purpose of any content on this site are made. Any person accessing this site shall have no right to seek any compensation for any loss or damage from any party associated with the site howsoever occasioned.