Medicare

If you have a referral and Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP or psychiatrist, you may be eligible for a Medicare rebate, per session for up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year.

Once your payment has been made, we can process your Medicare rebate on your behalf through our online system. According to Medicare, the rebate is usually deposited into your nominated bank account within 2–3 business days

Private Health Insurance

If your private health insurance includes psychological counselling under your extras cover, you may be eligible to claim a partial rebate. We recommend contacting your insurance provider directly to confirm your level of coverage and rebate amount.iption text goes here

No, you don’t need a referral to see one of our psychologists — you’re welcome to book an appointment directly. However, if you choose to do so, the full session fee will be payable out of pocket.

If you’d like to see whether you’re eligible for a referral under a Mental Health Treatment Plan, please speak with your GP or psychiatrist before making your first appointment.

Yes, some clinicians offer early morning appointments, evening appointments and Saturdays.

Align Psychology has a 24-hour cancellation and rescheduling policy. This means that if you need to change or cancel your appointment you must arrange this no later than 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment time. This gives us enough time to offer your appointment to other clients. If you cancel or change your appointment within 28 hours, you will be charged the full fee for this session (Medicare and private health insurance do not provide rebates for cancelled or unattended appointments). Extenuating circumstances will always be considered.

Any request for a reduced fee needs be discussed directly with your clinician during your initial appointment. The decision to offer a reduced fee is entirely at the clinician’s discretion and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

After making your first appointment you will be sent an email with forms complete prior to attending. This will also outline information about fees and rebates, and details about the location of our clinic. If you have a Mental Health Treatment Plan you will need to bring along this paperwork to your first appointment. If you have been referred by a GP or psychiatrist, we will discuss the details of your Mental Health Treatment Plan at this point. After completing paperwork the remainder of the session is usually spent discussing the issues that have brought you into therapy. As well as developing a thorough understanding of your concerns, your psychologist will explore relevant background history, for example, information about your family, social relationships, work history and any past counselling that you have done. Based on this information we will begin to help you to understand more about what might be triggering and maintaining your current issues. If time allows we will also work with you to develop a collaborative and flexible plan for future therapy sessionsxt goes here

Sessions are approximately 50-60 minutes.

The number of sessions varies from person to person. Some people find a few sessions are enough to address a specific concern, while others benefit from longer-term support to work through more complex or ongoing challenges. Your psychologist will work with you to understand your goals and develop a plan that feels right for you, reviewing progress along the way. The focus is always on providing the right level of support for your individual needs—no more, no less.Description text goes here

To book an appointment with a psychologist, you can either fill out the online enquiry form or get in touch with the clinic directly by phone.

If you choose to submit an online enquiry, reception will follow up by calling or emailing you to discuss the available options and psychologists.

When there are psychologists accepting new clients, and your area of support matches their scope and availability, reception will discuss booking your first appointment. Typically, two appointments are scheduled during this initial conversation.

If no psychologists are currently taking on new clients, or those available are not suitable for your needs, you will be offered a place on the waitlist. Reception will advise you of the expected wait times at this stage.

In certain situations, a booking may not be possible. When this occurs, the clinic will always provide you with alternative pathways to explore.