You do not need a GP referral to book an appointment. Sessions with provisional psychologists/counsellors are not eligible for Medicare rebates; the standard fees apply.  

To see a psychologist (non-provisional), you do not need a referral to book an appointment. However, if you would like to claim a rebate through Medicare you will need a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from your GP. Medicare offers rebates for up to 10 sessions per calendar year.

MHFA: 

The provisional psychologists/counsellors at the Hub are on short-term placements. Therefore, clients may access 6 initial sessions with a provisional psychologist/counsellor before going through a review process to either a) extend your sessions, b) handover to a different clinician at the Hub, or c) be referred on for external services or long-term therapy. 

Inspire Health & Medical (counsellors): 

The number of sessions you can access with a counsellor is unlimited and is often considered a long-term personal journey. Counselling can run for just a few sessions or be longer-term in duration; it all depends on the individual needs of the client and their presenting issues. As you fund the cost of sessions yourself, it is also up to you how often you come for sessions with your counsellor, and how many times you access their services in total. 

Inspire Health & Medical (psychologists): 

Clients eligible for Medicare can claim up to 10 psychology sessions each year with a Mental Health Treatment Plan to reduce out-of-pocket costs for these sessions. After you have completed these 10 sessions, you can continue with your psychologist paying privately (i.e. not having these sessions claimed with Medicare). If you have had another Mental Health Plan review with your GP, once the new year commences your 10 sessions will reset. 

Counsellors are mental health professionals with specialised training and experience in talk-therapies. They utilise interpersonal skills and work collaboratively with clients to improve their mental health and wellbeing. 

Psychologists are regulated health care professionals who are registered with AHPRA. They generally see clients who have been diagnosed with a mental health problem, or who are suffering from more severe and complex issues. 

Sessions with counsellors are not eligible for Medicare rebates, while sessions with fully registered (non-provisional) psychologists are. 

At MHFA, our provisional psychologists/counsellors are provisionally registered with AHPRA or ACA to provide counselling to clients. They are in their final year of studies in Master of Psychology or Counselling, and are supervised by AHPRA board-approved psychologists while on placement. 

If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or an emergency crisis, do not use our contact form. Please call your local emergency service on 000 or LifeLine on 13 11 14.

Please note that all Provisional Psychologist students at the Wellness Hub are registered by AHPRA and supervised by an experienced psychologist (off-site) and the Hub Manager on-site. Mental health advice is provided by Registered Psychologists and their University supervised provisional psychologists with further consultation available from Specialist Psychiatrists associated with the MHFA. 

As such, the Wellness Hub may not be able to provide the appropriate services and treatments for some individuals. This will be assessed during the initial intake process by the clinical administration staff before allocation to an available provisional psychologist, to ensure client and clinician safety. If we are unable to provide you with our services, you will be provided with other referral options for your consideration.

After receiving your enquire request, our Wellness Hub Team will contact you to book a triage session.

Once we determine that we can provide you with our counselling services, a provisional psychologist will be allocated to see you. You will receive an email confirmation of booked appointments. 

Clients attending telehealth appointments will also receive a link to their telehealth consultation in the confirmation email.

We will provide a copy of our client agreement and consent to be signed prior to your first appointment. Clients attending in-person appointments may sign a hard-copy of the client charter on the day of their first appointment.

To enquire, please fill the enquiry form and we will get in touch with you.

For any further inquiries, please contact Wellness Hub Clinical Administration at wellness.hub@mhfa.org.au