Understanding the value of psychological care

I believe that accessing quality psychological care is an important investment in your health and wellbeing. I also recognise that therapy represents a financial commitment for individuals and families. My aim is to provide transparent information about consultation fees, what contributes to the cost of psychological services, and how we can work together to make your care meaningful, accessible and sustainable.

Investing in Yourself

We often recognise the importance of investing time and money in our physical health, personal care and activities that support our wellbeing. Our psychological health deserves the same consideration. Engaging in psychological therapy is an investment not only in how you feel today, but also in developing the understanding, skills and confidence to navigate life's challenges into the future.

The benefits of therapy can extend beyond the individual, influencing our relationships, parenting, work, decision-making and the way we respond to stress and adversity. While everyone's circumstances and therapeutic journey are different, psychological therapy aims to support meaningful changes that can continue well beyond the time spent in consultation.

Prioritising your psychological wellbeing isn't a luxury. It's an important part of caring for yourself and building a healthier, more fulfilling life.

More Than the Time We Spend Together

While your appointment is the most visible part of psychological treatment, providing quality care involves much more than the time spent together in a consultation. Behind each session is professional work that supports thoughtful, individualised and evidence-based treatment.

Depending on your needs, this may include:

• Individualised treatment planning: Considering your history, circumstances, progress and therapeutic goals to guide ongoing treatment.

• Clinical documentation: Maintaining accurate and confidential records of sessions, assessments and treatment progress.

• Professional reflection and consultation: Engaging in clinical supervision, peer consultation and reflective practice to support ethical and effective treatment.

• Ongoing professional development: Keeping up to date with psychological research, clinical guidelines and contemporary therapeutic approaches.

• Collaboration and continuity of care: Where appropriate and with your consent, communicating with other health professionals to support coordinated care.

• Professional and ethical responsibilities: Maintaining registration, professional indemnity insurance, secure clinical systems and the standards required to practise safely and responsibly.

Some of this work occurs outside your appointment time and may not be immediately visible, but it is an important part of providing consistent, responsible psychological care.

Why Psychology Is a Fee-for-Service Profession

Psychologists are highly trained health professionals who undertake extensive university education, supervised practice and ongoing professional development. Clinical psychologists undertake additional postgraduate training and supervised practice to develop specialised skills in psychological assessment, formulation and treatment. Professional fees reflect not only the time spent in consultation, but also the expertise, clinical judgement and professional responsibilities involved in delivering psychological care. Maintaining a sustainable practice also allows me to manage my clinical workload thoughtfully, ensuring I have the time, attention and professional capacity to provide the standard of care my clients deserve.

Making the Most of Your Psychological Care

My aim is not for clients to remain in therapy indefinitely, but to support them in developing the insight, skills and confidence to navigate life's challenges with increasing independence. Psychological care is an investment in capabilities that can continue to support your wellbeing long after therapy has ended. I endeavour to make sessions and between session work seamless, so you can use the skills outside of the session as soon as therapeutically possible. Your desire to use between session work to make your sessions work the most for you, is an important part of your care.

Planning Your Sessions Throughout the Year

For eligible clients, Medicare currently provides rebates for up to 10 individual psychological therapy sessions per calendar year under the Better Access initiative, subject to referral and eligibility requirements. Rather than automatically scheduling appointments weekly or fortnightly, we can consider how best to use these sessions across the year, based on your individual needs and therapeutic goals.

For some people, more frequent appointments are important, particularly during periods of significant distress or when beginning treatment. For others, spacing appointments further apart can provide opportunities to practise new strategies, reflect on progress and develop confidence in managing challenges independently.

Where clinically appropriate, we can plan appointments strategically to help you maintain access to psychological support throughout the year, while making the most of your available Medicare rebates. The goal is not simply to attend more sessions, but to make each session meaningful and support progress that continues between appointments.

Balancing Accessibility and Sustainability

I understand that the cost of psychological services can be a barrier to accessing support. Where possible, I offer reduced-fee arrangements to help make psychological care more accessible. At the same time, maintaining a sustainable practice is important to ensuring I can continue providing high-quality, individualised care over the longer term.

My fees are reviewed periodically, taking into account professional standards, the costs of delivering services and the ongoing sustainability of the practice.

My Commitment to You

My priority is to provide a therapeutic space where you feel heard, respected and supported, and where treatment is informed by evidence, professional experience and your individual needs.

I believe psychological care should be collaborative, purposeful and focused on helping you develop the understanding and skills to navigate life's challenges.

The value of therapy isn't measured simply by the time we spend together, but by what you can take from that time into your everyday life.