Frequently Asked Questions

No, you do not need a referral. You can make an appointment with our Mornington Peninsula psychologists without a referral from your GP or a psychiatrist. If you decide to do this you will need to pay the full amount for your sessions out of your own pocket. If would like to see whether you are eligible for medicare rebates with a referral under a Mental Health Treatment Plan, you will need to speak with your GP or a psychiatrist prior to making your first appointment.

If you are eligible for a Mental Health Treatment Plan OR Eating Disorder Plan OR have been affected by the Australian bushfires you can access psychology treatment under Medicare.

To find out if you live in a designated rural, remote or very remote area (classified as MMM4 to 7 under the Modified Monash Model) and may be eligible to receive Medicare funding for telehealth counselling in Australia please click here.

You will need to make an appointment with your GP who will assess whether you are eligible for a Mental Health Treatment Plan or Eating Disorder Plan. To be able to claim the Medicare rebate for your online or Mornington psychology session you will need to provide a copy of your referral and Mental Health Treatment Plan or Eating Disorder Plan.

If you have a referral from a GP or a psychiatrist for a Mental Health Treatment Plan or Eating Disorder Plan you will be eligible to receive a Medicare rebate of $128.40 (for a clinical psychologist) and $87.45 (for a general psychologist) per individual session for up to 20 sessions per calendar year. You will also be eligible for a rebate for 10 group workshops per calendar.

After we process the payment for your session we process your rebate for you via Medicare Online. Medicare advises us that these funds will appear in your bank account within 2-3 business days.

If you have private health insurance that includes psychological counselling as extras cover you may be eligible for a partial rebate. Please contact your insurance provider for further information about your individual coverage. You can find the item numbers for private health here. If you need more information please contact our support team.

Stirling Psychology has a 48-hour cancellation and rescheduling policy. We acknowledge that unexpected life events may interfere with your ability to attend your appointment. Unfortunately, last minute cancellations or non-attendance may result in another client missing an opportunity for timely treatment. We have developed a cancellation policy with this in mind. If you are unable to attend your appointment, please contact us as soon as possible (phone or email) so we can endeavour to fill your session. We appreciate your help and understanding.

Cancellations made more than 48 hours in advance will not incur any fee. Non-attendance or cancellation at short notice (less than 48 hours) will incur a cancellation fee equal to 50% of the consultation fee. Unfortunately, cancellation fees are not eligible for a Medicare rebate.

Psychologists schedule appointments anywhere from 7am-9pm. Psychologist are available Monday- Saturday.

Our support team generally work Monday- Friday between 9:30-5:30pm (Fridays 4pm)

This is dependent on the individual, the nature of why they are coming in, and what it is that they are hoping to get out of sessions. At Stirling Psychology we tailor therapy to suit each of our client’s needs and preferences. Some people come to therapy to develop coping strategies to reduce or manage mental health symptoms. This type of work can be short to medium term, but might also involve checking in less frequently over the longer-term to deal with setbacks or prevent relapse. Other people come to therapy to understand long-standing patterns (such as relationship issues or ways of coping) that stem from experiences during their childhood, or to receive ongoing support. This type of work tends to happen over an extended period of time, although again, this is dependent on each client’s situation and preferences.

Individual sessions are 65 mins for the 1st appointment (assessment) and then ongoing appointments are 50 minutes. Couples therapy sessions are generally 80 minute sessions or longer if required.

After making your first appointment you will be sent an email confirming your appointment date and time. We will outline information about our cancellation policy, and details about how to access our online video conferencing software for online therapy or how to attend a psychology session at our Mornington Peninsula psychology practice. We will also include a form asking you some questions to ensure you are booked in with a psychologist who is experienced in your area of need.

You will be sent a link to join your online therapist in a secure online video conferencing appointment.

In your first session your online therapist or Mornington psychologist will ask you a number of questions in order to understand what has brought you to therapy and what you want to work on. Your psychologist wants to get a full understanding of you as a person and your history and experiences. They may ask questions about your family, social relationships, work history and any past counselling that you have done.

No your sessions will not be recorded without your permission, this is not part of our general consent process. At times as part of improving their clinical practice and to support supervision a psychologist might ask you if you would be comfortable for them to record a session. In these instances your psychologist will discuss this with you before commencing recording.

All information that you disclose in your session with your online therapist or Mornington psychologist is confidential. There are two main exceptions to this rule.  The first is If you are at risk of harm to yourself or someone else. The second exception is in relation to court orders. If either of these situations become relevant your psychologist will discuss this with you. Your psychologist will also discuss the role of supervision and communication with other health professionals (e.g., your GP).