Fee Schedule
The current Australian Psychological Society (APS) recommended fee for psychology services is $280 per hour. However, we offer our fees on a sliding scale for most services.
Our Fee Schedule as at 1 July 2023 is as follows:
About
Registered Psychologist
Standard Rate
Out-of-Pocket Cost*
Appointments available Mondays to Fridays
Clinical Psychologist
Standard Rate
Out-of-Pocket Cost*
Appointments available Mondays and Wednesdays
Funded Services
-
PSYCHOLOGY (MEDICARE BULK-BILLED) ** NIL#** Medicare bulk-billed sessions for Pensioners and Health Care Card recipients only.
-
Primary Mental Health Care (PMHC) NIL#WentWest funded psychological assessment, consultation and treatment services. Learn more:
# Must have Health Care Card and reside in Western Sydney LGA. -
Worker's Compensation or Other Injury ^^ N/ASIRA/WorkCover/Comcare/CTP/MAA funded psychological assessment, consultation and treatment planning.
^^ Must have referral and written pre-approval from insurer. -
NDIS Psychology Therapy ~ $214.41NDIS funded Therapy Supports for Individual Assessment, Therapy and/or Training.
~ Must provide NDIS Plan details with available funding for "Therapeutic Supports" -
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) $230Employer funded confidential counselling for work-related issues. EAP agreement must be in place.
Assessments & Reports
| Service | Duration (Approx hours) | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| IQ / Cognitive Assessment (including cognitive assessment for NDIS) | 6 | $1295 |
| ADHD screening & diagnosis (full assessment) | 7-8 | $1,400 |
| Memory Assessment | 7-8 | $1,400 |
| Mental health assessment and report for the purpose of court (Please note: Life Psychologists does not provide services for forensic court reports, independent family law reports and expert witness reports) | 7-8 | $1,400 |
| Centrelink Report (not including assessment/treatment sessions) | 2-3 | $500 |
| Immigration report (not including assessment/treatment sessions) | 2-3 | $700 |
| Career Assessment & Coaching | 2-3 | $ |
| NDIS review report (1-2 hours at NDIS rates) | 2-3 | $214.41 p/h |
| University/College report | 2-3 | $400 |
| PREPARE/ENRICH Pre-Marriage Counselling Program (by Certified PREPARE/ENRICH Facilitator) | 3 | $500 |
| Additional time taken, urgent requests, and other reports | $290 p/h |
-
PSYCHOLOGY CONSULT (STUDENT) ^ $195^Psychological consultation for students and low-income individuals.
^ Must have Student Card or proof of low income. - COUPLES OR FAMILY THERAPY $300
Evaluation of relationship issues, strengths and plan formulation. May involve completion of pre- or post-session couples/family intake questionnaires.
- INTELLIGENCE (IQ) Testing $1295
Completion of latest WISC-V A&NZ (ages 6 to 16) OR WAIS-IV A&NZ (ages 16 and over).
- includes 2-3 hours testing, verbal feedback and comprehensive report within 5-10 days.
Other Fees & Rebates
- PSYCHOLOGY CONSULT (STUDENT) ^ $195^
Psychological consultation for students and low-income individuals.
^ Must have Student Card or proof of low income. - COUPLES OR FAMILY THERAPY $300
Evaluation of relationship issues, strengths and plan formulation. May involve completion of pre- or post-session couples/family intake questionnaires.
- INTELLIGENCE (IQ) Testing $1295
Completion of latest WISC-V A&NZ (ages 6 to 16) OR WAIS-IV A&NZ (ages 16 and over).
- includes 2-3 hours testing, verbal feedback and comprehensive report within 5-10 days.
* GP Referral Letter and Mental Health Care Plan required for Medicare rebates. Up to 10 rebatable sessions per calendar year.
** Only for pensioners and Health Care Card (HCC) recipients.
^ Must demonstrate Student ID or other evidence of low-income.
# Only available to financially disadvantaged persons within Western Sydney PHN. Must reside within Western Sydney Primary Health Network – check https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/PHN-Locator
^^ GP referral, certificate of capacity and insurer pre-approval is required.
~ Requires NDIS funding with plan number, start/end dates.
Medicare Rebates
All psychologists at Life Psychologists are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and have Medicare provider numbers, enabling you to claim a Medicare rebate for your counselling and group sessions.
Eligibility: To be eligible for these rebates, you must have a referral letter along with a Mental Health Care Plan in place from your GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician.
Eligible people can receive up to 10 individual counselling sessions in a calendar year. Your referring doctor will assess your progress after the first six sessions).
Referrals: To obtain a referral you will need to make an appointment with your GP to complete a Mental Health Care Plan.
It is important to tell the doctor’s receptionist that you are requesting a referral to a psychologist as the GP may need approximately 30 minutes to discuss the plan with you and fill in the required paperwork. You must obtain your GP referral prior to your first appointment in order to receive Medicare rebates.
Covered problems: Mental Health problems covered by Medicare include:
|
|
Claiming your rebate: If you have registered your EFT bank account details, we are able to process the rebate claim online for you. The rebate will be transferred to your nominated bank account normally within 1-2 business days.
Note that you do not require a referral from a GP unless you intend to claim a Medicare rebate.
Currently, we have two psychologists registered to provide PMHC services.
Eligibility: Eligible people can receive up to 16 individual counselling sessions in a calendar year. Your referring doctor will assess your progress after the first 8 sessions).
Patients who reside in the Western Sydney (WentWest) Primary Health Network (PHN) and:
- Are low income earners or experiencing financial hardship
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- People at risk of suicide
- Women with perinatal depression and anxiety
- Children (up to 12 years) and young people (13 – 25 year old)
- Elderly People
- People who identify as LGBTIQ
- People from CaLD backgrounds including refugees and asylum seekers
Referrals: To be eligible for these rebates, you must have a PMHC referral letter along with a Mental Health Care Plan in place from your GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician.
Covered problems: Mental Health problems covered by PMHC include:
|
|
Fees: The fees are covered by WentWest PHN, hence NO COST to eligible clients.
Telehealth
As an alternative to face-to-face in-person therapy, we are pleased to provide Online Therapy and Telehealth psychological services during this difficult time and beyond.
Fees and rebates for telehealth services are currently the same as our face-to-face sessions.
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
Psychology consultation fees may be covered by the NDIA with a valid NDIS Plan and Service Agreement.
Psychological services under the NDIS are currently billed at $214.41 per session for counselling services (known as Therapeutic Supports).
You are able to use funding under the category of ‘Improved Daily Living’ and/or ‘Improved Relationships’ to access NDIS psychological services using the following codes.
Improved Daily Living Skills: Therapeutic Supports: Assessment Recommendation Therapy And/or Training (Incl. AT) – Psychology- 15_054_0128_1_3
Assistance with Daily Life: Therapeutic Supports: Assessment Recommendation Therapy And/or Training (Incl. AT) – Psychology- 01_701_0128_1_3
Specialist Positive Behaviour Support: Improved Relationships- 11_022_0110_7_3
Cognitive (IQ) assessments (for the diagnosis of Intellectual Disability) are billed PoA, with pre-payment required at time of booking.
Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA)
Psychology consultation fees may be covered by DVA. Please consult with the Department or your GP for further information.
Private Health Fund Rebates
Private health fund rebates should apply if you have ‘psychology’ as an extra, but we recommend that you call your insurer and check your level of cover if this is of concern to you. These rebates can be processed at the time of your session with your Psychologist.
Worker's Compensation
If you have a current worker’s compensation, SIRA, Comcare, MAA or CTP injury claim, you may be eligible to receive psychological treatment sessions to assist with your injury recovery and return to work.
If approved, the associated fees would be covered by your insurer.
Legal Aid
Clients currently receiving LegalAid support may be entitled to funding for mental health assessment and/or reporting for their case.
Payment of Fees
Fees are payable at the time of your booking. We have EFTPOS facilities for your convenience. Medicare rebates are processed to your bank account within 1-2 days following the day of your appointment.
Cancellation Policy
UPDATED (1/7/2023): Our updated policy now requires a minimum of 48 hours’ notice to reschedule or cancel an appointment. This allows us to better manage our psychologists’ time and availability for other clients.
Please note, cancellation requests made within less than 24 hours of your appointment will result in a full fee charge.
We kindly ask you to call us at 1300 084 200 between 9:00am – 5:00pm, Monday to Friday, for all appointment rescheduling or cancellation needs. For Monday appointments, please notify us by the preceding Friday. Unfortunately, we can no longer accept cancellations via text or email.
Our policy for missed appointments, reschedules and cancellations is set in line with the recommendations for private practice from our psychology peak bodies (Australian Association of Psychologists inc, Australian Psychological Society). This policy is necessary to ensure that Life Psychologists can continue to operate as a small business.
- If less than 24 hours notice is provided, fee for cancellation or non-attendance is %100 of the usual fee.
- If less than 48 hours notice is given, 50% of the usual fee will be charged.
- Pre-paid sessions are non-refundable but can be transferred for payment to a rescheduled appointment if you provide at least 24 hours’ notice.
Please note: Most funded services such as Medicare, SIRA, CTP, Comcare, and private health fund insurers do not cover late cancellation or non-attendance fees. Therefore, you as the client would be liable to pay for cancellation of your appointment.