Access to Mental Health Treatment via Medicare
Telehealth
A Mental Health Treatment Plan is the most common way to access treatment with a psychologist. A General Practitioner (GP) will write the Treatment Plan with you during your consultation, and will refer you to a psychologist.
The Treatment Plan entitles you to an initial 6 rebatable sessions, where Medicare will reimburse you for a portion of the cost of your session. After these 6 sessions, you will then be asked to return to the GP to review how the therapy is going, and you can then access another 4 rebatable sessions. Due to the government’s extension of Medicare for psychology during the covid-19 pandemic, you can then return to access another 10 rebatable sessions (a maximum of 20 sessions per calendar year).
The number of sessions you may need depends entirely on your mental health needs and your goals for therapy. It is important to discuss any financial concerns you may have in the first session with your therapist.
See the team page for each clinician's bio and particular interests. Rise clinicians’ fees are below the national recommended rate. The Australian Psychology Society's recommended fees can be found here.
Current Medicare Rebate for a clinical psychologist (as of July 2024) = $141.85
The Australian Government is funding rebates for telehealth (ie. videoconference) and phone psychology sessions for all Australians regardless of location. This has been announced as a permanent feature of Medicare. Please contact us to discuss whether telehealth is suitable for you.
Private Health Insurance
Private Health Funds and policies vary, and it is best to check with your provider as to whether your level of cover will reimburse you for psychology sessions. As a general rule, most private health funds require you to utilise the Medicare system prior to claiming under private health.
Other Funding Arrangements
Please contact us to discuss other funding arrangements.