Medicare rebates for mental health psychology services are available. As an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, I am registered as a Medicare Provider of focussed psychological strategies. These consultations are designed to treat a range of mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, bipolar, grief or loss, PTSD and adjustment disorders.
When you are referred by a GP to see me, you can receive a rebate from Medicare for up to 10 sessions per year. Here is how it works, step by step…
Medicare Rebates
- Make an appointment with your GP for an assessment. If you don’t have a GP or prefer to meet a gay-friendly doctor, please contact me. I can put you in touch with GPs who are supportive of LGBTQ people.
- Tell the GP your symptoms and ask to be considered for referral for psychological strategies. It’s important that you are as open as possible about the difficulties you have been experiencing, particularly in terms of your mood, sleep, concentration and the thoughts you have been having (including any thoughts of suicide or self-harm).
- The doctor will ask you some questions and may have you fill in a questionnaire. You can ask to be referred to me personally or to ‘the mental health professional’. When you come to meet me in person, you need to bring this referral letter.
- Contact me to make an appointment. At the time of the appointment, you need to pay my full fee but I will give you a receipt to send Medicare. Medicare will then send the rebate to your bank account. (Please note, I do not bulk-bill and require a co-payment for each session).
- Medicare will provide a rebate of $82.30 for up to 10 sessions per calendar year, however you will need to return to your GP after our sixth appointment if you want and require further treatment sessions.
For more information, contact me.
Medication for Gay Mens Mental Health
I don’t prescribe medication but can refer you to a sympathetic GP if you are considering medication for mental health or require a medication review. The decision whether or not to take medication is yours. Some people report improvements after a time on medicine while others do not. Medication for depression or anxiety can affect individuals in different ways, so it is important to discuss the effectiveness and side effects with a qualified GP.
Best practice is always to participate in talking therapies (like counselling, cbt, motivational interviewing, relaxation strategies and narrative therapy) as a minimum for any mental health treatment. Talk therapy is generally always recommended for anyone receiving medication for mental health problems. In fact talking about problems is one of the bases of good mental health. This is recognised by Medicare in the provision of focussed psychological strategies through a doctor’s referral.
Do I Need a Referral to see a Counsellor?
You don’t need a doctor’s referral to see me either ‘face to face’ or online over Skype webcam therapy. So if you prefer to contact me directly, you can and your details will remain confidential and not be entered into the Medicare system. However if you would like to receive the Medicare rebate for your appointments, you will need to bring a GP referral to the first session. Unfortunately at this stage, Medicare will not provide a rebate for sessions conducted online (over the Internet) and we need to meet in the same room for this rebate.
Do You Accept Payments from Health Insurers?
Generally you need to pay me directly for your appointment. If you would like your health insurance company to pay you a rebate for the cost, you should contact the insurer beforehand and check that they will rebate for these appointments. Many of my clients prefer to keep their health insurance rebates for other kinds of services as usually the amount the insurer will pay out is limited anyway.
For more information, send me an email and I will answer you personally.