Question 1

What does your Medicare Mental Health Care Plan session cost?

Accepted Answer

Medicare is one of the most common ways people pay for their sessions.

Under a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP):

• $200.85 for an appointment with a clinical psychologist.
 • $155.65 for an appointment with a general psychologist

Under your MHCP, Medicare will contribute $141.85 AUD to your sessions with a clinical psychologist and $96.65 to your sessions with a general psychologist. In either appointment you will have a $60 out of pocket fee for these sessions.

Medicare will reimburse up to 10 individual sessions, under a MHCP, per year.

Question 2

Do you do bulk-billing?

Accepted Answer

Our clinicians will take a number of clients under bulk-billing.

You can ask our administrative staff if any of our clinicians have capacity to bulk-bill your session fees.

Question 3

What does my National Disability Insurance Scheme session cost?

Accepted Answer

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is also a common way people pay for their sessions.

If you have funding for psychology sessions in your NDIS plan, an appointment with a general or clinical psychologist will cost:

• $244.22, if you live in the metro area.
 • $341.91, if you live in a remote area.
 • $366.33, if you live in a very remote area.

You will not have any out of pocket fee for these sessions.

The number of sessions you can access will depend on the funding allocated in your plan.

Question 4

What other types of sessions will Medicare cover?

Accepted Answer

Under the correct referral, Medicare will also contribute to sessions for:

• Briefer sessions (30-minutes).
 • Chronic disease management.
 • Individuals from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.
 • Pregnancy counselling, and;
 • Children with Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and Disability Services (under 25 years).

You can talk to our administrative staff about these items and which psychologists are currently available to provide them.

Question 5

What other funding schemes do you accept?

Accepted Answer

We also provide services under:

• The Insurance Commission of Western Australia.
 • Workcover.
 • Victims of Crime.
 • Private health funds.
 • The Department of Veterans Affairs.
 • Private payment.

You can ask us if we are able to accept any other funding and we will discuss the costs and rebates.

Question 6

How does online therapy work?

Accepted Answer

To receive online therapy, follow these 3 steps:

1. Contact us to be personally matched and booked with the right psychologist.
2. Once the time that suits you best is confirmed, we'll send an "getting the most from therapy" guide and a unique appointment link, directly to your email.
3. Meet your warm and caring psychologist online for your first appointment.

Question 7

What is the cost for therapy?

Accepted Answer

If your family doctor provides you with a mental health care plan, you are eligible to receive Medicare rebates for up to 10 sessions with a psychologist, through telehealth, every year.

• Our session fees are $200.85 with a clinical psychologist and $155.65 with a general psychologist.
 • Medicare rebates are $141.85 and $96.65, respectively.
 • Click here to view more of our costing options,(https://www.thesleeppsychologist.online/fees) including more information regarding Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander support, NDIS, and assessments.

If you claim via Private Health Insurance, your psychologist will send you an email with your receipt attached for claiming.

Question 8

How do I get a mental health treatment plan?

Accepted Answer

To get a mental health treatment plan (MHTP), book an appointment with a family doctor so that they can organize an assessment and plan for you.

There are other Medicare rebate plans available for special populations and chronic illnesses. Some include for eating disorders, pregnant women, autistic persons, aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons, and chronic illnesses. You can also talk to your family doctor about other plans that may be more suited to you.

Question 9

Are there other funding systems that can subsidise my sessions?

Accepted Answer

Yes, therapy sessions with a psychologist or clinical psychologist can be subsidised through a mental health care plan, National Disability Insurance Scheme, Department of Veterans Affairs, Victims of Crime, - Worker’s compensation/Insurance commission, private health insurances, and private payments.

You can contact these organisations to find out if you are eligible, the fee or percent they will cover, and how many sessions you can obtain. Our clinicians work with all of these systems.

Question 10

How will my sessions occur?

Accepted Answer

You will have your session using an end-to-end encrypted online platform that allows for secure and private meetings over the internet. Click on a link emailed to you and you'll be taken to your psychologist's "waiting room."

Question 11

Is online therapy as good as face-to-face therapy?

Accepted Answer

Research shows us that telehealth is just as effective as F2F (face-to-face) for most mental health issues including depression, anxiety and related disorders, and a broad array of less common mental health difficulties.

For more severe mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar, in these instances, a multidisciplinary team may better support you.

Many clients prefer telehealth as they see it as more secure, private, and convenient.

Question 12

Can my therapist help if I am in crisis?

Accepted Answer

Due to the nature of telehealth support, our services are most appropriate for people experiencing low to moderate risk. If you are in crisis and need immediate support, please contact your emergency services. In Australia, you can contact our emergency services on 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

For assessing risk, we encourage our clinicians to take guidance from the National Mental Health Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool and supporting guidance documentation. Within these guidelines, our services are most appropriate for risk levels 1 (self-managed interventions), 2 (low intensity services required), and 3 (moderate intensity services required).

Question 13

How do I choose a psychologist?

Accepted Answer

Research shows that the therapeutic relationship a psychologist and client develop is the driving factor in good therapeutic outcomes. For this reason, you want to choose a psychologist who presents in a professional, friendly, and confident manner, feels genuine to you in therapy and brings their true self, conveys empathy to you through behaviours, including active listening, mirroring, and verbally acknowledging the difficulty of your situation, and creates unconditional
positive regard by accepting you for who you are and where you are at in life.

Question 14

Will my culture or vulnerability be considered?

Accepted Answer

The Sleep Psychologist prioritises cultural safety through:
 • Ensuring all clinicians have cultural responsiveness training;
 • Engaging with referrers from remote and regional locations around Australia, and;
 • Asking clients to voluntarily provide information about diversity or vulnerability factors at intake.

If you are unclear on what clinician to choose to meet your particular requirements, you can reach out to our administrative support.

Question 15

What will my first session look like?

Accepted Answer

In your 50-minute, first appointment, your therapist will start by discussing some administrative topics, including clinical consent and the limits of this (harm to self, others, and/or legal request for your records), and the general process of how they conduct therapy. This will take around 10-15 minutes. The rest of your session, your therapist will want to get to know you, your present concerns, your mental health history, family history, your goals for therapy.

There’s no need for extensive preparation for your first therapy session, although this is completely up to you! Something that may be helpful is to consider your goals: What do you want to get out of therapy?

Question 16

Will I need to talk a lot?

Accepted Answer

In your sessions, you can talk as much or as little as you like, and it is completely up to you as to what you share with your therapist. Although, the more you share, the better the picture your clinician can build and the better they can direct therapy. Your psychologist may ask lots of questions but this is normal, and you can ask questions too.

Question 17

How are psychologists trained and registered in Australia?

Accepted Answer

Psychologists must complete 6-years of board approved study, where-in the final two years of study are accompanied by 2-years of supervised practice. During these final 2-years, the psychologist is registered as a provisional psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia, administered by the Australian Health Practitioner regulation Agency. Upon completion, they can apply for general registration with the Psychology Board of Australia.

Question 18

What is the difference between a psychologist and a clinical psychologist?

Accepted Answer

After completing a 6-year course of study and practice, a general psychologist can apply for an endorsement by completing a further 2-years of supervised practice. Clinical psychology is one such endorsement, indicating further supervised practice in a particular area of psychology.

Question 19

Further questions?

Accepted Answer

If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask us anything at all! You can reach through the contact form below.

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The Sleep Psychologist