FAQs

Here you'll find answers to some of the most common questions about working with us. If you’re unsure about anything, feel free to get in touch.

General

  • Put simply, a Clinical Psychologist has completed a Master of Clinical Psychology while Registered Psychologists have not. However, many of our Registered Psychologists have completed their Masters degree but are currently completing their registrar programs, which is two years of supervised practice before they obtain their Clinical endorsement

    Despite the above, Clinical Psychologists are not necessarily better than Registered Psychologists – everyone has their own specialty, wealth of knowledge and experience that they bring to their work. We encourage you to focus on the person and their interests, rather than their title!

  • A Provisional Psychologist is either completing their working internship to obtain registration or is completing their Masters degree and is on placement. They are supervised weekly by clinical supervisors and are often up to date with the latest research and practice due to learning it currently and so vigorously.

  • A Counsellor has completed a Master of Counselling and sees the full range of client presentations that a psychologist might see. They use many of the same evidence-based therapies, including CBT and ACT.

    While counselling tends to focus more on supporting clients through life challenges (rather than diagnostic assessment or complex mental health conditions), it still draws on the same core prevention and intervention strategies.

  • Absolutely not. Harry Potter will always have a fondness in our hearts and we love our logo symbolising Fawkes, however, we in no way support any transphobic comments or any discrimination to any person ever. We support and welcome ALL people and in fact, many of our staff have specific interest and experience in supporting the LGBTQIA+ community.

  • Unfortunately, no we are not. However, if you are under a self-managed plan you are absolutely welcome to access our support. We do require full payment at the time of the appointment, and we cannot invoice to third party services.

Individual Therapy

  • No, you do not need a referral to see our psychologists. However, if you would like to claim a Medicare rebate, you will need a referral from your GP and an active Mental Health Treatment Plan.

  • Mental health treatment plans are a government initiative that allows clients to claim rebates for psychological sessions for up to 10 sessions per calendar year. In order to access these, you must have a referral from your GP and a written GP mental health treatment plan. More information can be found on the Services Australia website: www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/mental-health-care-and-medicare

    The rebates for the 2025/26 financial year are currently: 

    Clinical psychologist: $145.25

    Registered psychologist: $98.95

    Unfortunately, there are no Medicare rebates for provisional psychologists or counsellors.

  • Absolutely! No child lives within isolation. Our psychologists know how important it is to work with the family in order to support a child. Your first session will be a parent only session so that the psychologist can understand your child’s needs. Subsequent sessions will focus on working with your child, but continuing to keep you informed and involved every step of the way!

  • Our beautiful therapy dog, Charlie, is living his best life in retirement with our director, Nicola. He no longer joins in on sessions, however, he may come visit the office every now and then, and you are more than welcome to ask for pats if you see him!

  • An Accredited Mental Health Social Worker is a specially trained social worker accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers to provide Medicare-rebated, evidence-based psychological therapies. They take a holistic approach, supporting mental health while also considering the social, environmental, and systemic factors that impact wellbeing.

  • Psychologists and Accredited Mental Health Social Workers both provide evidence-based therapies to support mental health. Psychologists may focus more on assessment, diagnosis, and clinical or behavioural aspects. While Accredited Mental Health Social Workers take a holistic approach that connects mental health to broader life circumstances. Both offer valuable support, and the right fit depends on your individual needs and preferences. 

Assessments

  • We provide a whole range of assessments, from your basic IQ assessment to comprehensive neurotype assessments:

    Cognitive assessment for ages 2 years, 7 months and older

    This is a basic cognitive assessment utilising the age appropriate intelligence scale to determine an individual’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses. This can be used to assess for intellectual giftedness, intellectual disability, or to merely give an indication of a child’s strengths and challenges to indicate how to best support them in the classroom.

    Learning disorder assessment for ages 5 and up

    This assessment utilises the age appropriate intelligence scale, in addition to achievement based testing to determine whether there are specific academic concerns that are not congruent with cognitive ability. This, along with information from a thorough initial intake session, helps the psychologist to determine whether an individual meets criteria for a Specific Learning Disorder. There are three main ones to consider:

    Dyslexia – A specific learning disorder in reading.

    Dysgraphia – A specific learning disorder in written expression.

    Dyscalculia – A specific learning difficulty in mathematics.

    This assessment will also provide information regarding cognitive strengths and weaknesses, in addition to ruling out intellectual disability as a cause for any academic difficulties.

    ADHD assessment for ages 5 and up

    This assessment is the same as the learning disorder assessment above but additionally requires a number of questionnaires to be completed specifically related to ADHD challenges and executive functioning. In addition, a more thorough observation of behaviour is utilised throughout the testing sessions to ascertain information as to whether or not an ADHD neurotype exists.

    This assessment is comprehensive and will consider all potential explanations for ADHD like presentations including (but not limited to): specific learning disorders, intellectual disability or giftedness, other behavioural disorders, and mental health/trauma history.

    Autism assessments for ages 3 and up

    This assessment utilises an initial interview to gain a comprehensive developmental history and standardised information from the ADOS-2 assessment tool to assess for the social, emotional, and behavioural challenges associated with autism. The ADOS-2 is a play based assessment tool for children that explores their responses to standardised activities. It assesses for specific social and emotional responses (or lack there of) through a range of standardised tasks.

    For adults, The Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum (MIGDAS-2) is utilised. It is a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming assessment tool that explores an individual's communication style, sensory preferences, and social experiences, through a conversational and flexible interview, making it particularly beneficial for adults who mask their autistic traits, as it allows them to share their internal experiences in a supportive environment.

    While signs of other psychological disorders such as ADHD or mental health difficulties may be picked up throughout, they are not assessed as a part of this assessment.

  • This all varies depending on the assessment package chosen and age of the client. However, they are charged based on an hourly rate to compensate for psychologist’s time. Please contact reception for the most updated information for the assessment you are seeking!

    For the final reports, turnaround time is typically 6 weeks after the final testing session, as we follow a comprehensive and thorough assessment process to ensure the highest quality.

  • For everything other than autism assessments, unfortunately not. Some private health insurance may provide some coverage, but we advise you check in with yours before booking in.

    For autism assessments, if the referral for the assessment is made by a Paediatrician or a Psychiatrist, and the person being assessed is under the age of 25, you may be eligible to claim a rebate of $98.95.

  • Unfortunately not! Psychostimulant medication can only be prescribed by a Paediatrician (for children) and Psychiatrists (for adults).

  • If you wish to receive medication for ADHD, it is more cost effective to go straight to the psychiatrist. With that said, medication is not the only treatment for ADHD and our reports are very comprehensive and will provide you with information a psychiatrist cannot without implementing the standardised testing that we do.

    Our assessments will allow you to understand your cognitive strengths and weaknesses and how this may impact on your ability to function at work, within relationships, and at home. This information is crucial to understanding yourself and learning what strategies to implement to support you behaviourally.

  • Not sure what assessment to book? We’ve got you! We offer a pre-assessment phone consultation with our clinical lead, Leah. During this 30-minute session (cost: $180), Leah will explore you or your child’s traits, listen to your concerns, and answer any questions you have about the assessment process. Based on this discussion, she will provide advice on what assessment pathway, if any, may be most appropriate. Please note that this consultation is brief and does not provide a diagnosis, but is intended to help guide the next steps in the assessment process.

Group Therapy

  • Yes, but not your individual session count. You are entitled to 10 rebated individual sessions and 10 rebated group sessions per calendar year.

  • If you have any other questions we haven't addressed, please reach out to our friendly reception team! Their details can be found on our Contact Us page.