FAQs

FAQs2023-11-06T23:21:19+11:00

Frequently Asked Questions

Our team here at The ACT of Living will be glad to be of assistance helping you find ways to successfully deal with your concerns. We understand that you may have questions about what our approach is and what psychology services we offer. Below we have provided a list of frequently asked questions to help you know what to expect when seeing a psychologist at our clinic. If your question is not listed below, or you would like more information, feel free to email or call our clinic.

Can I receive a Medicare rebate for seeing a psychologist?2023-08-24T14:01:04+10:00

Yes! If you have a referral from your GP or psychiatrist for a mental health treatment plan you will be eligible to receive a Medicare rebate of $92.90 (for a non-clinical psychologist) or $136.35 (for a clinical psychologist) for each appointment. You will still need to pay the gap fee – this varies depending on the practitioner, but most practitioners charge $220 so the gap will then be the difference between $220 and the above rebates.

Please note – you cannot receive a Medicare rebate if you are seeing one of our counsellors or provisional psychologists. However, their fees reflect this and are about the same as the gap fee you would be paying if you saw a psychologist with a referral.

How many sessions do I get?

Your GP will refer you for a certain number of initial sessions (usually 6). Once you have used these sessions, you can discuss with your psychologist about whether further sessions are required. You will then need to speak with your GP to get a re-referral for additional sessions. You are eligible for up to 10 sessions per calendar year. Of course, you are welcome to continue after the Medicare sessions have been used up.

I don’t have a referral, how do I get one?

– Book in to see your GP for a 30 minute appointment
– They will assess whether you are eligible for a mental health treatment plan and send our clinic a referral letter

IMPORTANT: Please tell our clinic if you already have a mental health treatment plan and already received rebates when seeing a psychologist this calendar year.

Can ACT of Living claim the rebate for me?

Yes, at your first appointment we’ll arrange for you to pay us via Tyro Health, our payment portal. Once enrolled with Medipass, please make sure that:
  • there are sufficient funds in your credit card to make the payment
  • that Medicare has up-to-date bank details for you linked to your Medicare card. You can do this through your My Gov account (login here).
When we process the payment – usually within 1 business day or same day as your visit – your credit card will be debited on that day and the Medicare rebate will appear in your nominated account within two business days.

Have further questions? Call our clinic, our friendly receptionists will be happy to answer any questions you have.
Are there Medicare rebates for telehealth sessions? Or private health rebates?2023-08-24T14:05:02+10:00
Yes. The government have made a special range of items, just like the regular Medicare items 80110 and 80100, and these telehealth sessions are available to all Australians with a Medicare card and mental health treatment plan referral. For more information about Medicare rebates please see our ‘Can I receive a Medicare rebate for seeing a psychologist?’

Rural telehealth appointments

In addition, in 2018, the government made telehealth psychological counselling available to clients in rural and remote Australia. To see if your area is eligible, search for your town/location here https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/health-workforce-locator/health-workforce-locator and click on “Modified Monash Model” in the filter on the left. Zones 4-7 are eligible for these telehealth items. Find out more about these items here: https://www.psychology.org.au/getmedia/fd748495-90e7-40d8-bedb-c3d7999cbb2d/18APS-Telehealth-Consumers.pdf%22.

Non-Medicare sessions

Regular non-Medicare sessions can also be conducted by telephone or videoconference. Check with your health fund as to whether they will provide a rebate for these sessions.
When Should I Get Counselling?2020-03-18T23:12:36+11:00

There is no set rule for when someone should seek counselling. People seek counselling for many different reasons and at different points in their life. Common reasons are to help manage symptoms of a mental illness such as anxiety or depression, to provide clarity, support or motivation. Counselling provides an opportunity for you to talk freely with an empathetic and non-judgmental professional that can help you work through your everyday experiences and issues. For more information on how our practitioners can help you click on the ‘our team’ tab to see our different practitioners. Alternatively, you are welcome to call or email the clinic.

 

 

What Is Therapy And Counselling?2020-03-18T23:09:34+11:00

Counselling is the professional service psychologists offer that is designed to help individuals deal with issues and concerns in life that may be affecting them emotionally or mentally. Unlike simply giving advice, counselling allows psychologists to apply particular techniques and strategies that are specifically designed to deal with concerns of mental and emotional health.

Is Counselling Effective?2020-03-20T15:23:28+11:00

Yes, over 80% of people who see a counsellor experience improvement, and generally fewer than 10% will be worse off after effective counselling. At The ACT of Living we measure the outcome achieved for each client and publish our aggregate effectiveness. In fact we’ve been certified as effective by the Center for Clinical Informatics.

Is Counselling Private?2020-03-20T15:19:26+11:00

All counselling sessions at the Act of Living are private and exclusive only to you and to your psychologist. As our psychologists and therapists are accredited and licensed, we make sure all correspondence during sessions are kept confidential. The only exception to this is if your information is specifically requested by the courts, or if you request this data yourself.

What Is A Psychologist?2020-03-20T15:14:24+11:00

The term “psychologist” refers to a person professionally-trained and certified to provide psychological assistance to clients ailed by a wide variety of conditions that range from mild to more severe issues. The psychologists at Act of Living are university-trained and have professional training and skills allow them to deal effectively with various psychological issues.

 

How Long Does It Take?2020-03-20T15:24:52+11:00

That depends on many factors. Most people achieve a significant benefit by around 6-10 sessions. The average client who achieves any improvement with us does so in around nine sessions. This varies a lot though from one client to the next.

To understand more about our approach to counselling and therapy email or call us today!

How Much Does It Cost?2020-11-27T09:59:51+11:00

See the fee and rebate details for each practitioner by clicking on the ‘Practitioners’ menu above and choosing the practitioner you’re interested in.

For information about Medicare rebates, see ‘Can I receive a Medicare rebate for seeing a psychologist?’

What is a telehealth session? How do I set one up?2023-08-24T14:08:40+10:00
A telehealth session is simply a counselling session conducted by phone or videoconference. Our practitioners have experience using the software and hardware involved. We can’t set up your equipment and software, but we can make sure that things are working properly on our end.

What you need

A reliable internet connection (can be mobile, but a video session may use a lot of data – check your plan), so broadband is recommended.
A quiet room where you will not be interrupted. Just like a session at our rooms, we recommend you turn your phone off unless that’s the device you’re using.
A headphone or earphone set with a microphone. You can use your computer’s speakers and microphone, but we find that this configuration sometimes leads to people talking louder than normal and depending on who is around, might make your session a bit less private than you’d like.
Some of our practitioners use platforms like Skype or zoom.us which mean that you may have to install an app or download software to connect with them. Our psychologists’ personal pages show what kind of telehealth services they offer and which platforms they use. If you need them to explain any details just call them directly on the numbers on their page. Note that most of our practitioners work part-time and all are busy at this time, so please be patient – we make take a day or two to return your call.

Making a Telehealth appointment

You can make an appointment in the normal way by calling our landline, emailing us or using one of the contact forms on our website. Some practitioners will have a direct link for making a telehealth appointment with them on their webpage.

Security and privacy

Our psychologists will all be taking steps to ensure as usual that your health information is secure and your privacy and the confidentiality of your sessions is respected. The ethical guidelines and privacy principles that govern in-person sessions are the same ones that apply to these telehealth sessions.
Should I come in for my appointment? Are you still open? – COVID-192021-05-03T10:27:06+10:00

Yes if you wish. We are now seeing clients either via telehealth sessions (via videoconference or phone) or face-to-face at 203 High St, Northcote.

What we are doing to prevent COVID-19 transmission

Our staff have been instructed to follow these safety measures to reduce contamination:

  • Ceased physical contact between staff and between staff and clients
  • Increased cleaning schedules for all rooms
  • Routinely using disinfectant spray and wipes to clean pens, pencils, whiteboard markers, tissue boxes, light switches and tables and desks.
  • Ask clients not to touch any door handles or light switches
  • Converted tasks such as completion of forms, payment and assessment to be completely contactless (read more about how our contactless payment system works here – after your first payment, you don’t even need to have your credit card with you).
  • Run airconditioning continuously and keep rooms open outside sessions to maximise air circulation
  • Staggering client and practitioner arrival and departure times to reduce contact opportunities

The number of people coming through our premises is quite low – about 20 per day, so safer than many other places you might routinely visit such as shops, cafés and most workplaces. Our maximum occupancy, including one reception person and up to 3 practitioners is 10. For this reason, you may not be able to bring another person to wait in the waiting room for you, and you may be asked to wait outside if we are at or near capacity.

What you can do to keep you and us safe

You can help to keep you, us and the community safe by following the government recommendations on social distancing, hand-washing, avoiding touching your face and sneezing or coughing into a tissue that you immediately dispose of.

We would also appreciate your cooperation in:
  • cancelling your appointment if you are unwell, and especially if you have early symptoms of cold or flu such as:
    • high temperature
    • shortness of breath
    • cough
    • runny or blocked nose
    • sore throat
  • likewise cancelling if someone in your household or with whom you come into regular or prolonged contact shows these signs or has recently returned from or through a country experiencing a COVID-19 epidemic, or if that person is being tested or has been tested for COVID-19, or is self-isolating. Cancellation fees will be waived in these situations during the crisis.
  • not touching door handles, light switches or any devices or objects that you don’t absolutely need to

Please go to our contact form to arrange an in-person or telehealth consultation.

What approach do you use?2020-03-20T15:24:00+11:00

We mainly use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, but we are trained in other methods such as humanistic and existential counselling, cognitive-behavior therapy, solution-focused therapy, functional analytic psychotherapy, positive psychology, motivational interviewing and more.

What Should I Expect For My First Session?2020-03-20T15:22:32+11:00

For your first session, you can expect this to be something that will help you and your therapist zero in on your particular concern or issue. This means your psychologist will more or less begin the session by asking you about things that are happening in your life and about your particular issue. How much you open up about your issue is up to you. From this session, your psychologist should be able to plot out a basic overview of the approach they will take throughout the course of your sessions together, in order to get your desired result. Your first session is important as it allows both you and your therapist to identify aspects of the problem that need focus. It also marks the beginning of the therapeutic relationship and will allow you to feel more comfortable when discussing issues with your therapist.

Can I Stop Seeing My Therapist?2020-03-20T15:22:58+11:00

As much as we’d feel sad seeing you go, you are allowed to cancel your sessions with our team and your psychologist. Do clarify with our customer service representatives regarding the specifics of your cancellation of our service. However, remember that our team will always be here should you want to start seeing us again, as we understand that our customers also tend to exit their sessions because of a wide variety of reasons. Our doors will always be open to accommodate you and help you find the best solutions in order to solve your particular concerns.

GET IN TOUCH

If you have any questions, please call our Intake Staff on 0493 753 641 or complete the form below and we can call you back.

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