Terms Of Service

Nature And Purpose Of The Psychological Service

As part of providing a psychological service including assessments and counselling, the practitioner will need to collect and record personal information. This information is a necessary part of the psychological assessment and treatment conducted.

Psychotherapy varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and patient, and the particular problems brought forward. There are many different methods that may be used to deal with the problems that are hoped to be addressed.

Psychotherapy Calls For A Very Active Effort

For the therapy to be most successful, work on things discussed both during the sessions and at home will be required.

The first few sessions will involve an evaluation of needs. By the end of the evaluation, some first impressions of what the work will include and a treatment plan to follow will be offered. If there are questions about the procedures, they should be discussed whenever they arise. Therapy can be ceased at any time. If discomfort is felt with what is happening in a session, a request for the session to cease can be made at any time.

Access To Information

As part of providing psychological services, relevant personal information to the current situation will be collected and recorded. The information will assist in providing an appropriate and thorough service. Information will be stored in a secure location. The practice is required to keep the file for a minimum of 7 years, or if under the age of 18 at the time of treatment, until 25 years of age.

Confidentiality And Privacy

All personal information gathered by the psychologist during the provision of psychological service will remain confidential and secure except when:

  1. it is subpoenaed by a court, or disclosure is required or authorised by law; or
  2. failure to disclose the information would place someone or another person at risk of harm; or
  3. given prior approval, or consent of a parent or guardian who is legally authorised to act on behalf in order to provide a written report to another professional or agency, or discuss information with another person e.g., parent or employer; or
  4. personal information would reasonably be expected to be disclosed to another professional or agency and disclosure is directly related to the primary purpose for which it was collected such as to inform a GP of treatment and progress; or
  5. clinical consultation with another professional is required to provide better clinical services (identifying details will remain confidential).

If during the course of work with the practitioner, they become aware of risk to someone’s life, health, or wellbeing, they are required by policy of the state and federal governments to report the matter to the appropriate agencies.

Private Health Insurance

Some health insurance policies cover counselling depending on the policy. Please check with the insurance company as to what cover is eligible.

Medicare Rebates

Under the Medicare Benefits Schedule (Better Access), Medicare rebates are available to clients with an assessed mental disorder. Medicare rebates are accessed with a Mental Health Treatment Plan and referral from a medical practitioner, psychiatrist, or paediatrician. The rebate is limited to 10 sessions per calendar year and only available with a valid referral. Please note the maximum number of sessions per referral is 6 and rebates will not be given beyond the number stated on the referral.

Cancellation Policy

If for some reason you need to cancel or postpone your appointment, please give at least two working days’ notice (e.g., a Tuesday appointment can be cancelled on Friday without a fee).

The full fee will be charged for all No Shows and late cancellations. This no show or late cancellation fee will need to be paid on or before your next visit. Please make every effort to notify the practice if you are unable to attend an appointment – there are often other client’s waiting for appointments, and it would be appreciated if other clients could be given the opportunity to come in.

Emergency

In case of emergency, the emergency department of the nearest hospital should be visited. For further information, refer to the website for the local health district. For out of hours phone support, calling Lifeline on 13 11 14 may be helpful.