| 1. |
Does my child need a referral? |
| | No, you do not need a GP referral, however Medicare can cover some of the cost of a session if you do have a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP. Under a Mental Health Care Plan you can get 10 sessions subsidised per calendar year. Please see your GP for a referral / Mental Health Care Plan if you wish to use this Medicare service.
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| 2. |
What should I bring? |
| | Please bring along your doctor's referral or Mental Health Care Plan if you have one and any information on the presenting concerns that you would like to discuss with your psychologist.
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| 3. |
Can parent/caregiver speak to the psychologist first? |
| | Yes, if you are a parent or caregiver you may request to speak with the psychologist alone first in the session. Your psychologist will then welcome the child to join into the session.
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| 4. |
Should I bring my child to the first session? |
| | Yes, your child should be present at the initial session to meet the psychologist and start building a rapport. Your child should attend all sessions unless otherwise advised by the psychologist. (Please note, we do have some psychologists that prefer parent/carer only at the initial session, however you will be advised of this at the time of your booking if this applies to you).
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| 5. |
What do I tell my child? |
| | Taking your child to a psychologist can feel like a big step. However, the goal is to make the experience feel as safe and normal as possible and if a child is prepared for the session and understands the reasons why they are coming to meet a psychologist, it can help your child better understand and give your child reassurance that it is okay to speak to someone else about their presenting problems. Once your child attends the first session with the psychologist it is the psychologist’s task to develop rapport with the child to continue ongoing therapy session.
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| 6. |
How often will I need to see the psychologist? |
| | Depending on the complexity of the issue a child may see a psychologist every 2-3 weeks for 10 sessions, if under a Mental Health Care Plan. We rarely see a child every week as we allow time for growth and change to occur. The exception of course is with children depressed or children at risk of self-harm or suicide.
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| 7. |
How long will I have to wait to see a psychologist? |
| | We have Clinical and Registered psychologists across both practice locations. Whilst our wait times do vary for each individual psychologist and due to the high demand of our services, you will firstly be placed on our wait-list and someone from our friendly client services team will be in contact with you to discuss further.
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