COUNSELLING

If you have been referred by your GP under a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP), you are currently entitled to up to a total of 10 Medicare rebates. However, in order to receive this many sessions, you will be required by Medicare to go back to your doctor after the sixth and 10th sessions to obtain a continuing referral.

Once you have utilised all eligible sessions under a MHCP, you may be entitled to further rebates with a private health insurance fund if you have coverage. You will need to contact your private health fund insurer to find out.

Yes, many people report feeling nervous about seeing a new psychologist or seeing one for the first time. We are aware of this and will always endeavour to provide a warm and understanding environment in which to help you feel more comfortable.

Our current standard fee (until 01/01/25) for an hour consultation is between $190 and $250 which leaves a gap of $96.65-$156.65 with a Medicare referral. Our fees remain below the per hour Australian Psychological Society (APS) recommended fee of $267.

Longer sessions will result in an increase in fees and will be charged per 15-minute intervals.

Additional fees are charged for preparation of psychological reports and letters of capacity (i.e., fitness for work or studies).

All fees are payable in full at the end of session by cash or EFT if accessing services in consulting rooms or via direct debit prior to the session if receiving teleconferencing services.

Our practice requires a full fee deposit of $190-250 to book your initial session. Deposits are retained for the duration of treatment to cover any nonattendance or late cancellation fees.

Your deposit is refundable should you choose to not proceed with treatment so long as it has not been forfeited toward payment of a late cancellation or nonattendance of an appointment, as per our “Cancellation Policy” outlined below.

If your deposit has not been forfeited by the completion of therapy, your deposit will either be refunded or redeemed towards your last session.

If you are referred by your GP for treatment under the Better Access to Health Care Initiative (i.e., Mental Health Care Plan) and you are registered with Medicare, you will be eligible for a rebate of $88.25.

To claim the Medicare rebate, the full session fee must be paid first. You will incur an out-of-pocket cost of $66.75 per session.

For in-practice sessions, our practice can submit an online claim to Medicare if your bank account details are registered with Medicare. If you prefer, a receipt can be printed for you to take to your nearest Medicare Office.

For Telehealth sessions, you will be required to submit your claim to Medicare via their website, app or in person.

Please do not hesitate to contact one of our friendly receptionists on 07 3063 8144 (Mount Gravatt) or 07 3829 3604 (Redland Bay) if you need any further information or have booking enquiries.

Out-of-pocket costs contribute to the individual or family’s Medicare safety net threshold; clients who have reached the Medicare safety net threshold will receive a larger rebate for the rest of the calendar year.

No. With Medicare rebates, you must pay the full amount and then Medicare refunds the rebate directly into your debit account.

To be eligible for cover for psychology sessions through WorkCover, you will need to complete an application for compensation which includes a certificate from your doctor diagnosing you with a medically recognised psychological or psychiatric condition. To ensure that your fees for each session will be covered, you will need to ensure that your claim has been accepted through WorkCover, you have been provided with a claim number, and you are covered for counselling or psychology sessions.

If you believe that you require urgent counselling prior to a decision being made about your WorkCover application, you can contact WorkCover on 1300 362 128 to request support in coordinating early psychological services. They may provide approval to access and fund psychological services prior to full review of your application.

You are able to see a psychologist prior to a WorkCover decision being made, however, you will be required to pay the session in full and the cost for the session may not be covered by WorkCover if your claim is not accepted.

More information can be obtained via this link.

iFlexis is a privately billing clinic. To provide clinical excellence and effectively run business takes hard work and resources therefore we do not offer bulk-billing or concession services.

For most insurance, DVA and Workcover patients there are no out of pocket expenses.

If financial struggles means a patient is unable to continue therapy, we may be able to offer a reduced rate in some circumstances. We will do what we can to ensure patients receive support and we make a living.

If finance is a barrier to treatment for you, we suggest you discuss alternative referral sources with your referring GP.

It is normal to be concerned about your privacy and confidentiality when sharing intimate details about yourself.

Psychologists are bound to strict Code of Ethics by Psychologists Board of Australia (PBA) at all times. What you say to a psychologist is confidential and will not be passed on to anyone else (like a family member, friend or employer) without your consent except where:

• It is subpoenaed by a court;
• Failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at serious and imminent risk;
• If disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law;
• Your prior approval has been obtained to:
  • Provide a written report to another professional or agency (e.g., lawyer, medical practitioner); or
  • Discuss the material with another person (e.g., a parent or employer, or any other a third party).

Further, if you have been referred for psychological counselling services under a Mental Health Care Plan, practitioners are required to provide your referring GP with a treatment progress report which outlines your diagnosis, assessments undertaken, summary of treatment provided, and recommendations for future treatment (including end of treatment).

Additionally, if you have been referred by a third party (e.g., employer, insurer) and where the cost is covered by a third party, specific details of counselling may need to be provided as part of the agreement. This may include the following information: diagnosis, the number and length of sessions, attendance, treatment provided and future recommendations for development. In the event that this information is required, you will be notified in advance. All personal information or that discussed in counselling sessions remains confidential and cannot be disclosed to any third party without consent, or as outlined above.

Three people are affected by late cancellation or nonattendance:

1. The client who is delaying their therapy progress
2. Another client who could have utilised the session time to advance their mental health and wellbeing
3. The psychologist who has allocated their time for your session and preparation for that session

With this in mind, iFlexis has a strict cancellation policy. If, for some reason you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you are required to give 48 hours’ working days’ notice so that this time may be allocated to another client.

It is entirely your responsibility to remember to attend your appointment time. As a courtesy, we offer a reminder notification to your appointed email address 3 days or mobile number 48 hours prior to your appointment, however you should not rely on this reminder to attend your sessions.

We understand that occasionally you may be unable to attend an appointment due to a sudden illness or unexpected personal emergency. Should this occur, please phone the surgery where you are current booked as soon as possible to discuss the situation. To cancel or reschedule your appointment, please contact the surgery or email contact@iflexis.com.au 48 hours working day prior to your scheduled appointment.

Appointment Attendance
Counselling support will continue to be available for everyone regardless of vaccination status. Medical facilities still require all patients to wear a mask while on premise, and this includes attendance to your counselling session. If you are unable to wear a mask, your session will be converted to a Telehealth session for the safety of staff and other patients.

In person attendance
Please do not present for in person services if:

• You present with any COVID-19 symptoms, including have mild cough or cold symptoms.
• You have been identified as a close contact.
• You are awaiting a COVID test result.
• You have been directed to isolate or enter lockdown.

COVID Cancellation Policy
If you are physically well but cannot attend a face-to-face appointment, your appointment will not be cancelled but will be automatically converted to a Telehealth appointment. We will convert your appointment to a Telehealth appointment as soon as you let us know.

If your psychologist is physically well but cannot attend a face-to -face appointment your appointment will not be cancelled but will be automatically converted to a Telehealth appointment. If your psychologist converts your appointment to a Telehealth appointment, we will contact you prior to let you know and provide you with the link for the session.

Telehealth appointments consist of video consults primarily via CorePlus, however, from time-to-time other platforms like FaceTime or Webex may be used if technical limitations arise.

As we have frequently have a waitlist for our services, it is essential that every available appointment can used to support a member of our community. The following policies and practices will apply when face-to-face appointments are not possible because you or the psychologist cannot attend due to COVID directives, suspected COVID contact or positive COVID test result.

Our normal cancellation policy will apply if you have not given us 24 hours business notice to reschedule or cancel an appointment. If a COVID directive prevents you or your psychologist from attending the practice, your face-to-face appointment will not be cancelled but will automatically be converted to a Telehealth appointment (video appointment).

The following policies and practices will apply when face to face appointments are not possible because you or your psychologist cannot attend due to COVID directives.

Cancelling or declining Telehealth with LESS than 24 hours business day notice:

• If you are physically well but due to COVID directives you need to cancel an in-person appointment at short notice and you decline an offer for your appointment to be converted to Telehealth, a late cancellation fee will apply (100% of the session fee).
• If your psychologist is physically well but due to COVID directives your psychologist needs to convert your face to face appointment to Telehealth at short notice and you decline the offer of Telehealth, a late cancellation fee may apply (100% of the session fee).

When you book your first session, reception will ask you to complete a contact details form, consent form and assessments. If you are unable to complete them at the time of booking your appointment, you will be emailed links to complete the intake process online.

If you have trouble accessing or completing the forms, please speak with our friendly reception team.

Free parking is offered at all locations.