Client Information
Making an appointment
You do not need a referral to see a psychologist or social worker, you can self-refer by simply contacting the clinic to ask about a first appointment. However, with certain types of referral and funding schemes, you may be eligible for a rebate of part of the session fee.
Fees and rebates
Your clinician will discuss the fees and rebates you may be eligible for in your specific circumstances before your first appointment. At Yellow Gum Psychology we maintain lower fees than the recommended Australian Psychological Society rate, and we do this to provide the best and most affordable care we can while remaining sustainable in our regional area. When considering health care costs, it is important to consider the costs of treatment with the costs of not undertaking treatment. Good mental health and healthy relationships are a vital part of life. Investing in your mental health can prevent many of the downstream challenges that arise from poor mental health.
Fees are payable at the time of the appointment. Yellow Gum Psychology can accept payment using cash, EFTPOS, Visa or Mastercard, and in most cases Medicare rebates (if eligible) can be processed on your behalf at the time of payment.
Our clinicians can provide services under a range of funding schemes and programs. Depending on the program, clients may have fees fully covered, be fully reimbursed, or partially reimbursed, for their session fees.
These include:
Medicare
If your GP has completed a Mental Health Treatment Plan, you may be eligible for a significant rebate from Medicare. To access this type of referral, visit your GP (or psychiatrist or paediatrician) who will assess whether a referral under this program is appropriate for you, given your health care needs and circumstances. You will need to book a long consultation with your GP to discuss your concerns and allow them time to make the appropriate referral. Depending on your referral, you may be eligible for a rebate for up to 10 of your sessions (per calendar year).
More information about this funding scheme is available here: Better Access (Medicare) Scheme patient fact sheet
Medicare: Pregnancy Support Counselling
If you are pregnant, or in the first 12 months after a pregnancy (whether it has been full-term or part-term, including planned terminations), you may be eligible for a smaller rebate for up to 3 sessions with a specifically trained psychologist for pregnancy-related support and counselling. This type of referral does not require a diagnosis and can be for any pregnancy-related concerns, such as exploring decisions about the pregnancy, coming to terms with unexpected outcomes, adjustment following the pregnancy, or general issues related to a pregnancy and early parenting. To access this type of referral, visit your GP who can discuss your needs with you and provide a brief referral letter.
More information about this funding scheme is available here: Medicare-Pregnancy support counselling
Private Health Insurance
Your Private Health cover may also include rebates towards a consultation, typically included under Extras cover. The number of rebated sessions and rebate amount will depend on the type of cover you have.
NDIS
Yellow Gum Psychology is able to provide services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for clients with self-managed or plan-managed plans. Clinicians at Yellow Gum Psychology are not registered NDIS providers, so clients are unable to utilise NDIA-managed funding for our services.
DVA
If you are a Veteran Card holder, you may be eligible for fully funded mental health treatment. For an initial treatment cycle, you will need a valid referral from a GP, medical specialist, treating hospital doctor, or hospital discharge planner. More information about this funding source is available here: DVA – Mental Health for Veterans
WorkSafe (WorkCover)
Victorian workers may be able to access treatment and support for a mental injury during different phases of an injury claim. A referral from your GP is required. For more information see: WorkSafe – Getting help with your mental health
Victoria’s Victims of Crime Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS)
The FAS (replacing the former Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal or VOCAT) offers financial support to help victims of violent crime recover, covering various expenses, including counselling. For more information see: Victims of Crime – Counselling Expenses, and for general information on applying to the scheme Victims of Crime – Can I apply for financial assistance?
TAC (Transport Accident Commission)
The TAC can help pay costs of mental health and wellbeing services when required for the treatment of transport accident-related injury, including conditions such as: anxiety, depression, stress and adjustment, and pain management. For more information see: TAC – Mental-health-and-wellbeing-services
It is important to note that session caps through funding schemes are based on funding allocations, not clinical judgments or research, and may or may not be representative of how many sessions you may need for your particular individual situation. We aim to provide you with thorough treatment in line with evidence-based approaches. Sometimes this will be possible within the number of sessions funded by a particular funding scheme, but sometimes it may not.
Bulk billing
Unfortunately, as a private practice, we are not able to bulk bill and remain sustainable. If the cost of appointments is prohibitive for you or your family, you may be able to access community based counselling or support services. Contact the national Medicare Mental Health service on 1800 595 212 or via Medicare Mental Health to see what is available.
Cancellation policy
A minimum of 48 hours’ (2 business days) notice is required to cancel your appointment, unless there are special circumstances as agreed upon with your clinician. If your appointment is on a Monday you will need to contact the clinic by 3pm Friday to cancel your appointment.
- Cancelling an appointment between 48 and 24 hours incurs a fee equivalent to 50% of the consultation fee.
- Cancelling an appointment within 24 hours incurs a fee equivalent to the full consultation fee.
- Missed appointments (nonattendance) without any notification incur the full consultation fee.
- All cancellation fees are required to be paid in full prior to the start of any future appointments or provision of other services.
- Cancellation fees do not apply if the clinic is able to fill the cancellation time slot with another appointment.
This policy is in place to allow us to offer the allocated time to someone else who may be waiting for an appointment. A late cancelled appointment is a loss to three people: The client who is delaying their therapy progress; another client who is on the waiting list to see a clinician; and the clinician who has spent time preparing for the session. It is okay if you wish to end therapy, however, we request that you discuss this with your clinician rather than not attending.
Please note that Medicare and private health insurance do not provide rebates for missed appointments or cancellation fees.