FAQ

Our fees vary based on the practitioner’s level of experience and qualifications. Fees will be confirmed at the time of booking.

Approximate costs (55min session):
Provisional Psychologist — $120
Mental Health Social Worker — $196
Psychologist— $196
Senior Psychologist —$206
Director — POA

Fees for Couples sessions are an additional $20.

Fees may vary from above. Please call us for the exact cost for specific practitioners.

These costs are before any Medicare or Private health rebates.

With a Mental Health Care Plan there is a Medicare rebate of $96.65 for psychologists and $85.20 for Mental Health Social Workers.

Please note sessions with our Provisional Psychologists are ineligible for Medicare rebates.

A psychologist has completed a Bachelor’s degree majoring in psychology plus an Honours (or equivalent) year of study. In most cases they also have a Master or Doctorate degree in psychology. To become a fully registered psychologist requires a minimum of six years of study and internship. Following registration ongoing peer supervision and professional development are required.

Mental Health Social Workers have a minimum four-year Bachelor’s degree in social work. To be eligible for Medicare rebates a social worker is required to have at least two years post-graduate experience followed by specific education about mental health and counselling. After completing extra study, they are classified as Accredited Mental Health Social Workers (AMHSW) which signifies their high level of experience and skill in mental health and allows them to be registered with Medicare for rebates, similarly to a psychologist.

Mental Health Social Workers bring a unique perspective to therapy, often focusing on clients' social connections, family structures, and broader social systems. This can be particularly valuable for individuals dealing with psychological trauma.

At Port Phillip Psychology, our Mental Health Social Workers specialise in trauma assessment and treatment. They employ evidence-based therapeutic techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR).

All provisional psychologists at Port Phillip Psychology have completed 5 years of university study in psychology and are completing their 6th year of study or internship.

Provisional registration is the last step in the long process to becoming a fully registered psychologist. It involves regular supervision and support while working to ensure they have the skills to assist clients address the issue presented. They regularly meet with the Director of Port Phillip Psychology to discuss their progress and have individual supervision with either an internal or external supervisor.

Provisional Psychologists require 1 to 2 years of supervision/internship before being eligible to apply for full registration.

We offer significantly reduced fees for sessions with our Provisional Psychologists at a cost of $120 per session. Sessions with a Provisional Psychologist are not eligible for Medicare or private health rebates.

Clients under the NDIS can see our Provisional Psychologists under their plan with no additional out of pocket fees.

Medicare and Private health fund rebates are available for most clients who see one of our Psychologists or Mental Health Social Workers.

Sessions with our Provisional Psychologists do not qualify for Medicare or Private health fund rebates. Fees for these services are significantly less than for our Psychologists or Mental Health Social Workers.

Medicare:
With a Mental Health Care Plan there is a Medicare rebate of $93.35 for psychologists and $82.30 for Mental Health Social Workers.

Medicare rebates are available with a referral from a GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician. To obtain a rebate the doctor needs to complete a Mental Health Plan and states the number of sessions that the plan is eligible; usually an initial 6 sessions. After the initial course of sessions, the therapist writes a review letter to the doctor and may recommend a further course of sessions.

A maximum of 10 sessions per year are allowed under a Mental Health Plan however this is dependent on the recommendations of the doctor and is allocated in blocks of 4 or 6 sessions. As part of the Mental Health Plan the therapist is required to write a review that is sent to the doctor of progress at the end of each group of sessions and at the end of treatment.

We process Medicare rebates on the spot. The clients pay the full appointment fee then the Medicare rebate is processed and automatically sent to the account the client has registered with Medicare.

Private Health:
Private Health funds provide rebates for services provided by fully registered psychologists. Some funds (incl BUPA) provide rebates for services provided by Mental Health Social Workers. To obtain these rebates “extras” cover needs to be held. The amount of rebate depends on the service and fund. It’s recommended you consult your private health fund prior to your appointment to find out the rebate you will be entitled to.

We are not a bulk billing practice. The fees received for bulk billing are too low to maintain a private practice and we are therefore unable to offer this service.

There are very limited appointments available on a Concession basis with a limited number of our practitioners.

If available, concession appointments are held between 11am-2pm, Tuesday to Thursday. To obtain a concession you are required to have a Health Care Card. Please ask our admin team if there are currently any concession appointments available. The concession rate is approximately $50 less than the full fee.

Note: appointments with our Director are full fee only.

Sessions are for 50 minutes.

Initial couples and family sessions are for 80 mins and charged at 1.5 times the standard session fee.

Your counsellor will discuss this at your first session. In general, improvement is often experienced within 6 sessions. Clients may choose to have one issue addressed then end therapy or may resolve one issue than address another or may wish to address several issues at the same time. There is not a system that applies to everyone as the severity of issues varies as do the client’s goals.

Your counsellor will assist you to set goals and to review these to ensure you feel your issue is being addressed. We offer short term and long-term therapy and believe good therapy is a mutual process where goals are set and regularly reviewed.

Yes, sessions can be via phone or video. You can choose to attend your appointments in person or via Telehealth This offers flexibility if you are unable to come into the office for one or all your appointments.

Fees for Telehealth sessions need to be paid prior to the appointment and are the same as those at clinic.

Please note: some issues are only addressed in person and your therapist may require an in-person session prior to future sessions via Telehealth. This will be advised by the admin team.

We do not see clients under Workcover, TAC or VOCAT.

Although most of the Port Phillip Psychology team utilise a range of tools including assessments, these are to assist with counselling or to make recommendations. We do not do formal assessments for Autism, IQ, ADHD, court or other issues.

We do not write reports for court and do not get involved in legal issues.

Yes we have several practitioners who provide counselling to children.

For young children we require the consent of both parents unless there are legal orders.

If your child is in primary school the first session is with the parent on their own (the child does not attend). This allows an open discussion of the issues and allows the practitioner to identify goals and whether counselling is appropriate. Following the parent session the child attends on their own and is usually involved in a series of games or activities.

Adolescents can attend counselling on their own and do not require parent involvement.