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 — $100
Counsellor / Hypnotherapist — $140
Mental Health Social Worker — $184
Psychologist— $184
Senior Psychologist —$194
Director — $204

Fees for Couples and Family sessions are an additional $10 -$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.

Please note sessions with our Provisional Psychologists, Counsellors and Hypnotherapist are ineligible for Medicare rebates.

A psychologist has completed a university 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.

Social workers have a minimum four-year bachelor’s degree in social work. Social workers are employed in many different fields and have a diverse range of roles. Some social workers work in very similar roles to psychologists and counsellors. To be eligible for Medicare rebates a social worker is required to have at least two years post-graduation 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.

Counsellors employed at Port Phillip Psychology have a very high degree of education and experience in counselling. Their university study may involve a master’s degree in counselling or a PhD or Doctorate along with supervised experience. A qualified counsellor must have at least a certificate in counselling (usually a diploma or higher). The Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) requires its members to undergo a minimum of 350 hours of training and 50 hours of supervision over a minimum of 3 years. Port Phillip Psychology only employs counsellors who have highly skilled in counselling and have at least 10 years’ experience. Counsellors are not eligible for Medicare rebates

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 $100 per session. Sessions with a Provisional Psychologist are not eligible for Medicare or private health rebates.

Clinical Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that puts the client in contact with their subconscious mind using deep relaxation (a similar state to meditation).

Sometimes negative beliefs and memories can block clients from reaching their full potential. Accessing deeply held beliefs and memories can assist in “unlocking” them and open the path to change.

Clients are gently guided to observe their past from a distance, learn the lessons required to move forward and heal past emotional pain.

Hypnotherapy is a gentle process, it does not force clients to do anything!

Hypnotherapy at Port Phillip Psychology can be used in addition to treatment with one of our psychologists or as a stand-alone therapy.

Marianne Lopez has over 10 years experience as a Hypnotherapist and is registered with the Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists. Issues she can assist include addictions such as smoking or alcohol; anxiety, stress and phobias and helping adolescents navigate exam stress.

Please get in touch if you would like more information about our Hypnotherapy services or to organise a brief chat with Marianne so you can decide if this is right for you.

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

There are no Medicare rebates available for sessions with our Counsellors (who are not registered psychologists or Mental Health Social Workers). A limited number of Private health funds provide rebates for Counsellors. Please check directly with your health fund.

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

Medicare:
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 20 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. The rebate may take a couple of days to reach their bank account depending on their bank and 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 several 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.

Note: appointments with our Director are full fee only.

Sessions are for 55 minutes.

Initial couples and family sessions are for 85 mins and charged at 1.5 times the standard session fee.

Your therapist 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 therapist 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.

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.

If you have a claim with Workcover, or TAC then we will bill the service directly for your appointments and you will only pay the out-of-pocket amount. This “out of pocket” amount is $40.

If you have funding allocated under VOCAT then there is no out of pocket expense and we will bill them directly.

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.