Be Happy Psychology

A medical referral is NOT necessary to see a psychologist. Although, you may qualify to receive a rebate from Medicare (for a proportion of the psychology consultation fee), if your General Practitioner (GP) determines you are eligible to obtain a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP). A second option for a rebate is to utilise private health benefits (the amount will vary depending on the health fund).

Fees are guided by the National Schedule of Recommended Rates of the Australian Psychological Society ($300 per 50min. session*). My discounted full fee rate is much less than recommended.

As of July 2023, my full fee is $190.00*. Fees need to be paid in full on the day of the appointment. Currently, the Medicare rebate that you will receive back (with a current Medicare MHCP) is $93.35*.

Family or Couples consultations take longer (usually an 80min. session is needed) and Jo needs to be made aware of this prior to the appointment. The current fee for these consultations is $250.00* – sometimes Medicare will not cover these types of sessions, your GP will determine if the situation is eligible for a Medicare MHCP and therefore a rebate.

Bariatric Assessment & other Cosmetic Surgery consultations  are where a bariatric/cosmetic surgeon refers a patient to a psychologist, prior to a client having weight loss or other cosmetic surgery. Your surgeon may postpone surgery if this consultation is not attended. Therefore, as appointment spaces are often fully booked a few weeks in advance, it is advisable to make an appointment well before proposed surgery. In this consultation, you will be asked to complete some psychometric assessments and other information will be gathered, to assist the psychologist in writing a report for your surgeon.

These appointments incur a fee of $250*, due to the extra time involved (i.e., scoring and interpreting assessments, and writing a subsequent report). This fee is markedly discounted when compared to the current recommended fee (APS & AAPi) of $630*.

Bariatric & other Cosmetic Surgery Support (non-assessment) 50 mins consultations. A bariatric surgeon may not need an assessment report but may refer bariatric patients to a psychologist for support prior or post surgery. These consultations are at the Standard consultations fee rate of $190*. They can assist clients optimally address any presenting pre- and post-surgery concerns, issues, or barriers and comorbid conditions.

Medicare may not cover these types of consultations, your GP will determine if the situation is eligible for a Medicare MHCP and therefore a rebate. Alternatively, private health can be used, although note that not all funds will cover psychology.

Be Happy Psychology practice offers Tyro/eftpos (including Medicare EasyClaim), and HICAPS/Health Point (private health instant claiming) facilities for payments. If payment is made via Tyro/eftpos machine, the Medicare rebate can be automatically (instantly) transferred into the client’s bank account. While payment can be made with credit or debit cards or via smart phone/watch pay, the Medicare rebate can only be transferred instantly if the client uses a debit/eftpos card. Otherwise, Jo will submit the claim online and the rebate will be processed and put into the client’s account 24-48 hours later.

For individuals who are National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) or Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) clients, or with Return to Work SA (RTWSA), or involved with Third Party Insurance Claims, the participating government department, support agency, legal firm or insurance company will be charged the current gazetted fee. If your claim is not accepted or does not include psychology sessions, you will be liable for the fee.

REPORTS / LETTERS / PSYCHOMETRIC ASSESSMENTS

Reports / letters / assessments are provided, if an official request is received from a third party, such as RTWSA and insurance or legal organisations. The third party must indicate if they are responsible for the fees or if their client is to pay.

Report / letter writing fees usually attracts GST and is calculated by the time it takes to write, current costs are based on the current (2023_2024) government gazetted rate of $228.70* plus GST of 10% ($22.87*) equals $251.57* per hour. A standard comprehensive report, that includes psychometric assessments, will usually take 4 hours to complete, with the cost therefore being $1006.28*. More information is available regarding overall costs and fees of reports / letters / forms.

If specific assessments are requested, for example IQ, ADHD or memory assessments or other educational tests, a fee can be negotiated. This fee is contingent on the types and number of assessments required, and the subsequent time needed to administer, score, interpret and write up a report.

*Fees current as of November 2023

Be Happy Psychology DOES NOT do letters / reports / DSP applications / administer assessments etc. for:

*Centrelink

*Child Custody/Family Court

*Paedophilia or Child Abuse Legal Issues

or other issues (case by case) that may be in conflict with Be Happy Psychology’s standard ethical regulations or current clientele.