Appointments
If you would like to discuss which practitioner might be a good match for your needs, please contact the clinic on (03) 9440 9886 and ask to speak to the Practice Manager, Emma Clarris. Our reception team will take your details and ask the Practice Manager to return your call.
You can also complete the New Client Enquiry form here and Emma will call you back.
You can also book an appointment online: BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
Clients can be self-referred, or they can be referred by their General Practitioner, Consultant Psychiatrist or other mental health professional.
Appointments are generally 50-60 minutes in length.
Your initial appointment
The first appointment is an opportunity for us to hear about the reason for coming to therapy and to discuss what your expectations are.
This first appointment does not commit you to attend on a regular basis. Many people are unsure about therapy and therefore the initial appointment can help in relation to your decision to pursue therapy.
Typically, you will be asked about various parts of your life so that we are better able to understand the difficulties. You do not have to answer all of the questions and it is likely that certain aspects may be talked about in more depth during the therapeutic process.
At the end of the initial appointment, your practitioner may share with you what their understanding is of your difficulties, explain the therapeutic approach that may be helpful and the reasoning behind this. The duration and frequency of the appointments will also be discussed.
Sometimes assessment tools may be used and the aim of this is to measure your progress and check that the desired changes are taking place.
Please contact the clinic on (03) 9440 9886 to discuss further what may be involved.
Fees & Rebates
Please contact the clinic to find out what the fees and rebates are as they vary according to practitioner and whether your appointment is during business hours 9am-5pm or after-hours. Please note that our after-hours appointments are reserved for Full Fee paying clients.
Referrals & Claims
If you have a GP referral for sessions under Mental Health Care Plan and you have a valid Medicare card, you may be eligible for Medicare rebates for up to 10 sessions per year. If you have a referral from your GP, please bring a copy of the form to your first session or email it to info@mindatworkpsychology.com.au
We will need a copy of your referral if you would like us to electronically process the Medicare rebate for your session on your behalf. Please ensure the clinic has received a copy of your referral to avoid delays in processing your rebate.
Medicare typically takes up to 48 hours to deposit the rebate amount back into your nominated bank account (the one you nominated to Medicare).
We also work with the following third-party funders:
- Traffic Accident Commission (TAC),
- WorkSafe
- National Disability Insurance Scheme (we are an NDIS Registered Provider)
- Selected Employee Assistance Programs
- Carer Gateway
- Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal
- Carelink
In order to invoice the funding body for your psychology fees we will need you to provide copies of any referrals or approvals, including relevant claim numbers. We will invoice the funding organisation and seek payment for your services. Some organisations have a limit on the number of services they will fund. It is important to be aware of this as any fees for services not covered by your funder will be your own cost.
Private Health Insurance
If you are claiming through your private health insurance company, we suggest you first check your claiming eligibility with your funder to find out what rebates apply. Please let the clinic know that you intend to claim through private health insurance. We will send you a copy of your invoice once it has been paid which you can forward/upload to your health fund to make a claim.
Appointment Reminders
We send you an SMS and email at least 48 hours prior to your appointment to help remind you of your appointment and to give you sufficient time to make alternative arrangements, should you need. If your appointment is on a Monday or a Tuesday, we will send you a reminder on the Friday before your appointment. This is so that you have sufficient time to contact the practice should you need to cancel or change your appointment.
Cancellation Policy
If for some reason you need to cancel or postpone your appointment, we require that you give us at least 48 hours’ notice. When you make an appointment, you are reserving an hour of your practitioner's time, so we kindly ask that you give us sufficient notice in the event that you need to cancel or postpone your appointment.
Giving us more than 48 hours’ notice helps us offer this valuable time to other people who have pressing mental health needs and would benefit from an earlier appointment. A cancellation fee is not charged when you provide more than 48 hours’ notice to the clinic.
Cancellation Fees
The following cancellation fee may apply if you do not provide sufficient notice:
- Less than 24 hours’ notice: in cases where less than 24 hours’ notice is given or no notice is given, our Cancellation Policy of 100% of the session fee will apply.
- Less than 48 hours’ notice: in cases where less than 48 hours’ notice is given or no notice is given, our Cancellation Policy of 50% of the session fee will apply.
NDIS Cancellation Fees
In line with the NDIS Price Guide, our NDIS Cancellation Policy is that 100% of the scheduled appointment fee will be charged when we receive less than 48 hours’ cancellation notice or for unattended appointments
Cancellation Fees for Third-Party Funded Appointments
If your sessions are being funded by a third-party organisation, please check their cancellation policy. Some funders (such as TAC or WorkSafe) do not pay for cancellation charges or for unattended appointments so any cancellation fees will be your responsibility to pay.
Notifying the Clinic
To reschedule or cancel your appointment, please call the clinic on (03) 9440 9886 or email info@mindatworkpsychology.com.au. The clinic phone may divert to our off-site reception team if staff at the clinic cannot answer your call.
More information
Please reach out to our reception staff or Practice Manager, Emma, if you have any questions or specific support needs on (03) 9440 9886 or email: info@mindatworkpsychology.com.au