The process for a first session is different for everyone as it is about understanding what has motivated you to seek support, what you are struggling with, and what you want to achieve through therapy.  These are different things that people are looking to get from their visits.  For some, it is a private space to bounce ideas and discuss issues that they do not feel comfortable discussing with family or friends.  For others, they recognise destructive or unhelpful patterns in their lives that require assessment and specialist support.

The first session is also about getting to know whether we are the right fit for one another.  One of the ways that we get to know you is by going back and exploring early experiences, foundations and specific core memories either as a child or an adult.  Early in therapy, we find it helpful to formulate a timeline so that we can have a sense of how your current struggles and challenges have developed and what resources, either internal or external, have helped you through the different seasons in your life.

Our standard appointments run for 50 minutes, but we do allow for an additional 10 minutes to answer questions, to schedule additional appointments if required or to get back to a place of stability through grounding.  

In psychology, while confidentiality is a core ethical principle, it has limits, primarily to protect individuals and the public from harm, such as in cases of imminent danger or legal obligations. 

Ethical Obligation: Psychologists have a strong ethical and legal responsibility to protect client confidentiality. 

Limits to Confidentiality:

• Risk of Harm: Psychologists may disclose confidential information if they believe a client or someone else is at imminent risk of harm, including suicide or violence. 
• Legal Obligations: Psychologists are legally required to report certain situations, such as suspected child abuse or neglect, or when they are ordered to do so by a court of law. 
• Client Consent: Psychologists may disclose information with the client's explicit consent. 
• Consultation with Colleagues: Psychologists can discuss client information with other professionals in the course of supervision or consultation, while maintaining confidentiality and obtaining client consent when possible. 
• Court Subpoena: If a court orders the release of confidential information, the psychologist is legally obligated to comply. 
• Examples of Situations Where Confidentiality May Be Broken:
  • A client discloses plans to harm themselves or others. 
  • A psychologist suspects child abuse or neglect. 
  • A client waives their right to confidentiality. 
  • A client is involved in a criminal offense and the psychologist is ordered to testify. 

Importance of Transparency: Psychologists are expected to explain the limits of confidentiality to clients at the outset of therapy, so they understand when information may be shared.

Minors and Confidentiality: While minors have a right to confidentiality, parents or guardians may have access to information in certain circumstances, particularly when the minor is a dependent.

Supervision: Psychologists are often required to discuss their client work with supervisors, which is a limitation of confidentiality, but the focus is on the therapist's work, not the client's material. 

Yes, having a mental health care plan will give you a rebate of $96.65 per visit, reducing the out-of-pocket cost of your appointment.  You do not need to have a mental health care plan to start your care with us, therapy can also be privately funded.

Not at all, we welcome clients who wish to self-refer to our practice.  Having a referral can at times give us useful and relevant background information that helps us provide the best care for you; however, if you would prefer to omit this part, you can inform us of this when booking your first appointment.

We have extensive experience in providing individual therapy to adolescents, adults and the elderly; however, at this time we are not able to offer therapeutic services tailored for children, families or couples.

At Mindful Perspectives Psychology, we are able to offer bulk-billing to cover the cost of psychological treatment for a limited number of clients.  If you are in urgent need of support and you are a holder of a valid concession card, please contact us to make an enquiry.

No, we will bill DVA for the cost of your treatment.  Gold card holders are covered for all mental health services, and White card holders will be approved for either only specific conditions, or for all mental health services.  To confirm which conditions are funded under your White card, please follow these instructions.

Please note that your DVA details must be provided before attending your first appointment.  No referral is needed, but we do require your DVA card number, expiry date, and the specific concerns you need to address in therapy.

The fee for a standard hourly consultation is $230.  If you have private health insurance and have psychology treatment covered, we encourage you to contact your private health insurance provider to know what your rebate amount will be, as this depends on the type of cover.  In this situation, you can choose whether you would like to claim your rebate from your private health provider or Medicare (if eligible), whichever will be the most beneficial for you.

Once full payment has been received for a session, clients receive a receipt with the relevant details so that an online claim can be submitted.

While we are not a registered NDIS provider, if you are self-managed or plan-managed through NDIS, then you are welcome to use your plan to cover psychological treatment with us.

Our practice is open for consultations between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Monday to Friday, with an average waiting time of 3 to 4 weeks.  We do have occasional cancellations; however, so we encourage you to give us a call to check availability for a closer appointment.

This is a very tricky question to answer as this greatly depends on the complexity of any diagnoses, presenting issues and circumstances that you are dealing with.  Once there has been sufficient time to explore the complexities of your presentation in therapy, we encourage you to ask your clinician for clarification on this.

Yes, we do offer consultations through Telehealth for treatment and professional supervision.  If you are unable to attend your appointment in person on the day is it scheduled but would like to keep your appointment, we encourage you to contact us so that we can switch it to Telehealth.  Our Telehealth is conducted via a video-consultation platform called Coviu.  If you have opted for a Telehealth appointment, we will send you a link shortly before your appointment along with simple instructions on how to log onto the virtual platform.

For all Telehealth appointments, we ask that you choose a private, well-lit space to engage with your clinician, away from distractions to ensure your privacy and confidentiality.  Ideally, we should choose a location close to the internet modem/router to reduce the risk of any delays or disruptions.  We recommend that you connect to your session using a computer, laptop or tablet instead of a mobile phone, and that you use earphones if possible, as they allow for better sound quality and minimise any disturbances from background noise.