The good news is that if you live in Australia, there are various pathways which assist in making it possible to afford the fees.

  1. Medicare offers a rebate for up to twenty sessions of psychological treatment. This can be face-to-face or via Zoom/telehealth if you live in a remote area.
  2. Private health insurers offer rebates depending on your level of cover.

How do I access affordable counselling?

If you live in Australia and have a Medicare card, you are entitled to a Medicare rebate for up to twenty sessions every calendar year.

However, in order to access the Medicare rebate, you need to consult with your GP. Your GP will assess your mental health to see if you meet the relevant criteria to warrant a mental care plan. If you do, he/she will write out a mental care plan specifying the number of psychology sessions you can have which will attract the rebate. The maximum number of sessions is 20 but sometimes a GP may only prescribe six or four.

A mental health treatment plan (MHTP) is not a referral and alone is not sufficient for the psychologist to provide a service unless it contains the following information:

  • Date
  • Patient’s name
  • Patient’s date of birth
  • Patient’s address
  • Diagnosis
  • Request of services
  • Referring practitioner’s Medicare Provider Number
  • Practitioner’s signature

The Department of Health requires that referrals under Medicare specify the number of sessions to be provided by the psychologist.

It can feel quite overwhelming, so we have prepared an 11 step guide to help you through the process of accessing a mental care plan.

Yes, I would like the 11 Step Guide

  • We respect your privacy and we will keep your information strictly confidential, in line with the Clinical Psychologists’ professional code of ethics.

Psychologists and counsellors have no influence in the matter. It is entirely up to your GP to determine whether you qualify for a mental care plan or not.

When you bring your mental care plan to your psychologist, you will receive a receipt for payment with the relevant Medicare item numbers so that you can receive your rebate.

There are 2 Medicare rebates:

  1. The fee that a registered psychologist charges receives a rebate of $88.25 for a maximum of 20 sessions per calendar year.
  2. The fee that a clinical psychologist charges receives a rebate of $129.55 for a maximum of 20 sessions per calendar year.

If you do not have a Medicare card but belong to a private health fund, you may be eligible for a rebate from your private health fund. It is entirely dependent on your fund and your level of cover. You will need to call your private health fund yourself and find out what your rebate will be so that you can determine if your out-of-pocket expense is affordable or not.

How do I calculate if my psychology treatment is affordable to me?

Work out your finances. How much can you afford on a weekly basis? For how many weeks could you afford that amount?

Knowing your income, go ahead and choose the psychologist or counsellor that you believe will meet your needs. Do not make an appointment and meet up without first clarifying the fee. Be aware of the costs. Are they affordable?

  1. If you have no disposable income, you need to make sure that your psychologist bulk bills. If they do, you could have free counselling sessions as Medicare is paying the psychologist directly and you do not have to chip in. If your proposed psychologist does not offer bulk billed psychology sessions, look for a private psychologist elsewhere who does. Some psychologists bulk bill automatically and others will bulk bill if you ask.
  2. If you have some money for therapy, go through the same process. Choose a psychologist or counsellor that will meet your needs and find out what their fee per session is. Calculate the difference between the fee and your rebate. That difference will be your expense for twenty sessions. You may be surprised at how affordable counselling can be when the gap is small and manageable. If you require more than twenty sessions, the remaining cost per session will fall on you.

For example, let us say that your psychologist of choice charges $210 per session. Your Medicare rebate will be $129.55 for a clinical psychologist. That means your out-of-pocket expense is $80.45 per session. For a registered psychologist your Medicare rebate will be $88.25, which means your out-of-pocket expense will be $121.75.

  1. Some psychologists’ fees are negotiable and will find a fee that works for you. It is vital that counselling will not increase your stress levels by creating financial hardship.

Please bear in mind that therapists in private practice, including psychologists and counsellors, do not earn salaries and rely on fees from clients to pay their bills.

Affordable counselling at Anxiety Solutions CBT

Anxiety solutions CBT is a psychology practice that is dedicated to helping individuals, couples and families in need. Our policy is to be flexible and to strive to work out a win/win solution for us and our clients.

Our psychologists are always open to discussing fees so do not feel shy or embarrassed to talk about them. Money can be a difficult topic, but it is a necessary part of us working happily together. We cannot promise to always give you what you want but we will endeavour to give you affordable counselling. That is one reason that we have developed a ten-session program so that there can be minimal out-of-pocket expenses.

Another way we provide affordable counselling is to offer group sessions. Our CBT program is especially suited to group work.

We also have psychology students who charge a minimum fee. No Medicare rebate is available for student hours.

Additional remarks about “cheap counselling”

To Invest in Yourself is the Best Investment of All!

Psychological therapy, psychotherapy and counselling is a skilled occupation delivered by professionals who are highly trained and have spent years studying at university and accumulating practical clinical hours. You will get more out of your therapy if you recognise the value that psychological therapy offers and the skill level of your counsellor.

You want to be sure not to let the need for cheap counselling lead you to someone who is not adequately trained or who does not belong to a professional association and subscribe to a code of ethics. Sometimes “cheap is expensive”. All psychologists at Anxiety Solutions CBT are members of the Australian Psychological Association and subscribe to their code of ethics.

Secondly, mental health concerns may be complicated and/or long standing. Therefore, twenty sessions may not be enough to get a good result. Look at your therapy as an investment in yourself, your future and your family.

Every psychologist and counsellor determines the fee they prefer to charge for a multiple number of reasons which has nothing to do with competence.

In summary, there are many options for you to obtain affordable counselling. If you would like to discuss it further or gain more clarity, call 02-9328-5899.

We welcome all inquiries from individuals looking for high quality, affordable therapy.

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