To claim a Medicare rebate for psychological services, either for an individual session or a group program, you must have a special kind of referral from your GP, a psychiatrist or a paediatrician, which is called a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP). You will need to bring this with you to your first appointment.

There are two categories of Medicare items: one for registered psychologists and the other for clinical psychologists.

What is a registered psychologist?
All psychologists are legally required to register with the Psychologist Registration Board in the State or Territory, in the same way medical practitioners must be registered. This means they must be competent and follow a strict Code of Conduct. Not all counsellors or therapists are registered psychologists. At The Resilience Centre all our practitioners are registered.

If I am already seeing a psychologist, can I access these benefits?
You will need to see an appropriate medical practitioner such as your GP or a psychiatrist to see if you are eligible for a referral to your psychologist under a Mental Health Care Plan.

How many sessions with a psychologist am I entitled to?

Eligible patients can generally receive:
– Up to 10 individual services in a calendar year ( January to December).  You must have a review with your GP after your sixth session to discuss your progress within counselling.
– Additionally, you may also receive up to 10 sessions when part of a group therapy program.
– Once you have reached the maximum number of sessions per calendar year, you would not be eligible for any further Medicare rebates under the Better Access Scheme until the new calendar year.
– Provision will exist for patients to receive additional services where exceptional circumstances arise. These exceptional circumstances will be identified by the referring doctor.

What will it cost me?
Rebates vary slightly depending upon a number of factors. Please discuss with our staff at reception.

How will I pay?
At this practice you will need to pay the full fee for the consultation and then use your receipt to claim a Medicare rebate.

Does the Medicare Safety Net apply to my out of pocket expenses under this initiative?
Yes, you are responsible for paying any charges in excess of the Medicare benefit for items under this initiative. However, these out-of-pocket costs will count towards the Medicare Safety Net.

What about my private health insurance?
You cannot use both private health insurance ancillary cover, and the Medicare rebate for these services.

You need to decide whether you will use Medicare, or your private health insurance ancillary cover to pay for psychological services you receive. You can either access rebates from Medicare by following the claiming process, or claim where available on your insurer’s ancillary benefits.

Private health insurance rebates are applicable for clients with the appropriate cover. Our office is equipped with HICAPS facilities, so if you bring your health fund card, we can process your rebate during your appointment. If you wish to determine the amount of your rebate before your first session, please contact your health fund for that information.

The Resilience Centre offers confidential psychological services to all clients. Information about you is kept confidential except in the following circumstances:

• When it is subpoenaed by a court.
• If a client divulges that they or another person/s intends to harm themselves or others. In such circumstances we have a duty of care to take the appropriate action to safeguard those concerned.
• When case notes are discussed with another psychologist for supervision or case management purposes.
• When you give your approval to discuss or provide written reports to another person, professional agency or service provider. These may include doctors, lawyers, employers or any named individual. Under these circumstances your written permission is always required.
• Please note that some clients are under a Medicare Mental Health Care Plan set up by their GP, Psychiatrist or Paediatrician. Psychologists are required to send a report to the referring doctor advising them of your progress. You may discuss the content of this report with your psychologist prior to its submission.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is the new way of providing support for Australians with disability, their families and carers. The NDIS is being introduced in stages and will be rolled out by district within NSW.

If you are not currently receiving disability supports you can apply to access the NDIS. For more information visit Access requirements.

Each person assessed as eligible has an approved NDIS support plan.

If you have chosen to self manage your plan, you will be able to select the practitioner of your choice. You can therefore make an appointment to see any one of our practitioners at The Resilience Centre.

Does NDIS cover group programs?

Yes the NDIS does cover group programs.

How will I pay?

At this practice you will need to pay the full fee for the consultation or group program and then use your receipt to claim the expense back through the Scheme.

Medical treatment for DVA Gold Card

When you use your Veteran Gold Card for medical treatment:

1. Tell your health provider that you have the DVA Veteran Gold Card and ask them if they will accept this for your treatment.
2. They may ask if you have a referral.
3. In some cases they may need to get prior approval from us.
4. Your provider will then tell you if they can accept your Veteran Gold Card.