Face to Face and Telehealth (MS Teams or Phone) Consultation Fees for Counselling, Therapy and Coaching.
Fees for counselling are based on recommended rates set down by the Australian Association of Social Workers found here. Click here to download the AASW recommended fees.
For both telehealth and face to face consultations, the fees per 1 hour session are (AUD) $270
Australians covered by Medicare may be able to claim back a benefit for webcam ‘focussed psychological strategies’ consultations if they are referred by a GP under the ‘Better Access’ provisions. Contact me for more information.
For online consultations, we agree on the type of service (video or phone) and then you pay at least 24 hours prior to the session. You can pay with a credit card using an invoice I will send you or, if you have an Australian bank account, by bank transfer. I will send you details of how to prepare for a webcam or phone appointment.
For in-person (face to face) appointments, you will need to pay for the initial appointment at least 24 hours before we meet. Follow up appointments can be paid at the time we meet by cash, card or bank transfer.
After the appointment I will send you a receipt which you can use to claim a Medicare rebate or health fund benefit.
Medicare Rebates with a Mental Health Treatment Plan
If you are covered by Australian Medicare, appointments via telehealth or face to face qualify for a Medicare benefit of $87.25 per session when you have been referred by a GP under the Better Access provisions. So the final cost to you after claiming back the Medicare rebate will be $182.75.
If you want to claim the Medicare benefit against fees for counselling and are eligible, you will need to have a Mental Health Treatment Plan and bring a GP referral letter to the initial appointment or email it to me in advance. This benefit may be available for up to 10 consultations in a calendar year. If you have already had sessions in the same year with another psychology practitioner, you should be eligible for of the 10 sessions which you have not yet claimed.
Australian Private Health Fund Benefits
It is also possible to claim a benefit from a private health fund if you have the appropriate level of cover. Not all funds will provide benefits for my services but the following funds will provide benefits for members with eligible cover:
- Teachers Health Fund and their associated funds (including UniHealth and Nurses and Midwives Health).
- GU Health (must have cover for ‘counselling’)
- St Luke’s Health Insurance
- Doctors Health Fund
- Medibank Private
- Pheonix Health
- BUPA
- HCF
Please note that AHM and NIB will NOT pay a rebate for any of my services. Private Health Funds make their own policies around the psychology practitioners they will rebate. Their rebates are not aligned with Medicare rebates.
NOTE: It is not possible to claim both a Medicare rebate AND a health fund rebate for the same session (Australian Government law) but some of my clients start claiming from their private health fund after their Medicare rebates have all been used.
Cancellation or no-show fees cannot be claimed from Medicare or a health fund.
Cancellation Policy: 24 hours notice of changes or cancellations required or full fee charged.
Late Payment Policy: Unpaid invoices will incur a late fee of AUD $10 per invoice for each month or part thereof beyond the due date.