The Process
Seeking help from a psychologist may feel overwhelming. First, talk to your GP, who can set up a mental health plan and provide a referral. This enables you to get rebates through Medicare. You can also see a psychologist without a GP referral but won't get a Medicare rebate. If you have private insurance, you may be covered—check with your insurer before your first visit.
The initial consultation, typically 60 minutes, sets the stage for effective assessment and therapy. It involves face-to-face meetings where clients describe their issues. Psychologists use this information to create treatment plans, sometimes gathering data from other sources as needed.
Initial consultation
Following the initial consultation, regular 50-minute treatment sessions are scheduled. Initially, weekly or every two weeks, sessions may become less frequent as treatment advances. Sessions are organised to address the presenting needs and to reach treatment goals.
Treatment Sessions
Psychometric assessments provide detailed insight to clients for a variety of purposes, including personality type, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD or ASD, or individual giftedness. The process will depend on the referral reason and type of assessment needed, and costs will vary accordingly.
Depending on the referral issue, assessments can take around 2-4 hours and are often completed over a few sessions. All assessments include a written report. Assessments begin with an initial consultation and conclude with a debrief of the results.
Cognitive assessments measure an individual’s cognitive ability and identify their intellectual strengths and weaknesses. For example, the results of a cognitive assessment can be helpful in identifying learning difficulties or a gifted and talented individual.
Learning and behavioural assessments can identify neurodevelopmental conditions such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Specific Learning Disorder (SLD). For example, a battery of assessments investigating cognitive ability, academic ability, neuropsychological and executive functioning, and behaviour can help to diagnose ADHD, ASD or SLD.
We also conduct assessments to identify mood, anxiety and trauma-related disorders, personality types, career interests and development, among many others. Please get in touch with us to discuss this.