FAQ

Your personal information and the records of your sessions are confidential and securely stored. Your psychologist will only share your information if:

• You grant permission to do so
• You or someone else are at risk of serious harm. In that case, we may be legally obliged to provide information

You can count on being heard and respected. Boutique Psychology is a judgment-free zone where you can safely be yourself. While each of our Psychologists has their preferred therapeutic approach and distinct personality, all of us are kind, warm, genuine humans. None of us believes that you’re broken, and all of us have come through our own messy, challenging times.

You can expect your Boutique Psychologist to be insightful and practical. We’re here to listen, learn about and understand you. We’re here to equip you with well-researched and tested tools to help you cope and grow by feeling, thinking, and acting differently.

The result? You can grow your skills in managing and reducing distress and increase your confidence, effectiveness, and joy.

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In your first session with one of our team, you can tell us about your background and the challenges you’re keen to work on. What you share in this meeting helps us identify the best Boutique Psychologist to work with you.

If you’d like to note down some points to discuss, that’s fine. However, please don’t feel pressured to prepare anything before you come for your initial session.

In your second and subsequent sessions, we’ll proceed at your pace to find out what’s not working and why and how you might do things differently.

Once you’ve achieved your goals, you may want to schedule a check-in session once in a while to help you stay on track or extend your skills.

Book your counselling session

The number of sessions you need depends on why you came to us and what you want to achieve. Furthermore, everyone progresses at different rates.
If you’ve come for help with coping strategies to manage the symptoms of a mental health condition, you may only need a few sessions and a schedule of check-ins to help you refine your skills.
If you are dealing with deep, persistent issues stemming from adolescence or childhood, you may decide to come for ongoing support.

If you have a single issue that we can resolve in one session or several sessions, that’s what we’ll do.

Boutique Psychology doesn’t do ‘one size fits all’ therapy. We tailor your sessions to fit your needs.

No, you don’t need a referral to come to us. However, a GP referral based on a Mental Health Care Plan, generally makes you eligible for a Medicare rebate of $87.45 per session for up to 10 sessions annually. If you don’t have a Mental Health Care Plan, our standard fees apply.

If your GP or a psychiatrist has given you a Mental Health Treatment Plan and referred you to us, you’re eligible to receive a Medicare rebate.

This rebate is $88.25 per individual session for up to 10 sessions per calendar year.

An additional COVID impact rebate is available until 30 June 2022, covering a further ten sessions.

We can process your rebate online when you pay for your session. Medicare estimates that rebates appear in your bank account within two to three business days.

NOTE: You can either ask your GP to send us an electronic or faxed copy of your Mental Health Plan or bring a paper copy to your first session to confirm your eligibility.

Private Health Insurance
If you have private health insurance that includes psychological counselling as extras cover, you may be eligible for a partial rebate. Please contact your insurance provider to confirm your level of cover.

NOTE: You can only use one form of rebate per session.

If you are eligible for both types of rebates, you’ll need to choose either your private health insurance or Medicare to help cover the costs of each session.

Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
Eligible students will need to send our invoice to OSHC to claim a rebate.

Psychoeducational and Autism Assessments up to a maximum of $2,400 +GST

NOTE: You may be eligible for funding to support these assessments from The Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) package or FaHCSIA (Department of Families, Housing, Community Services, and Indigenous Affairs),

Our fees for 50-minute Counselling sessions reflect the experience of our team.
NOTE: A Mental Health Plan entitles you to a Medicare rebate of $88.25 per session for ten sessions annually or twenty sessions until 30 June 2022 under COVID impact provisions

NOTE: We are not a Bulk Billing practice

Someone on our waiting list will be happy to have your cancelled appointment. So please give us time to contact someone else and save yourself the fee.

There is no fee if you cancel at least 48 hours before your appointment.

We charge the full fee for cancellations within 48 hours of your appointment.

NOTE. You can’t claim a Medicare rebate on a late cancellation fee.

We are currently offering both face to face and telehealth appointments. We believe it is your choice as to which service you are most comfortable with.

You can choose to have your appointment via teleconference using our telehealth service or over the phone.

If you opt to meet via Telehealth, we will send you a secure login link before your first session.

Please save this link, as we’ll use the same link for all your appointments.

Telehealth appointments are eligible for Medicare rebates until 31 December 2021.

Yes. You can book after-hours appointments on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Please call our office on (03) 9938 9800 to make your booking. 

We are a genuinely inclusive practice, and all of our psychologists are LGBTQIA+ affirmative.

Trust your gut. And let us know. You need to feel confident that your psychologist ‘gets’ you. If you’re not connected and comfortable after your first or second session, we’ll pair you with someone else.

NOTE: We value feedback on our services, so even if it feels scary, please tell your psychologist if you’d like them to take a different approach.

Registered Psychologists have a minimum of six years of combined tertiary study and supervised training. They are registered with the Psychology Board of Australia, which supports and regulates their professional conduct.

Registered Clinical Psychologists have completed post-graduate study and a further two years of supervised practice.

Provisional Psychologists are in the process of completing their two years of supervised practice before applying for registration. Boutique Psychology is an educational practice committed to supporting Provisional Psychologists. Our Founder and Principal Psychologist, Cindy Parsons, currently supervises over twenty Provisional Psychologists. 

You can check the registration status of any of our team visit the Australian Health Practitioner Website.

Yes. There is free parking on site and on the street.

Start by booking a chat with Cindy. If you both decide that you’re a good fit for Boutique Psychology’s self-care focused supervision, Cindy will contact you subject to a place being available.

You may be eligible for support from one of these Australian government initiatives:

• The Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) package supports children aged 0 – 6 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families and carers
• FaHCSIA (Department of Families, Housing, Community Services, and Indigenous Affairs), a federal government body, has funding available for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Pervasive Developmental Delay (PDD)

Book an autism assessment

If you’re an NDIS participant diagnosed with psychosocial disabilities, you may be eligible to include Psychology Services in your NDIS plan. Psychology is covered in the support category “Improved Daily Living Skills” in your plan’s Capacity Building section.

Yes. You are eligible for rebates on up to five sessions with therapists from different disciplines, including psychologists.

You and your psychologist discuss your history and experience.

Then your psychologist will ask you to answer a series of standardised questions, sometimes on an iPad, sometimes using pen and paper.

With supervision and support from Cindy, our principal psychologist, your psychologist will work out what everything means.

We produce an easy-to-read report. When your report is ready, you and your psychologist will meet to give you feedback, discuss the report and answer your questions.

The Boutique Psychology team is trained to support you in dealing with learning difficulties and educational or developmental delays.

We offer empathetic, skilful Psychoeducational and Autism Assessments for clients who identify as neurodiverse.

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