The Process

Seeking help from a psychologist may feel overwhelming. A helpful first step is to 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 as a private client without a GP referral. If you have private insurance, you may be covered—check with your insurer before your first visit.

Initial consultation

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.

Treatment Sessions

Following the initial consultation, regular treatment sessions are scheduled. Initially, weekly or every two weeks, then sessions may become less frequent as treatment advances. Sessions are organised to address the presenting needs and to reach treatment goals.

Psychometric Assessments

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 across 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.