Appointments
Please call our clinic in Collingwood on 03 9416 4994 or Hawthorn on 03 9853 2786 for help with making a booking or matching you with a psychologist or your can make an appointment online.
It is best to book ahead of time and we recommend booking a few appointments in advance to help secure a regular appointment time that works for you. Booking ahead can also help to avoid having to wait longer than you would like to wait between appointments.
No, you do not need a referral to access a psychologist at Groundwork Psychology. If you intend to claim the Medicare rebate for your sessions, you will need to provide the referral letter from your GP or Psychiatrist along with a Mental Health Treatment/Care Plan (MHTP).
To access the Medicare rebate for your session, you will need a valid Medicare card as well as a referral and MHTP. A MHTP provides access to a Medicare rebate for part of the session fees– it is not a voucher for free psychology sessions.
We will make things simple and convenient for you by processing your Medicare claim on the spot. This saves you time filling in online forms. It typically takes up to 48 hours to deposit the rebate amount back into your nominated bank account (the bank account you provided to Medicare). If you want your rebate claimed for you, please ensure you bring your MHTP with you or call ahead to the clinic to check your GP has faxed it through already.
Medicare: if you have a Mental Health Treatment/Care Plan (MHTP) and stress from your relationship with your significant other is impacting on your mental health and causing distress, please speak with your psychologist or call our Practice Support team on 03 9416 4994 to see if it might be appropriate to involve your loved one in your therapy. Medicare requires that the focus must remain on the individual who has the MHTP. Please call or email us to discuss possible Medicare rebates that may apply.
If you have Private Health insurance, you might like to check with your fund to find out if couples therapy is covered.
If you have private health insurance, it is a good idea check with your health fund to see whether you have coverage for psychology. Ask them what the rebate is per session and what the yearly limit is for your psychology under your policy cover.
You cannot access both a Medicare and a Private Health rebate for the same claim so you will need to decide if you will use your insurance or your Medicare rebate first. Most Private Health funds reset your annual entitlements on July 1st each year so this might be something you consider in when to use your Private Health coverage.
Fees & Payment
What are the session fees? We have a sliding scale of fees to cater for various circumstances. Please contact us at Collingwood on 03 9416 4994 or Hawthorn on 03 9853 2786 to ask about our fees and discuss any relevant funding/rebate options.
Please note that our afterhours appointments are reserved for Full Fee paying clients.
Payment options for your session include: Credit Card, Eftpos and BPAY. We prefer not to be paid in cash, however, if this is unavoidable, we ask that you ensure you have the exact amount with you as we do not keep cash on the premises.
Cancellations
When you make an appointment, you are reserving an hour of your psychologist’s time, so we kindly ask that you give us sufficient notice in the event that you need to cancel or postpone your appointment. Giving us more than 48 hours’ notice helps us offer this valuable time to other people who have pressing mental health needs and would benefit from an earlier appointment.
We send you an SMS and email 48 hours prior to your appointment to help remind you of your appointment and to give you sufficient time to make alternative arrangements, should you need. In cases where less than 48 hours’ notice is given or no notice is given, our Cancellation Policy is as follows :
- Cancellations more than 48 hours prior to scheduled appointment – no fee
- Cancellations between 48 and 24 hours prior to scheduled appointment – 50% of your current session fee – without Medicare rebate
- Cancellations shorter than 24 hours prior to scheduled fee – 100% of your current session fee – without Medicare rebate
Please ensure you read our cancellation policy carefully on your Client Intake form.
Make an Appointment
Your psychologist will listen to your support needs and tailor their approach to assist you.
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