We offer services to children, adolescents and adults; to couples and to families. Types of issues addressed include:
 

How to access our service

Referrals are accepted directly from clients, and via secondary sources such as General Practitioners, Psychiatrists and Medical Specialists. Referrals can be made by telephone, email or fax. Medicare Rebates are now available for a limited number of sessions. In order to access those rebates it is essential that as a client, you are referred to the practice by a general practitioner (GP) or a medical specialist. If you have any queries or concerns about how to organise an appointment, please do not hesitate to contact us at the practice and we will do our best to help.

What happens when you come to see a psychologist?

A session with a clinical psychologist will usually last for approximately 50 minutes, however some sessions will take longer. For the first one or two appointments the psychologist will carry out an assessment of issues that you have come to see them about. This assessment is based upon the information that the psychologist receives from you. As well as having the opportunity to talk about your difficulties and to ask questions, the clinical psychologist will also ask you about other aspects of your life in order to get a more complete picture of your situation, not just your problems. This allows us to understand your difficulties and symptoms, and to make a diagnosis in order to plan you individually tailored treatment. At the end of the assessment phase (it may take longer than one or two sessions depending upon individuals) we discuss our findings with you and whether or not further sessions are likely to be useful. We will then make our recommendations for treatment. You will usually discuss with the psychologist roughly how long the sessions may continue, and even agree on a number, eg. 6 sessions followed by a review. However, it is difficult to estimate the number of sessions that we feel may be needed until we have gained an good understanding of the issues at hand. Sometimes only a few appointments are enough to make a difference, but for other people whose difficulties are more complex a greater number will be needed. Whatever the case, you are free to end the sessions at any time if you wish. There are no quick fixes when working on emotional issues, even with a clinical psychologist, and this can be a disappointed discovery. Sometimes some things in life cannot be changed, and sometimes it is other people or society that need to change. It is however possible to learn to live more comfortably with yourself, and to make the most of what can be changed with the encouragement and feedback from another person (like a clinical psychologist), who is familiar with your history and your situation.

Confidentiality

The information you tell a clinical psychologist is confidential, so it is not discussed with others. However, a clinical psychologist will routinely write to the person who referred you (eg. GP) to summarise the outcome of your consultations. If you have any queries about confidentiality it is useful to discuss them with your psychologist. There are certain circumstances in which your psychologist may have to break confidentiality; these are only if there was a serious risk of harm either to yourself or other people. If this was the case, you would, if possible, be notified that confidentiality was to be broken.

What to bring to your first appointment

Referral letter (if this has not already been sent) Any letters/reports/copies of assessments that have been carried out which may provide further information.

Fee range

Please enquire by telephone for a schedule of fees. Carol and Gail are both registered to be able to offer both Medicare rebates and Health Fund rebates (if you have Private Insurance).

Payment

Payment is made on the day that you are seen, by cash, cheque, EFTPOS and credit.