Getting Started

Initially, clients are referred to us by their General Practitioner (GP), psychiatrist or paediatrician. Even though referrals are not necessary, Medicare rebates are only available through referral. If you are unsure, please contact our practice for more information.

STEP 1: Referral

Once you have your referral, call our practice and speak to our receptionist who will ask you some basic questions. This will help us determine who the best psychologist will be for you. If you would prefer a male or female practitioner, or any other specific requirements, please feel free to ask. Please note that our receptionists are bound by a strict confidentiality agreement.

STEP 2: Booking

Our receptionist will book an appointment with the psychologist who best fits what you are looking for and who is available at a time that suits you.

STEP 3: First Session

We recommend that you arrive to the online waiting room for your first session 10 minutes early. There is some online forms to complete as well as a progress monitoring questionnaire. We use this questionnaire each session to track your progress over the course of therapy. If you have any difficulties, please let our receptionists know so they can help.

STEP 4: Treatment Planning & Review

Your psychologist will meet with you for your first session to understand your personal treatment goals, and to explain what kinds of therapy options may be most appropriate for you. During this initial consultation your psychologist will also discuss elements of your history that may be important in understanding your current problem. At the end of this first session you and your therapist will have come to an agreement about the goals of therapy, an approach to take and details such as the frequency of sessions.

At the end of this session your therapist should ask you a series of questions to make sure you are both on the same page. If there is any aspect of this first session, or the approach the therapist is suggesting that you feel uncomfortable about it is important to let your therapist know so they can change their approach.

Therapy is about helping you. Your therapist will use their best judgement to try and get the best approach from the outset. But if they get it wrong, let them know so they can fix it.

We conduct all treatment via telehealth...

All treatment and supervision sessions are conducted remotely via our telehealth platform, Coviu. Coviu is compliant with the Australian standards for online security and encryption.
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How it works

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1. Set up

Ensure you're in a private, quiet space before your appointment.

2. Connect

Ten minutes prior, open the Coviu waiting room. Enter your name and your psychologist's name when prompted.

3. Wait

A psychologist or admin staff member will join you. Please wait in the room until they greet you.
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Limitations to be aware of...

Private Health Fund Rebates

Telehealth services may or may not attract private health fund rebates and will depend on the decisions made by your health fund.

Privacy

This practice uses Coviu, which meets Australian online security and encryption standards, to protect your personal information. We recommend you consider your environment to ensure confidentiality during the appointment.

Network

A telehealth consultation may be subject to limitations such as an unstable network connection which may affect the quality of the psychology session. If the connection is too poor to continue, you and your psychologist can decide to move to telephone.

Have any questions or concerns? Our team are here to help!
Email us at info@benchmarpsychology.com.au

Fees & Rebates

At Benchmark Psychology, we believe in providing an affordable service for clients with competitive fees. The current Australian Psychological Society (APS) recommended fee is $280 per hour. 

Please note the digital platforms that we currently use to process all online payments and rebates is Medipass. When payments are made online, there may be a small preauthorisation amount processed, that will be returned once payment is made. If you have any concerns, you are welcome to discuss this with us.
funding & rebates

Rebates for Treatment

Private Health Fund

It is your responsibility to check your coverage and eligibility with your private health fund and confirm if rebates apply to your psychological service. Unfortunately, we are unable to let you know how much your private health will be able to cover unless we have your physical card present to process a quote. Alternatively, you are able to contact your Private Health company to see how much they will cover for your sessions.

Medicare (Mental Health Care Plan)

If you are eligible for Medicare rebates, we are happy to assist in processing Medicare claims, however please note that we do not hold responsibility for eligibility or processing of Medicare rebates. To be eligible to receive psychological services under Medicare, a person must be referred by their GP and in some instances by another medical specialist. Speak to your GP about your eligibility to claim these Medicare benefits and the best person to make your referral.

Third Party Billing

Benchmark Psychology does not bill third parties directly for your consultation and you will need to pay the fee up front and arrange reimbursement.

Our Cancellation
Policy

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When appointments are booked, the psychologist reserves the whole hour especially for you. Therefore we require 48 hours notice and the following cancellation policy is in place to allow us to offer the allocated time to another person who may be on a waiting list for that appointment.
UNDER 48 HOURS
A $75 fee will be charged for cancellation with less than 48 hours notice.
UNDER 24 HOURS
A $155 fee will be charged for cancellation with less than 24 hours notice.
UNDER 2 HOURS
The FULL FEE will be charged for an appointment that has been missed with less than two hours notice.
We understand that sometimes you may be unable to keep an appointment because of sudden illness or an unexpected personal emergency. If this happens to you, please contact us as soon as possible to explain the situation. You may call our office at any time, even after hours, as we do have an answering service that allows you to leave a message.

The APS recommended cancellation fees are:
  • 0-24 hours notice: Full fee
  • 24-48 hours notice: 50% of fee
  • 48 hours – 7 days notice: 25% of fee
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A late cancelled appointment is a loss to three people:

The client who is delaying their therapy progress
Another client who has been sitting on the waiting list to see the psychologist urgently
The psychologist who spent the morning preparing the session

Frequently Asked Questions

I am on medication. How does that affect therapy?

Clinical psychologists specialise in the treatment of people with diagnosable psychological disorders. This means that it is commonplace for our clients to have been prescribed medications. Your psychologist should be familiar with your drugs and how they affect you. However, we are not medical doctors and therefore cannot give advice regarding medications. There are rare examples of where a particular drug may cause problems from psychological therapy, and in these cases, your psychologist will liaise with your GP/psychiatrist to determine the best course of action.

Do I need a referral?

No. Anyone can seek treatment from a clinical psychologist. However, a valid referral from a GP paediatrician or psychiatrist is needed if you would like to receive a Medicare rebate.

What is the average course length of therapy?

This is a difficult question to answer. As a rough rule of thumb, the longer the problem has been present the longer therapy tends to take. People who have only recently begun to experience psychological distress typically make rapid recoveries in therapy. People with long-term histories of psychological problems often have more complex difficulties and require longer-term therapy in order to achieve their goals. Research suggests that around 60 per cent of clients will improve reliably within seven sessions. 75% of people are expected to improve in 25 sessions. Find out more here.

Peer reviews - how secure is my information?

In line with our code of confidentiality, the same is true of our peer review system. At Benchmark Psychology, the progress of all clients is monitored through the data that is collected routinely. When a client is not improving, the treating psychologist is encouraged to seek a second opinion. The psychologist offering the second opinion is also bound by the same duty of confidentiality as your treating psychologist.

Confidentiality & limits of confidentiality

Anything you say to a psychologist is confidential, and there are strict penalties for psychologists found to have breached this duty. However, this confidentiality is not absolute, and there are a number of specific situations in which confidentiality can be breached by the psychologist. These include:
  • Immediate threat of harm to self or others.
  • Court Subpoena
  • Insurance companies can request information regarding your treatment, this information will only be provided with your written consent.
  • Supervision / Second opinion – Under national law, registered psychologists are required to seek supervision from a colleague approximately once a month to discuss their practice. It is possible that some aspects of your treatment will be discussed with another psychologist.

Can I access a medicare rebate?

Since November 2006, psychology services have attracted a Medicare payment. In order to access this payment a mental health care plan must be completed by a GP, Psychiatrist or Paediatrician. This plan allows you to receive Medicare rebates for six sessions. After six sessions the referring doctor must complete a review. In exceptional circumstances, they can request an additional four sessions to be rebated through Medicare. Due to recent Federal budget changes, sessions are capped at ten visits per calendar year. However, a new referral can be considered for the next calendar year.