Medicare Referral

You will need a referral if you wish to utilise the Medicare rebate. As I am an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, I can offer Medicare rebates with a Mental Health Care Treatment Plan through your GP or Psychiatrist. To receive a referral, via a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP), you will need to schedule an appointment with your treating medical practitioner to discuss your concerns. To claim the Medicare rebate, you must provide the referral letter and MHTP before or at the time of the first appointment. Once referred, you may receive up to 10 sessions every calendar year. Typically, an initial 6 sessions are delivered after which, a review with your referring GP/Psychiatrist is required to determine if you are eligible to access the remaining 4.

Private referrals

Counselling services can also be accessed without a GP or Psychiatric referral. Private referrals mean there is no medicare rebate and you pay the full amount. There is no limit of sessions per year.

Private Health Funds

Some private health fund members (including Bupa and the Teachers Health Fund) can claim benefits for services delivered by Accredited Mental Health Social Workers. A MHTP referral is not required for these services to be eligible for a private health fund rebate. Services can either be claimed from Medicare, via a MHTP, or their approved health fund, but not both. Please contact your private health fund to determine if you are eligible to access a rebate from an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker.

The fee for a face to face or online counselling session will depend on the type of referral you are utilising.

The full fee per hour for individual or online counselling is $210.

If you are utilising a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) the out of pocket expense will be $122.75 with an $87.25 Medicare Rebate

If you are utilising a private health care fund - the fee may vary depending on the rebate from your fund.

Group fees may differ depending on the type of group that is being offered. Medicare rebates are also available for group work with a MHTP.

Joint Session - e.g. Individual & Care Giver/Significant other (50 Minutes) - $210

These sessions are not claimable via Medicare and only occur with prior consent and planning.

Follow-up Phone/Video Consultation - (15 - 30 Minutes) - $50 or (30 - 50 Minutes) - $100

Phone and/or video consultation with parents, care givers, relevant services or professionals is available and can assist in appropriately care planning for or managing presenting concerns. Phone and/or video consultation are not claimable via Medicare and only occur with prior consent and planning.

A note on fees:

The fee schedule is substantially less than the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) recommended rate of $289 per hour. Current fees are set at lower than the recommended rate in consideration of equitable and affordable access for services.

I offer therapeutic group work regularly throughout the year. The content of the groups may differ depending on interest and need. Groups will often cover aspects of mindfulness, creative resourcing skills and DBT skills.

Groups will typically run for 90mins once a week for 6 weeks. The time and day my vary however I try to make the groups as accessible as possible and offer after hours or weekend times. There are 6 spaces only for each group to allow for discussion and optimal support each time you attend. Attending each session will provide the most amount of benefit for you so please make sure you are able to set that time aside each week.

Attending a group is often a great alternative for people wanting to access therapy who may be looking for a more budget friendly, time sensitive approach.

Please connect with me for further information about dates and times for the next group being offered.