Fees, Payments & Rebates
Life Giving Psychology & Coaching is a private billing practice. We are not a bulk billing practice.
Our Fees
Our fees are below the recommended fees set by the Australian Psychological Society.
Payment Information
Payment for all appointments can be made via Credit Card (Visa and MasterCard), EFTPOS, Direct Credit, Cheque or Cash.
Payment plans are available. Please speak to one of our Administration Team to discuss your options if required.
Medicare rebates can be processed in the office using the Medicare EasyClaim. This requires that you have your current Medicare card and an EFTPOS card with either a savings or cheque account linked to it.
Private health rebates can be processed in the office using the Hicaps machine. Please ensure you have current private health and EFTPOS cards to facilitate this.
Medicare Rebates
Our practice is not funded by Medicare. However, some of your psychological services may attract Medicare rebates if you are eligible. People diagnosed with mental health difficulties, either by their GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician, may be referred under a Mental Health Care Plan for up to ten individual sessions per calendar year. Please see the table below for costs and rebates.
Please note: You cannot claim from both Medicare and private health insurance for the same consultation.
Private Health Fund Rebates
If you have private health insurance with extras, you may be eligible to claim a rebate for your appointment. Health fund rebates vary depending on your level of cover. It is best to check with your insurer directly as to what rebate you may receive. Your health fund may ask you for the relevant item number. The item number for your initial appointment is 100/50 and 200/50 for any subsequent appointments.
Bariatric Rebates
Our psychology sessions for those wishing to undergo bariatric surgery are $220. Medicare do NOT provide rebates for bariatric sessions. You may be covered under your private health insurance and will need to contact them directly for confirmation. The relevant item number required by your health fund is 100/50 for your initial consultation and 200/50 for any subsequent appointments.
“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.”
Referral Information
You do not need a referral to be seen at Life Giving Psychology & Coaching. Anyone who can privately fund sessions can request an appointment at any time. You will be responsible for the full cost for each session.
General Practitioner
You may be eligible to claim a rebate through the Medicare Benefits Schedule if you are experiencing mental health difficulties. To be eligible, you require a referral from your GP or psychiatrist. To obtain this you will need to make a long appointment with your GP who will assess your current mental health concerns. If eligible, your GP will then complete a Mental Health Care Plan for you to access psychology appointments. Under the GP Mental Health Care Plan, you will need to attend face-to-face appointments at the practice. You can also attend under as part of a GP Management Plan (GPMP).
WorkCover
If you have been injured at work, or because of your work, you may be eligible to claim benefits from WorkCover Queensland. WorkCover consider each case on the individual facts at the time.
How to make a claim:
Phone 1300 362 128
Complete and submit the online claim form
Complete a claim form and upload using online service
Fax to 1300 651 387
Post to GPO Box 2459, Brisbane QLD 4001.
Lodge through your doctor. If you're unsure if this has happened, you can either call WorkCover or your GP to check.
Employee Assistance Program
You will need to confirm with your workplace if they have an employee benefit program in place for you to access counselling.
Private Health
You do not need a referral to attend under private health. You can self-refer. If you have private health that covers psychology, you may be entitled to a rebate. The item number for your initial appointment is 100/50 and subsequent appointments are 200/50.
Garrison Health
Medibank Health Solutions provides services for eligible ADF personnel. You will need to be referred by your ADF Medical Officer.
Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS)
If you are an eligible member or family member of the military community, you can self-refer by calling VVCS on 1800 011 046 between 9 am-5 pm on weekdays.
ComCare
If you are an eligible Australian Government employee who has sustained a work-related injury you can obtain a referral from your treating medical practitioner.
Specialist/Surgeon
Your specialist or surgeon may refer you for an initial appointment with one of our Psychologists if you are considering undergoing long-term or complex medical procedures, for example, bariatric surgery for weight loss.
Telehealth
In November 2017 the Australian Government approved telehealth services to be provided under Medicare. These services are accessible through the Better Access initiative and available to people located in a rural or remote community.
Telehealth refers to a videoconference consultation involving communication between you and your Psychologist using both a video and audio connection. To be eligible to receive these services under Medicare for a mental health condition, you must:
have an eligible mental health condition and a referral from a GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician live in an eligible rural, remote or very remote location
be located at least 15 kilometres by road from the mental health professional
not be a patient of an emergency department or admitted to hospital at the time of the service. In some cases, it may not be appropriate to receive psychological treatment by telehealth; your referring doctor and/or mental health professional will discuss this with you.
Policy Information
We have a number of policies to ensure the smooth running of our practice. Please note we do not provide written reports for the courts.
Letters and Reports
All letters, reports or forms completed outside of a scheduled appointment will attract a charge based on the time taken to complete the document. Most letters will require a minimum of 14 days-notice to prepare, and reports of a longer length may require additional time. We will do our best to accommodate any urgent requirements.
Cancellation Policy
When an appointment is made, you have booked the practitioner’s time. Appointments that are not attended, or cancelled at the last minute, mean that the psychologist is not available for other people.
We understand that life is hectic, but we do require notice of cancellation or change of an appointment time by 12 pm two-business days prior to the scheduled appointment.
Clients will be given one grace cancellation appointment without the required notice. After this, any subsequent cancellation of your appointments without exception and without notice by 12 pm two-business day prior will be charged the cost of the allocated appointment.
Please note: If you have two or more unexplained missed appointments and we have not been able to contact you, all further appointments will be cancelled.
How Many Sessions
There is no set number of sessions people need to attend for psychological treatment. At Life Giving Psychology & Coaching, your psychologist will work with you to develop a treatment plan based on your goals and the nature and severity of your problems. Usually you and your practitioner will come to a mutual decision about how often to attend, and when is the right time for you stop treatment.
Appointment Options
Face-to-face Consultation
These sessions are 50 minutes long. The first two sessions are usually weekly and then fortnightly to monthly depending on the severity of your presentation.
e-Psychology Consultation
Skype sessions via computer are now available for you if you live out of town or find it difficult to attend our rooms but require psychological services. Each session lasts 50 minutes.
Telephone Consultation
Phone sessions are available; however usually you are required to have attended at least one face-to-face or Skype session before you may access this service. Session times are 50 minutes.
Confidentiality
During your first session, your psychologist will discuss your consent to treatment and it will include confidentiality and the limits to confidentiality in regards to legal and organisational requirements. All personal information gathered by your psychologist during the provision of the service will remain confidential and secure except when:
It is subpoenaed by a court; or
Failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at risk; or
Your prior approval has been obtained to provide a written report to another professional or agency, for example your GP or lawyer; or
Your prior approval has been obtained to discuss the material with another person, for example, a parent or employer.
Recommendations and Testimonials
We welcome feedback (either positive or negative) from our clients. Ethical guidelines do not allow testimonials and recommendations to be published. Despite this, we always welcome feedback, and use it to improve the quality of our service.