FAQ
We offer counselling and psychological therapies for children, adolescents, families, women’s health issues and adults. We use evidence based psychological therapies and tailor them uniquely to your particular issue and situation. We collaborate with you to understand what you would like to achieve through therapy and set clear goals for change. We also offer:
- Immediate bookings
- Extended counselling hours to suit you
- A welcoming relaxed and professional environment with comfortable rooms in a security building
- Parking available in surrounding streets.
- Family-friendly, understanding of parent’s needs.
- Medicare rebates available.
People seek counselling for many reasons. Psychological counselling may be useful if you:
- Persistently feeling sad, down, or depressed
- Feeling anxious or stressed
- Having thoughts of harming yourself or feeling suicidal
- Having difficulty parenting babies/children/teenagers
- Experiencing relationship issues with friends/loved ones and/or family
- Needing to talk to someone during pregnancy/post-pregnancy or experiencing menopausal symptoms
- Feelings of grief after the death of a friend/family member
- Personal health issues or those of someone close to you
- Lacking self-confidence and wanting to be more assertive
- Needing to make a change in your life and not sure what direction to take.
Alena holds tertiary qualifications in psychology and in addition undertakes continuing professional development and training. This ensures the provision of the best and most current treatment approaches. As a psychologist, Alena is also fully registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and is an Associate Member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).
The length of therapy depends on many factors which will be dependent on you and the issue/s presenting with e.g. nature and complexity of issue/s, your expectations and motivation to change. Some issues may require 3-6 sessions while other more complex issues may require a greater number of sessions.
Session Fees
For up to date service fees, please call us on 0433 905 239. A friendly staff member will be happy to assist you with this information.
You don’t need a referral to see a psychologist. Many people simply decide to make an appointment themselves, without visiting their GP or obtaining a referral from a health professional. However, if you wish to obtain the Medicare Rebate you will need to visit your GP, psychiatrist, or pediatrician to obtain a Mental Health Care Plan. For more information please email or call us on 0433 905 239.
Medicare
Under the Medicare ‘Better Access to Mental Health Care’ http://www.health.gov.au/mentalhealth-betteraccess scheme, you can obtain a rebate from Medicare for part of the session cost for up to 10 psychological therapy sessions in each calendar year. To access this rebate, you must visit your GP, Psychiatrist or Paediatrician and be assessed as eligible for a Mental Health Care Plan following which you can be referred to a psychologist. Once this Mental Health Care Plan has been completed by your doctor, you will be entitled to a Medicare rebate for up to 10 sessions per calendar year. You should bring your completed Mental Health Care Plan with your Medicare card to your first session with the psychologist.
Private Health Funds
Most private health funds provide rebates for psychological services depending on your level of cover. Please contact your health fund to find out more information.