FAQ

As a private practice with a purpose of directing our profits to Luma for Her Health and Wellbeing to support vulnerable and disadvantaged women we need to remain sustainable.

Our fees range from $185 - $290 (subject to change and depending on your practitioner).

With a valid referral and Mental Health Care plan our out-of-pocket gap fees range from $100 to $150 per session.

We believe everyone has the right to mental health services so if this gap payment will unduly impact you, please talk with us.

Late notice reschedules and missed appointments

Please contact us at least 48 hours prior to your appointment if you need to reschedule. A 50% late notice fee is incurred if an appointment is rescheduled within 48 hours of the appointment.

For short notice (24 hours or non-attendance), 100% of your fee is payable.

Outstanding fees are required to be paid prior to attending your next session.

Third Parties will not pay late notice or non-attendance fees. If you miss a scheduled appointment or fail to provide 48 hours notice you will be responsible for payment of the fee.

A referral is not required to see one of our mental health practitioners.

However, a referral is required to access a Medicare rebate.

You can request a referral from:

• General Practitioner (GP) – you will need a referral letter and a Mental Health Care Plan. Both documents need to be dated, with sessions allocation and signed by your GP. Medicare rebates can be obtained for 10 sessions per calendar year with a GP review after the first 6 sessions to see how you are progressing before another 4 sessions can be issued.
• Paediatrician – Referral only required.
• Psychiatrist – Referral only required.

Private

Clients do not need a referral if they are paying privately. There is also no limit to the number of sessions you can attend in a calendar year.

Private Health Funds

Rebates from Private Health insurance funds vary due to your cover. Clients cannot use Private Health and Medicare rebate for the same session. It is advised to check your private health eligibility and limits prior to attending your session.

Third Party

Please contact us if you have a third-party referral.

Details and payment will need to be arranged prior to first appointment.

Health Sense Psychology and Wellness is located in the heart of North Perth at Level 1, 448 Fitzgerald Street in the EDR (Emergency Denture Repair) building. We have elevator and stair access to our level.

We have Disabled Access.

We have 1-hour free parking at the back of our building. Download the Easy Park app and select 30771 Wasley Street car park.

There is also 3-hour parking along Wasley Street or at the North Perth Plaza shopping centre.
This area can be quite busy so we recommend allowing an extra 10 minutes for parking especially if you are new to the practice.

For public transport there is a bus stop a few metres up the road at Chemist Warehouse if coming from the North of Perth or if from the South the bus stop is directly across the road in front of the North Perth Plaza with a pedestrian crossing.

We have a mix of practitioners ranging from Accredited Mental Health Social Workers, Generally Registered Psychologists, Counselling Psychologists and Clinical Psychologists.

MENTAL HEALTH SOCIAL WORKERS: Work with individuals, couples and families focusing on social and systemic factors affecting mental health and works on ways to enhances overall well-being.

GENERALLY REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGISTS: Offers evidence-based therapies to address various psychological issues. Works with clients to develop coping strategies, improve emotional regulation, and enhance overall mental health.

COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGISTS: Counselling psychologists have similar qualifications as their clinical cousins, but generally work with mild to moderate, less pathological problems and tend to focus on personal development, emotional well-being, and issues like stress, relationships, and life transitions.

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: are specifically trained to diagnose and treat complex mental health issues. Their training includes evidence-based therapeutic approaches and psychological assessments and diagnosis, making them well-equipped to handle more complex cases through the application of psychological theories and scientific research.

The most important part your therapy is to ensure you feel well supported in your sessions and comfortable in sharing your vulnerabilities with your treating practitioner.

Seeking therapy is an investment in ‘YOU’.

You are the best judge of whether you’re progressing … whether you’re feeling less anxious or depressed; feeling more confident or in control; better at problem-solving and decision-making; embracing life-enhancing choices rather than avoiding them.

Although sometimes during the therapy process, you may experience setbacks, these should not be too prolonged. Learning to change your behaviour is like learning a new skill. It may feel hard at first but the more you practice the better you become.

Goal setting
It’s important that you set your therapy goals with your practitioner so you can work towards achieving them. At each session your practitioner will discuss setbacks and achievements with you, so your progress can be monitored and your goals realigned if needed.

There might be times when your practitioner assigns you homework or some self-care recommendations. Including these in between your sessions will also contribute immensely to your progress.

While all our practitioners support mental health and are fully qualified and registered for Medicare rebates they have different training, specialisations, experience and approaches to care.

Please read over our team’s bios (insert meet the team link) to see if their approach to therapy resonates with you. You can also speak with one of our admin team members who can answer any questions you may have about our practitioners.

The therapeutic relationship is the critical bond between practitioner and client, no one therapy is more effective than another, and the type of therapy used is much less important than the psychologist who delivers it!

If for any reason you feel the practitioner you have been matched with is not the right fit for you, please let us know and we can transfer you to another practitioner within our practice.

The difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist is psychiatrists are trained as medical doctors and can provide prescription medication whereas a psychologist cannot prescribe medication.

Psychiatrists may emphasise medication management, whereas psychologists focus on therapeutic interventions. Both play essential roles in mental health care.

Our team of health professionals will work collaboratively with psychiatrists and GPs in cases where clients are taking psychiatric medication to provide a comprehensive treatment for individuals.

If you have not spoken with a health professional before it is perfectly normal to feel nervous about your first session. It can also prove more difficult for those who don’t like to talk about themselves or feel overwhelmed with emotions.

Our aim is to make you feel welcome, safe and comfortable whilst in our care. It may take a couple of sessions before you feel at ease to share your inner thoughts and feelings. Our practitioners will not push you into anything you are not ready for it may take a few sessions for you to fully settle into the process.

Whilst the first session is mostly to gather information about you and how we can support you it is also a chance for you to get to know your practitioner and ask them questions to ensure they are the right fit for you.

To get things started your practitioner will take some time to explain to you our confidentiality and consent policy and tell you a little bit about their approach to therapy and then they will open the conversation by asking how they can help you.

It is important for your practitioner to gather information about you, your background, family history and risk assessment but we don’t want this to take up the whole of your first session. We need to understand what you want and need from therapy.

You may not know exactly what it is you need help with or what treatments will help you, these questions may come to light as your practitioner works with you.

Here are some questions you may want to think about before your first session:

• Is there a particular situation I’m currently experiencing that I need some immediate support for?
• Is there a history of behaviour or trauma that I want to work through but understand this will take time to unpack?
• What do I want to get out of attending therapy?
• What are my therapy goals?
• How do I want to achieve my goals?
• How will I know if therapy is working for me?
• What type of therapist do I want to work with?
• Is the treatment plan going to work for me?
• What does my recovery, end of therapy look like?
• Are there any barriers preventing me from reaching my goals?

Therapy is beneficial in so many ways and there is never an issue that is too big to work through or too small that you wonder if you really need to seek help.

That old saying of ‘prevention is better than cure’ is true. You don’t need to be in a crisis to seek help. You may just want some validation for your feelings or clarity around an issue. We experience many life transitions from a new job, relocation, relationships, parenthood, grief/loss, this is the roller coaster of life.

Having independent support to navigate life's challenges can be incredibly beneficial for your overall mental health and well-being.

Seeking therapy is an investment in ‘YOU’.

You are the best judge of whether you’re progressing … whether you’re feeling less anxious or depressed; feeling more confident or in control; better at problem-solving and decision-making; embracing life-enhancing choices rather than avoiding them.

Although sometimes during the therapy process, you may experience setbacks, these should not be too prolonged. Learning to change your behaviour is like learning a new skill. It may feel hard at first but the more you practice the better you become.

Goal setting
It’s important that you set your therapy goals with your practitioner so you can work towards achieving them. At each session your practitioner will discuss setbacks and achievements with you, so your progress can be monitored and your goals realigned if needed.

There might be times when your practitioner assigns you homework or some self-care recommendations. Including these in between your sessions will also contribute immensely to your progress.

While all our practitioners support mental health and are fully qualified and registered for Medicare rebates they have different training, specialisations, experience and approaches to care.

Please read over our team’s bios to see if their approach to therapy resonates with you. You can also speak with one of our admin team members who can answer any questions you may have about our practitioners.

The therapeutic relationship is the critical bond between practitioner and client, no one therapy is more effective than another, and the type of therapy used is much less important than the psychologist who delivers it!

If for any reason you feel the practitioner you have been matched with is not the right fit for you, please let us know and we can transfer you to another practitioner within our practice.