Question 1

What are the fees ?

Accepted Answer

The Australian Psychological Society's current (2024- 2025) recommended fee for a 46-60 minute standard psychological consultation is $311.

At Hobart Wise Minds, our fees are as below:
 
We also have limited spaces for individuals experiencing financial hardship whereby fees will be determined based on a sliding scale. Please note that some out of pocket fees may still apply. Unfortunately, we do not offer bulk billing at this time.

Information about Medicare rebates
If you and your GP decide to start a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) and we receive a valid referral letter from your GP prior to, or on your first session, you will receive a Medicare rebate  following payment. Your out of pocket gap fee will be your fee minus the rebate (As described in the table).

Your GP may also consider a Chronic Disease Management Plan (formerly called an Enhanced Care Plan), however the number of rebates and the amount per rebate under this plan is substantially less than for a MHTP.

Private health rebates
Alternatively, if you have Private Health insurance, you may be eligible to claim rebates for Clinical Psychology sessions. Please contact your provider for more information on this. Should you require the item numbers when making enquiries with your insurer, the item number for standard sessions are 100 (for the Initial session) and 200 (for subsequent sessions).

The full fee will be payable on the day of your session and you will be provided an invoice which you can use to make the claim with your Private Health Insurance.

Late cancellation
We do charge a late cancellation fee (for less than 48 hours notice) of $100. Late cancellation fees do not attract a Medicare rebate. 
We are able to change your appointment to a Telehealth (video call or phone call) appointment upon request if you cannot make it to your session on site.

Question 2

How do I go about getting a GP referral?

Accepted Answer

1. Your first step is booking in an appointment with your GP. When booking in your appointment, you may want to inform them that you will be seeking a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) and referral to a Psychologist- if this is your first time seeking a MHTP, you may require a longer GP's appointment. Your GP's practice would be able advise further on this.

2. The usual practice is for your GP to send the referral letter to Hobart Wise Minds through email: admin@hobartwiseminds.com.au however you are also able to request a copy from your GP to keep on hand in the case there is a delay in receiving your referral from the GP.

3. Hobart Wise Minds will aim to make contact with you within 7 days of receiving your referral. However, if you do not hear from us in this time frame, it is possible that we have yet to receive the referral from your GP and we encourage you to contact us directly instead.

4. For your information, a valid referral letter (by Medicare's requirements) must include the below information:
the patient’s name, date of birth and address;
the patient’s symptoms or diagnosis and 
a statement on whether a mental health treatment plan (MHTP) has been prepared;
the number of sessions the patient is being referred for (the ‘course of treatment’). An Initial course of treatment is usually 6 sessions, following which your Psychologist will write back to your GP with a progress update and potentially requesting for more sessions on your behalf, if indicated.

Question 3

How can I book or cancel a session?

Accepted Answer

Bookings
Our practice is open on Mondays and Tuesdays for on-site sessions. We may also be able to provide Friday sessions upon request and upon the availability of the practitioner.
If your GP has organised a referral to be sent to us, we will aim to contact you within 5 business days of receiving this referral. We will inform you of the outcome of this referral and you may want to book in a session with us during this time. We can do this via email or phone.
At the end of each session, we will book you in for your next session (or two). 
If you are unable to commit to a time then, please feel free to contact us after your session via email or phone to make a booking.

Cancellations
You are able to cancel or reschedule a future session via email, phone (please leave a voice mail message if needed).
If you are unable to come in to the practice for your session, we can offer to change the session to a Telehealth session instead (phone or video call). 
We strive to accommodate unforeseen circumstances as best we can, however, as we only operate 2 days a week, having sufficient notice before a cancellation will mean that we are able to offer the time to someone else. Any cancellations with less than 2 days (48 hours) notice may incur a late cancellation fee of $100 (no Medicare rebate).

Question 4

How do I know if I need psychological therapy?

Accepted Answer

A person's mental health can deteriorate without them necessarily realising it. Sometimes, this may happen as a result of an event/ experience. Other times, it may seem to come out of the blue. The signs of deteriorating mental health differs from person to person.

At times, the people around us may notice a change in us before we do. It is important that if you are a friend or family member of someone who is going through this, that you provide gentle encouragement to seek support.

It is important to remember that anxiety, depression and other difficulties coping are not just a normal part of ageing. We now know that evidence based treatments, which can often be a combination of medical and psychological therapy, are highly effective in improving wellbeing and daily functioning, and in reducing future events.

Here are some signs of what deteriorating mental health may look like (These are examples and are not an exhaustive list, nor does it act as a self diagnostic list):

a loss of motivation to do the things you once enjoyed
not being able to enjoy the things you continue to do or the company of others 
sleeping significantly more or choosing to isolate more than usual, or having trouble sleeping or switching off
loss of appetite, or in some cases, eating more than usual
having worries or focusing on the negative side of things more than usual, and in a way that is affecting your daily social, occupational, personal or basic functioning (e.g. reducing your social interactions and not leaving home as often as you would, unable to think about things other than your worries etc.)
new physical symptoms of anxiety such as trembling, feeling tense or restless, feeling nervous or a sense of impending panic or doom
feeling generally stressed in your day to day life
a sudden change in your memory and cognition
increased alcohol consumption or substance use
feeling down and lonely
having growing thoughts about suicide

Everyone can have days where they experience some of the above, however, if you notice that this change is prolonged or getting worse over the days, or if you are experiencing several of these signs all at once and your quality of life is being affected,  your GP is your best first point of call.

Your GP may suggest a variety of evidence based assessments and treatments, including a course of psychological therapy, and may also seek to rule out physical causes through medical investigations. Getting help early can greatly benefit your treatment outcome and journey.

Question 5

What can I expect from my first therapy session?

Accepted Answer

A first of visiting any health practitioner can feel like a daunting experience. It can be helpful to know what to expect from your first therapy session and the overall process.

During your first 50-minute session, you can expect:
An introduction to your therapist and a discussion of their background and approach.
A discussion of privacy, confidentiality and limits to confidentiality. You will be asked to sign an informed consent form and are welcome to ask questions about this.
A thorough discussion of your concerns and goals for therapy.
An exploration of your relevant past experiences and current circumstances.
An agreement on the focus and goals of therapy as well as frequency of therapy.
A discussion of your thoughts on therapy and if you choose to, booking in the next session or two.

The first session is an opportunity for you and your therapist to get to know each other, further understand your current situation and goals for treatment and determine if therapy is a good fit for you.

The therapeutic relationship can sometimes be as important as the treatment itself- The best therapeutic relationship and process is one where a collaborative approach is taken.

Initial sessions are often fortnightly (but depending on your situation, can be weekly, three weekly or monthly). We will discuss this further at our first session. Once some traction is gained, we will re-evaluate the frequency of sessions that is most beneficial for you as an ongoing process.

Question 6

Information for GPs

Accepted Answer

Please see attached GP and Consumer flyer for more information for GP's and other referrers. Please feel free to print and distribute the consumer flyer to your patients as you see necessary.

Other important information about referring to us
At this time, we receive referrals via email to admin@hobartwiseminds.com.au

According to Medicare requirements, a referral letter is essential. The copy of the MHTP may supplement the referral letter to the Psychologist, if the GP and client agree to this.
A valid referral letter according to Medicare must contain:
The date the referral was written
GP's details, including their provider number
the patient’s name, date of birth and address;
the patient’s symptoms or diagnosis
a statement on whether a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) has been prepared;
the number of sessions the patient is being referred for (the ‘course of treatment’). An Initial course of treatment can be up to 6 sessions.

A progress update will be sent to the referring GP at the end of the course of treatment (number of sessions referred for).

We may correspond regarding treatment and progress prior to this,  in the case a need arises in the course of therapy or if sessions are terminated prior to the end of the course of treatment, or if requested by the GP or patient.