A Psychologist is trained to study human thoughts, feelings, behaviours and interactions. They have an in depth understanding of human development and the brain along with emotion, behaviour, memory, and learning. A Psychologist is an expert in assessing and treating clients with a range of emotional and behavioural concerns as well as implementing strategies to optimise health and wellbeing. Many Psychologists will have a particular area of specialty, such as trauma, workplace stress, behavioural problems, learning difficulties, relationship problems, parenting or pain management, for example. These areas of speciality are developed over time through ongoing experience, professional supervision, research and training.

In Australia, a person can only use the title “Psychologist” if they have successfully completed a minimum of six years of university level training and supervised practice. There are two main pathways to achieving this: –

A minimum of four years of university level training including an Honours degree or Post-Graduate Diploma, plus a minimum of two years supervised practice; OR
A minimum of six years of university level training including the completion of a Masters or Doctorate degree in an area of speciality such as Clinical Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology, Community Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Educational & Developmental Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Health Psychology, Organisational Psychology or Sport & Exercise Psychology.
A practicing Psychologist must be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (APRHA). Clients can search the register online at any time to check the qualifications and registration status of their Psychologist http://www.ahpra.gov.au/Registration/Registers-of-Practitioners.aspx. All of our Psychologists at Positive Wellbeing Clinic are appropriately trained and registered with AHPRA.

An Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW) specialises in assessing and working with clients with a range of mental health issues including depression and other mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychosis, relationship problems, adjustment issues, family conflicts, personality disorders, self-harm, life crises and trauma. The treatment approaches employed by an AMHSW can include individual and family counselling as well as well group therapy to assist clients to resolve psychosocial issues and improve their quality of life.

A person can only using the title “Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW)” if they have successfully completed a Bachelor of Social Work degree and/or Master of Social Work plus a minimum of two years supervised practice in the mental health field. The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) is the board that assesses and determines whether a Social Worker is adequately qualified and has enough experience to use this title. An AMHSW is able to apply to Medicare Australia for a Provider Number and access referrals under a number of Government schemes including Better Access to Mental Health Care, Chronic Disease Management Program and the Non-directive Pregnancy Support Counselling service.

Although Psychologists and Psychiatrists both work in the area of mental health, there are three main differences between the professions: –
Psychologists have a minimum of six years of university level training and supervised practice in various aspects of psychology, including mental illness. However, they do not have a medical degree.

Psychiatrists on the contrary have a medical degree which involves six years of university level training in general medicine plus additional training in diagnosing and treating mental health disorders.
Psychologists assist people with everyday problems and provide practical support, counselling and therapy to help clients function better.

Psychiatrists are mainly involved in understanding and treating the emotional impact of certain conditions on the body, including the impact of physical conditions on the mind.
Psychologists cannot prescribe medication. They focus solely on supporting clients to change unhelpful patterns of thinking, feeling, behaving and relating to others.

Psychiatrists can prescribe medications for a range of mental health conditions including depression, sleep disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, psychosis and bipolar disorder. Some Psychiatrists use medication in conduction with other forms of treatment such as psychotherapy.

Psychologists and Psychiatrists will often work together to provide optimal treatment for clients, depending on individual needs.

People see Psychologists and Counsellors for many reasons. They may be experiencing:

• Changes in their emotional stability and wellbeing
• A major life event
• High levels of stress
• Relationship concerns
• Learning or attention problems
• Social difficulties
• Grief and loss
• Trauma
• Eating or body image concerns
• Behavioural or impulse control difficulties
• Alcohol or substance misuse
• Sleep problems
• A diagnosed mental health condition such as depression or anxiety.
• A desire to enhance their current life or relationships

Therefore, seeing a Psychologist or Counsellor may not necessarily be aimed at resolving an area of concern, it may also be focused on personal development and increasing fulfilment in life and relationships.

The answer to this question is both yes and no. If you wish to see one of the Practitioners privately and not claim a rebate through Medicare, WorkCover or TAC then you do not need a referral. However, if you do wish to claim a rebate through any of these schemes, then you will need a referral from your treating doctor who will determine your eligibility for Psychology and/or Counselling services.

The first session is usually an “assessment session.” Your Practitioner will spend some time getting to know you so they can understand what the main issues are. You will usually be asked about what has been going on in your life and how you would like things to be different in the future. Your Practitioner may use specific questionnaires or checklists as part of the assessment process to clarify any particular problems that you are having. Together you will then discuss what might be the best course of action to help you manage your situation better. Sometimes this process can take more than one session. Subsequent sessions will focus on putting strategies into place so you can eventually manage on your own without the need for ongoing therapy sessions.

The number of sessions needed to address your particular problem(s) and support you to return to an optimum level of functioning will vary depending on a number of factors including:-

• The type of problem(s) that you are seeking treatment for;
• The severity of your problem(s);
• The length of time that the problem(s) has been going on for;
• The impact of secondary problems such as pain, criminal activity, homelessness, domestic violence or financial hardship;
• The impact of ongoing and/or unresolved stressors in your life;
• The amount and type of support that you have outside of therapy sessions;
• The match between you and your therapist including your ability to engage, connect and open-up to your therapist;
• Personality variables such as perfectionism or self-sabotage; and
• Your commitment to the therapy process including the capacity to implement strategies between sessions.

At the end of your first appointment, your Practitioner will be able to give an estimate of the number of sessions needed to address your specific areas of need. Psychological treatment will be focussed on working towards the goals that are important to you with the aim of achieving measurable outcomes.

YES. Positive Wellbeing Clinic does not offer a bulk-billing service. This means that you will be required to pay the full session fee at the end of each appointment regardless of whether or not you have a referral. If you have been referred under a Mental Health Treatment Plan then you will be able to claim a Medicare rebate for up to 10 individual and 10 group therapy sessions per calendar year. Our fees are structured so that your out-of-pocket payment for each session is approximately $35.00 (or $20 if you have a low-income health care card) no matter who you see.

If you are entitled to receive a Medicare rebate for your appointment you can claim it back as soon as you have paid for your appointment in full. For your convenience, Positive Wellbeing Clinic uses the Medicare Easy-Claim system to process your rebate on the spot. Once your rebate is processed, the amount owed to you can be credited into any Cheque or Savings account that is connected to your EFTPOS card. Alternatively, we can print a receipt for you to claim your rebate in person or online.

YES. All personal information gathered by Positive Wellbeing Clinic will remain confidential and secure except where:

It is subpoenaed by a court; or
Failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at serious and imminent risk; or
Your prior approval has been obtained to a) Provide a written report to another professional or agency or b) Discuss the material with another person e.g. parent; or
If disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law.

In most cases, our Practitioners would be happy to accommodate your need for a written report; however this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Our Practitioners are experienced in providing Treating Practitioner reports for a range of purposes including court matters, victims of crime compensation, WorkCover and TAC. We also provide reports in relation to specific assessments, such as Cognitive/IQ tests, in order to provide feedback and recommendations to.

Our Practitioners may refuse your request to provide a psychological report where services have been contracted by another party such as an Employee Assistance Program; or where it is deemed that it may impact adversely on the therapeutic process. This is particularly relevant for children and teenagers involved in custody disputes.

If you know that you require a report for a specific purpose, please discuss this with your treating Practitioner as soon as possible. In most cases, four weeks notice is required so that your Practitioner can allocate the time needed to complete the report to the highest standard.

Reports completed by our clinic will not be released without your prior written consent, unless subpoenaed by a court of law.

The time taken to prepare your report will be charged at an hourly report-writing rate.  In some cases, a deposit will be required prior to your Practitioner commencing work on the report. In all cases full payment is required before your report is released to you.

Given the high demand for appointments, our Practitioners require at least 24 hours notice for all cancellations otherwise non-attendance fees apply.

No fee will be charged if you call or email your Practitioner at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment time. If for some reason you are unable to do this a late cancellation/no show fee of 50% of the session cost will be charged. These fees must be paid in full before further appointments are scheduled.

At Positive Wellbeing Clinic we believe that the match between you and your Therapist is imperative to achieving great outcomes. If you are having concerns or doubts about the therapeutic relationship for any reason, we would strongly encourage you to discuss this directly with your Therapist. You can do this via telephone, email or in person during your next appointment. Alternatively you can contact Reception to discuss your concerns and Kate will assit in helping you find another Counsellor either within or outside of the clinic.