FAQ

This is perfectly normal.

It can feel uncomfortable and anxiety provoking to open up to someone you have just met about issues that are private and sometimes painful. You may have kept these concerns hidden for a long time. Revealing your vulnerabilities takes courage and considering speaking to someone is a significant first step. At Mind Body Health Psychology we will work with you to create a supportive and safe environment within which you can disclose anything about yourself without fear of judgement. We pride ourselves on being approachable to allow you to comfortably explore and challenge yourself during your treatment with us. 

It is important that you consult with a psychologist who is right for you. We often explain it as finding a shoe that fits. Research has shown that the therapeutic relationship is the greatest vehicle for change therefore choosing the right psychologist for you is a really important decision. It is best to choose someone who helps you feel at ease, who has an approach that fits with your personality and with whom you can openly discuss your concerns. It is natural for it to take a few sessions to feel okay doing this with anybody.

It is also important to ensure your psychologist is fully qualified and registered to practice as a psychologist.
You can check their registration on the AHPRA website ahpra.gov.au

At Mind Body Health Psychology therapy is tailored and individualised for each client. Therefore each person’s therapeutic experience will be different. However the first 1-2 sessions are generally used to obtain a comprehensive history of you. This may include your current presenting issue along with information about your family, upbringing, relationships, lifestyle, schooling, employment, mental and physical health history and goals. Subsequent sessions will be tailored to meet your treatment needs and your personal goals based on the information you provided while also giving you the opportunity to discuss any new experiences or developments that arise along the way. You will be shown evidence based therapeutic techniques to assist in overcoming your difficulties, your lifestyle will be reviewed and at times you may be assigned activities to work on between sessions.

Online therapy is conducted using Zoom, a free video conferencing program. You can use Zoom through your web browser or it can be downloaded onto your phone or computer here: https://zoom.us/ If this will be your first time using Zoom it may be helpful for you to practice navigating via this test link https://zoom.us/test prior to your session to prevent any delays or disruptions to your scheduled session. 

Upon confirming your appointment you will be provided with a meeting ID and password for Zoom that you can use at the time of your appointment. When you enter these details you will be placed into a “waiting room” and admitted into the session at your scheduled appointment time. This ensures that you and your psychologist are the only people admitted into the session. To prevent any delays to your appointment, please log into your session a few minutes early to set up your camera and microphone as prompted.

Your session will then operate similar to FaceTime, Skype or any other online video call. You and your psychologist will be able to see and talk to each other.

There are a few things you can do to minimise technical issues from interrupting your session:

• Please ensure you have a good internet connection available to you or a smart phone with a stable and strong cellular connection. It may assist to place your computer next to your modem, or if required, a WIFI extender can be used.
• Do not use public WIFI as your privacy cannot be guaranteed.
• Make sure you are in a private location where others cannot overhear you and you are unlikely to be interrupted. You are required to inform your psychologist if anyone else is in the room or may be able to overhear the session.
• Try to minimise any background noise.
• You may wish to have headphones available to you during the session in case you have any issues with sound. Headphones may assist or eliminate the issue.

If the connection is lost during your session, your psychologist will call you to resolve the issue, if possible. If a connection cannot be re-established, your psychologist will complete your session via telephone.

If you have any questions about any of this information or any further questions about how your online therapy sessions will work please do not hesitate to contact us.

You may be entitled to a rebate through Medicare of $136.35 for up to 10 sessions per calendar year. This will require you to obtain a Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP or a referral from a psychiatrist prior to your appointment.

If you have private health coverage you may also be entitled to a rebate through your health fund. You will need to enquire about this directly with your fund as policies differ. Private health rebates cannot be made at the same time as seeking a Medicare rebate. Clients often use their private health coverage once they have exhausted their Medicare entitlements if required. It is not uncommon for people to need more than the Medicare rebatable sessions per calendar year.

Unfortunately this is not something that can be answered easily. This will depend on your individual circumstances, the complexities of the issues raised and any additional issues that may arise during the course of therapy. You may begin to experience some progress within a few sessions as you are introduced to therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, a sense of relief may be quickly achieved simply from opening up and discussing issues with a neutral person. Therapy can take time to comprehensively identify and address the origin of the issues presented and to assist you to effectively apply the relevant strategies required. Doing so will provide you with the opportunity to make long term therapeutic gains.

When you book an appointment your psychologist reserves that time for you. We require 24 business hours notice for cancellations for therapeutic appointments. Therefore if your appointment is at 10am Monday you are required to notify your psychologist by 10am Friday if you wish to cancel. For assessment appointments, we require 48 business hours notice. This allows us the opportunity to offer the appointment to another client. If you fail to attend your appointment or do not provide the required notification of cancellation then you will be required to pay the full session fee.

You can make an appointment by calling us on 0401 663 926 or emailing us at admin@mindbodyhealthpsychology.com.au