We recommend booking 4 or 5 appointments in advance to secure the session times and frequency between sessions that best suit you.
Yes. A few of our therapists see families, including Terry, Anthony, Michelle and Keri. Only some of our rooms are large enough to accommodate families. Therefore, to discuss options, call our intake team on (07) 3726 5595 and check you are booked into one of the larger rooms with your therapist.
We have a few therapists who see see kids from 5 years of age. We have many therapists who see children from age 10. Most of our practitioners work with older adolescents 13+. All of us enjoy working with parents to support them in parenting their children. If you require a therapist trained in treating ADHD, ASD or other neuro-developmental or sensory issues, please phone (07) 3726 5595 to inquire further.
Yes, we see self-managed and plan-managed NDIS clients. If you are an NDIS client, please contact our reception on 3726 5595. For WorkCover and ComCare, we will need your claim number and contact details of your case advisor. For any employer self-insured worker compensation schemes we need written authorisation and contact details of the insurer. We take a very limited number of DVA clients. DVA clients need a referral for psychological services from a GP and to provide contact details of their case advisor.
Yes. Under an Eating Disorder Management Plan (EDMP), eligible patients can access Medicare rebates for up to 40 eating disorder psychological treatment (EDPT) sessions and 20 eating disorder dietetic treatment (EDDT) sessions in a 12-month period.
Our practitioners are available to assist with the eligibility assessment process through conducting a thorough assessment, administrating and scoring the questionnaire, and providing a summary report to GPs.
There are two cohorts of patients eligible to access an EDMP:
- Patients with a clinical diagnosis of anorexia nervosa.
- Patients who meet the eligibility criteria (listed here), AND have a clinical diagnosis of any of the following conditions;
- Bulimia nervosa
- Binge-eating disorder
- Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED)
See our FAQs about EDMPs for GPs and patients for further information.
A standard session length is 50-55 minutes. You can book two sessions back-to-back if you need a longer appointment. Please note that Medicare & DVA do not rebate for more than one session per day, so your out-of-pocket will be higher.
Most people have between 8 and 12 sessions. Some people have fewer. Some people go into long-term therapy with us over a period of years.
It’s common when meeting your therapist for the first time to feel nervous and be unsure about what to expect. Sometimes this anxiety can cause you to feel confused or forget information. Writing down a few notes or even a mind-map to bring with you can help. Take some time to think about what you hope to get from therapy, how you have been feeling, what you have already tried to feel better, and the names of any medications you are taking. You may bring a support person to the session if you feel that would be helpful.
You need a referral from your doctor called a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan. Or, for eating disorders an Eating Disorder Management Plan (EDMP) (MHTP). Be sure to tell the referring GP if you have ever had an EDMP before.
Yes. You can see any psychologist on your plan. Just bring it along with you. If you have seen another psychologist elsewhere, it is really helpful if they can provide a handover letter including how many sessions you had with them.
No. Not unless you want a Medicare Rebate.
Up to 10 Medicare rebates in a calendar year, under a Mental Health Treatment Plan, if your doctor agrees.
No. It is usually only one or the other.
Yes. For different sessions. For example, you can get a Medicare Rebate (if you have a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan referral) for a session and for another session you can use your Health fund card.
All personal information gathered by the psychologist during the provision of the psychological service will remain confidential and secure except when: 1. It is subpoenaed by a court, or 2. Failure to disclose information would place you or another person at risk of harm or 3. Your prior and explicit approval has been obtained to provide a written report to another professional agency (e.g. GP or Lawyer); or discuss relevant material with another person (e.g., a parent, spouse or employer); or to send your files onto another health professional.
Yes. We charge $115 for a missed appointment or late cancellation (< 48 hours before your appointment) which is similar to your out-of-pocket expense. You can read our full cancellation policy. We always have a waiting list and if you miss an appointment, another client misses out. The late cancellation fee covers our admin costs and overheads. Furthermore, having and implementing a cancellation policy can be therapeutic as it can encourage people to attend sessions even when they want to cancel because it all feels too hard. If there is an emergency preventing your attendance at your appointment, and your appointment is outside our administration hours, please contact your practitioner directly. Their contact is in the appointment confirmation email you received and on our website.
NBP has a missed appointment policy. We bill you if you do not turn up or you cancel late (< 48 hours). Why do we do this? Most therapists do and the reason is simple. First, having and implementing this policy can be therapeutic; it can encourage people to attend sessions even when they want to cancel because it all feels too hard. Additionally, when we set an appointment with you, we are giving you access to that hour. This is not how most other professionals work. For example, GPs often work with a full waiting room, so if one person is late they see the next person. Other professionals, like lawyers or accountants, can fill the time with other billable work, such as work on briefs or tax returns.
The only billable work therapists do with their time is seeing clients. The time we schedule with you is exclusively yours, not available for anyone else. With advance notice, we either fill the spot or do something productive with the time created by a cancellation. But with little or no notice, we literally sit in our office waiting for you. We do our best to be fair by giving you advanced notice of our policy to bill you for missed appointments or late cancellation.
Not usually. If financial struggles mean you are unable to continue therapy, please discuss with your treating psychologist, as they may be able to offer a reduced rate. We will do what we can to ensure you receive support and we make a living.
Yes. As well as being skilled and experienced in helping to resolve childhood trauma, we enjoy doing this work and watching you blossom as you release unwanted emotional baggage. Some of our practitioners are very experienced helping with complex trauma, recovering from childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and cPTSD. A few of our psychologists are trained to use EMDR for trauma treatment. Call (07) 3726 5595 to ask about who is best suited to your needs and their availability.
Not at this point in time. A few of our psychologists are trained to use EMDR for trauma treatment, which is eligible for a Medicare rebate.
Our practitioners all bring years of training, knowledge, skills and experience. However, we realise strong emotions can come up for some people around paying for psychological support. We think Martha Crawford discusses this very clearly, so we will simply link to her blog post about it.
You don’t need a referral. Check with your Health Fund to make sure you are covered for Psychology, or counselling if you are seeing one of our counsellors.
Yes. We have both HiCaps and most Health funds are covered by HiCaps. Bring your Private Health Fund card and you just pay the gap at the front desk. For tele-health sessions, pay by phone before your session and we will email you a receipt to claim yourself via your health insurer’s app.
You can access all our past blog posts for free and follow us on Facebook for daily quotes, articles and livestream videos.
Sometimes our Psychologists write reports for NDIS, insurers, educational institutions, or other third parties. These reports can take up to four weeks to be completed if your practitioner is busy. Please contact your Psychologist directly via email to check on the progress of your report.
The truth is that different therapists handle their first therapy sessions differently. They may even encourage you to ask them questions about their training or experiences in the first session. One thing is for certain: your therapist will spend some time getting to know you and the issues that brought you into counselling. They may use a more structured approach or it may just feel like a more free-flowing conversation. The therapist will ask questions about your presenting concerns, as well as your history and background. Most likely, you’ll find yourself talking about your current struggles, as well saying a bit about your relationships, your interests, your strengths, and your goals. Most importantly, in that first session, you will begin making a connection with your therapist. You should feel safe, accepted, respected, and relatively comfortable. Not all therapists are right for every person, so use your first session to assess whether or not the therapist you chose feels like a good match for your personality.
Safety and trust are essential to establishing a good rapport with your therapist. Without trust, your therapy will not be as effective as you hope. If you do not click with him/her straight away, you should remember that it is possible your therapist might not be someone you immediately like, but may be just the right person to help you achieve your goals. If there are good reasons you chose this person and it wasn’t just because they were the first name you found, we encourage you to hang in for a couple of sessions before you change to someone else. However, if you have given it a go and you feel strongly this person is not a good match for you, definitely try another therapist before giving up on therapy entirely. There is no shame in letting your Psychologist or our Director (Rachel) or the Practice Manager know that you would like to try another Psychologist. It happens. You are the client and what is most important is that you feel you have the right fit. Contact us via info@northbrisbanepsychologists.com.au if you wish to receive a call from our Director about your experiences or about changing Psychologists.