Referrals and Fees

How to book an appointment with Pawsitive Psychology

There are many ways you can book an appointment with us. Please note that we do not accept clients under the age of 18.

The majority of our clients come under NDIS funding. We also accept referrals from GPs with a Mental Health Care Plan. However, we do not bulk bill.  In cases of financial hardship we are prepared to reduce the fee to an acceptable level. But there will always be an out of pocket expense under the Medicare Better Access program.

Please note that we do not maintain a traditional waiting list of “first come, first serve”. When first contacted by clients or client’s family we will triage a client’s mental health and accept them based on urgency and safety.  

However, we are not a crisis centre. If a client is in crisis please call an ambulance or go to the local hospital. 

The different options are outlined below.

Sessions:
All sessions are 50 minutes.
Face to face sessions to clients in the local area (Animal Assisted Therapy included upon request).
Telehealth session via Zoom to clients Australia wide. (Animal Assisted Therapy not included).

Self referrals (Private Health Fund)

If you have private health insurance you can book an appointment under a self-referral. No GP referral needed.
The fee for a self-referral is $195.00 per session and is to be paid in full prior to the appointment. When you book an appointment under a self-referral we will send you a pro-forma invoice for the full amount. This is to be paid via direct deposit into our bank account. We reserve the right to cancel the appointment if the fee is not paid. Once the appointment is attended we will send you a itemised invoice with receipt, which you can submit to your health fund for reimbursement. 
We recommend that you contact your health fund prior to arranging a booking in regard to level of contribution. It is the clients responsibility to arrange private private health funds contribution. 

Cancellation Policy
We require 48 hrs notice (working days, not counting the weekend or public holidays) to cancel an appointment. If you cancel with less than 48 hrs there
will be a $50 cancellation fee, If you cancel on the day of the appointment or do not attend the full fee is charged. 

Better Access (Medicare rebate)

Clients referred under a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) by a GP come under the Better Access program. 
The fee for Better Access is $195.00 per session and is to be paid in advance by bank transfer. At time of booking we will send you a pro-forma invoice. Once the appointment is attended we will arrange for the Medicare rebate of $96.65 to be paid into your Medicare nominated bank account. 

We do not bulk bill. We reserve the right to cancel an appointment if the fee has not been paid in advance. You cannot claim the gap fee to your private health fund if you claim the Medicare rebate. 

Please advise your GP to send us the referral and Mental Health Care Plan via Fax (07 3540 8175).

Cancellation Policy
We require 48 hrs notice (working days, not counting the weekend or public holidays) to cancel an appointment. If you cancel with less than 48 hrs there will be a $50 cancellation fee, If you cancel on the same day as the appointment or do not attend the full fee is charged. The Medicare rebate will not be paid if you do not attend the appointment. 

 

NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme)

Clients referred by NDIS the current NDIS scheduled fee applies. We will require your NDIS number, name and contact details of your support coordinator, plan manager and the agency who settles the account. NDIS will be billed directly for the costs of the sessions under the NDIS billing code for psychology. Home visits will be charged at the NDIS scheduled fee, plus the NDIS allowed travelling time. NDIS clients will only be accepted under NDIS funding.

Pawsitive Psychology is a NDIA approved provider and can accept NDIA managed clients. 

Cancellation for NDIS clients: 
We require 48 hrs notice (working days, not counting the weekend or public holidays) to cancel an appointment. If an appointment is cancelled with less than 48-hours notice the current NDIS fee policy for late cancellations will come into effect.

Work Cover

Clients referred by Work Cover or who are being assessed by WorkCover can access psychological services. We will require the WorkCover case number and the name of the WorkCover case manager. The fee for psychological services will be billed directly to WorkCover. WorkCover will periodically request an standard report on the progress of the therapy. 

Pawsitive Psychology is a WorkCover approved provider

Cancellation Policy
We will require 48 hrs notice (working days, not counting the weekend or public holidays) to cancel an appointment. If you cancel with less than 48 hrs the WorkCover policy for late cancellations will apply.