If you are presenting as a private client, no referral letter is required.

• The cost of an appointment with Malika is $230 (per 50 mins via Telehealth) or $250 (per 50 min for in person sessions). Payment is due at the time of consultation. Please note that late payments or cancellations with less than 48 hours’ notice will incur fees in line with our practice policy.

• Payment Methods

  • EFTPOS (in-clinic) - Easily processed before your session begins.

  • Direct Deposit (bank transfer) - Please ensure payment is made prior to your appointment.

  • Secure payment via Halaxy (credit/debit card online) - Available as a secure backup option if other methods are unavailable.

• Initial psychology/coaching appointments with Malika: 90 mins ($270 via Telehealth; $290 in office); or 60 mins ($230 via Telehealth; $260 in office).

• Enquire directly with Jane about her fees.

·         Requests for letter writing, report writing, or external communication to other professionals: Pro-rata charges based on time required. Services less than 15 minutes are free. We DO NOT write reports for Legal Matters/Court.

·         Medicare rebates are available with a valid Medicare referral through the Better Access initiative. Rebates are available for Telehealth sessions. You will need to obtain a written referral from your GP (or psychiatrist), specifying a referral for 6 sessions of individual psychological therapy. It must be dated before the first session you would like to claim a Medicare rebate for (if this is dated after the session, you will only be able to claim for the sessions after this date).

·         You may also be able to claim a rebate from your private health fund depending on your cover, however, it is not possible to claim both Medicare and Private Health Fund rebates for the same appointment.

·         Self-Managed NDIS clients are welcome.

·         Fees are reviewed yearly and maybe subject to change.

 

Medicare Rebates

• The Australian Government offers access to 10 rebated psychological sessions per calendar year (resets from January 1) for those with an eligible 'mental disorder'.

·         Medicare also currently offers eligible individuals a rebate for 6 -10 group ‘Psychological Therapy’ sessions (in addition to the 6-10 individual sessions) with a Medicare registered Psychologist.

·         If you already have a mental health care plan and a referral for individual, you will need to talk to your referring GP about adding group therapy to the care plan, and you will need another referral letter specifically for group therapy. At the end of a group therapy course, you will then receive a receipt for the classes that you attended, which you can send or take to a Medicare office and claim your refund.  Medicare also has an app you can use to claim your refund. See: Express Plus Medicare mobile app - Services Australia .

·         When you spend a certain amount in gap and out of pocket costs for medical services, you’ll reach the threshold. Then Medicare will pay you a higher Medicare benefit. Find out what the thresholds are on the Services Australia website and/or see Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative under Medicare | APS (psychology.org.au).

 

To claim and manage these rebated sessions, you will require the following:

1. Visit your GP to:

• Get a Mental Health Care Plan/Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHCP/MHTP)

• Get a Referral Letter (only psychology sessions dated on/after the date of your referral can be claimed).

•  

2. Send the Referral Letter to your psychologist. If your psychologist does not have a copy of your referral, they cannot process your referral for you, and you will have to pay the full fee of the session. Whilst the MHCP/MHTP contains valuable information, in order to process your rebate, only the Referral Letter is necessary.

 

3. Get a new Referral Letter from your GP when the allocated number of sessions have been used. Referrals are issued in blocks of sessions, usually the first referral block being for 6 sessions, requiring another GP visit to receive your remaining 4 sessions once you have completed your first referral (please check your referral for session amount, as this can vary). Your psychologist will need to send your referring GP a progress report.

 

4. Keep track of your rebated sessions. Freedom Psychology and Life Coaching does not assume responsibility for keeping track of your used Medicare rebates. If you have no more sessions remaining on your current referral, you have completed all 10 available sessions for the year or your referral is invalid, and you will not be eligible for a Medicare rebate - meaning you will be required to pay the full amount for the session. You can manage your Medicare claims online, via the app or by phone. For more information, visit the Medicare website.

 

5. Please note that while we do all we can to support you to claim a rebate, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct referral information to do so.  While we will endeavour to process your Medicare rebate for you, on the rare occasion that this fails, we will provide you with a detailed receipt of your session to take to Medicare and claim the rebate yourself.

·         If you are uncertain whether your GP has completed all the necessary referral information for you to be eligible for a rebate, please confirm this with your GP or call Medicare on 132 011.  We cannot confirm these details for you.

·         If you would like more information about Medicare rebates for psychological services under the Better Access initiative, please discuss this with your GP, your mental health care provider, or visit https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/better-access-initiative  or https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/mental-health-care-and-medicare?context=60092 or https://psychology.org.au/psychology/medicare-rebates-psychological-services .