FEES & REBATES
SESSION FEES
The rate for a standard, 50-minute session is $185. This includes both face-to-face and telehealth sessions, as well as both therapy and assessment sessions. A 30-minute session is $125. Out of office sessions are $220. Group therapy sessions are $85/hour.
OTHER FEES
I typically have many active clients at any given time. While I endeavour to give my time and attention to each one as needed, I cannot afford to do so without charging, as even brief phone calls and emails for several clients can add up to a lot of time and remove opportunities for me to provide psychological services to people who need them. Clients sometimes need a brief phone consult or for me to provide a letter or reply to an email. The fees for these services are as follows:
Psychological and assessment reports.......$185/hour
Phone calls/letters/emails - under 5 minutes.....................FREE
Phone calls/letters/emails - 5-20 minutes...........................$50
Phone calls/letters/emails - 21-40 minutes.........................$100
Phone calls/letters/emails - 41-60 minutes.........................$150
MEDICARE REBATES
In order to receive a Medicare rebate for your service, you must have a Mental Health Care Plan referral from a medical doctor (usually your GP). Medicare currently will provide rebates for up to 10 sessions per calendar year. As of 1 November 2019, clients with eating disorders can access rebates for up to 40 sessions of psychological treatment per calendar year. The following rebates apply for my services:
Individual therapy session in office 30-50 minutes.............$84.80
Individual therapy session out of office 30-50 minutes......$106.00
Individual therapy session in office 50+ minutes................$124.50
Individual therapy session out of office...............................$145.65
Group therapy........................................................................$31.65
Please note that Medicare rebates do not apply to assessment or couple therapy sessions.
PRIVATE HEALTH
I accept a number of private health funds. Please check with your insurer to determine whether you are covered for psychology sessions.
CANCELLATION POLICY & FEES
At McDonald Clinical Psychology, I endeavour to keep services affordable and accessible. In order to do so, it is important that I am able to fill appointment time slots as soon as they become available. When clients cancel at the last minute or do not turn up to sessions, a time slot that could have been used by another individual goes unfilled, driving up the price per session and causing clients to miss out on needed care. As such, I kindly ask that clients provide a minimum of 24 hours' notice of any cancellation. In order to ensure that my time and the time of all of my clients is valued, I charge cancellation and no-show fees:
Cancellation with less than 24 hours' notice.........$100
No-show/no-call missed session............................$50
Please note that Medicare and health fund rebates do not apply to these fees. Also note that any outstanding fees must be paid prior to attendance at the next session.