T&C's

Session Costs 

The current fee is $240 for a 50 minute appointment.

A 50-minute / 90-minute appointment means each client is afforded dedicated time "in person", as well as time for; treatment planning prior to your appointment, future session planning following your appointment, administration and reasonable follow up with any necessary parties. 

Additional fees apply for requested communication, letters or reports outside of appointment times taking longer than 15-minutes, will be charged at a rate of $66 per 15-minutes, or can be completed during booked session time.

Rebates

Clients who have a Mental Health Care Plan and are referred by a GP can claim a Medicare rebate for up to 10 consultations a year (Jan-Dec). Reports to your GP are a Medicare requirement.   

The current rebate (schedule updated November 2023) is $93.35.

If you have private health cover you may be eligible to claim a portion of your fee (you do not need a GP referral). However, you cannot claim from both Medicare and your Health Fund at the same time. Contact your fund for information on psychology rebates.  

How many sessions will I need?

This depends entirely on your situation, the difficulties you experience, and your personal preferences.  Most clients attend over 10 sessions, while some will attend for over a year.  It may sometimes be possible to give a rough guide as to how many sessions are required after an initial consultation.  

Booking Appointments

To schedule an appointment and access my booking calendar complete the contact form on my website, or use the online booking portal.

 Reminder texts are sent as a courtesy 24 - 48 hours prior to your appointment, they are not confirmation of appointment texts, therefore regardless of a reminder, if an appointment has been made, then it stands, unless you are otherwise notified. 

 There is an expectation that all clients hold responsibility for remembering and keeping track of their appointments. If this is a difficulty, please let Sam know so she can arrange additional support.

Waitlist

If there are no appointments available, you can choose to be placed on a waitlist. When a appointment time becomes free you will be sent an email or text message to alert you of the appointment. If you would like to accept the appointment, please follow the instructions in the message to book. 

Acceptance of the appointment means acceptance of the fee and cancellation policy. If this appointment is accepted with a 24-hr period of the appointment time, cancellation fees will apply if the appointment is later cancelled.

Other clients on the cancellation list will be notified of available appointments at the same time, appointments will be allocated on a first come first serve basis.

Attendance at Appointments

If your appointment is in person it will be at my practice in Joondalup, Perth. 

 You will receive an email prior to the appointment with directions and details of how to access the practice.

If your appointment is online…

 A zoom link will be sent to you prior to your appointment. If you have technical difficulties logging on, please send an email and I will give you a call.

If for any reason a client is late for an appointment or needs to depart early, the session time booked will need to be honoured and the fee remains the same.

Cancellation of Appointments

 Cancellations must be received within business hours. For a Monday appointment this means cancellations must be received on the Friday prior. 

 Please do not wait for your reminder text to cancel if you know in advance you will not be attending. If you are cancelling by responding “no” to the reminder text, please give a reason or follow up with an email or call to reschedule or confirm your next appointment date.

 If you cancel 2 appointments in a row without making contact, any future appointments that are booked will be cancelled, you will receive an email notification informing you of this.

Cancellation Fees

Cancellation fees are applied due to time taken for administration and treatment planning prior to the appointment, and to ensure that I can continue offering my service at below-the-industry-recommended rates to clients and run a sustainable practice. It ensures I can meet the overhead costs of room rental and business outgoings and continue to provide continuity of care at a high standard to all clients. The cancellation policy allows other waitlisted clients a chance to avail of appointments. If an appointment isn't cancelled within the appropriate time, the appointment slot is a loss of time, money and opportunity for the cancelling client, my business and other clients.

If I am unable to fill a cancelled spot by a waitlisted client, the following fees apply

 Cancelling 0 - 24 business hrs prior to the appointment = 100% of the session fee is required to be paid by the client.

 Cancelling 24 - 48 business hrs prior to the appointment = 50% of the session fee is required to be paid by the client. 

Your understanding of the cancellation and fee policy is appreciated.

Third Party Payers

Payment on the day of the appointment is preferred. Payment by third party payers can be arranged in exceptional circumstances. If an arrangement is made and payments fall into arrears services may be ceased and the client is expected to provide payment.