People see psychologists for many reasons. Often people seek assistance from a psychologist when they are feeling stressed, down or are having difficulty coping with a recent or longstanding issue, change in their life, or are experiencing symptoms of a mental illness. Other times someone may want assistance achieving their goals or improving some aspect of their life such as work and relationships, or to develop skills such as public speaking or leadership.

No. As a private practice, all Mind Life Clinic’s services require payment of a fee. Bulk billed psychology services can only be accessed through government-funded agencies.

Yes. Mind Life Clinic is registered with all major Australian health insurance companies. If your health insurance policy provides cover for psychology, you may receive a rebate. The rebate amount and the number of sessions covered varies between different health insurance providers. Check your policy or contact your insurance provider for information about your level of cover. A gap payment may apply.

Yes. All Mind Life Clinic psychologists are registered with Medicare and rebates are available for many conditions for up to 10 individual and 10 group sessions per year. Medicare provides a rebate direct to the client for a portion of the service, however an out-of-pocket amount remains. To be eligible for Medicare rebates it is necessary to bring a referral (Mental Health Care Plan) from a General Practitioner.

No. The law prevents someone combining a Medicare rebate and their private health insurance together for the same visit. You will need to decide whether to use Medicare or your private health insurance. Which one is best will depend on the level of cover provided by your private health insurance policy and the reason you would like to see a psychologist (some conditions are not covered under Medicare). Your Mind Life Clinic Psychologist will assist you make the decision best for your circumstances.

Yes. All Mind Life Clinic psychologists provide psychological services for both TAC and WorkSafe claims.

Yes — we welcome NDIS participants who are self-managed or plan-managed. Please note that we’re unable to accept NDIA-managed clients at this time.

At Mind Life Clinic we take a very clear and practical approach to psychology. Initially your psychologist will focus on understanding your circumstances and the reasons you have come to Mind Life Clinic. They will then discuss with you a plan outlining the treatments and strategies they think will be most helpful for your situation. Subsequent sessions will then focus on providing the treatments and strategies identified in the plan to help you achieve the outcomes you want. There will be ongoing review of the treatment effectiveness and changes can easily be made to ensure you achieve the best outcome.

Standard appointments at Mind Life Clinic are scheduled for one hour (excluding assessment appointments), which typically includes 50 minutes of direct clinical time, either face-to-face or via telehealth with the additional 10 minutes to cover standard documentation procedures related to the appointment. 

At times, the client may request or their presentation on the day may necessitate a shorter session. This may occur, for example, if the client is fatigued, emotionally dysregulated, has difficulty sustaining attention, or has reached a natural end point in the session and to extend their cognitive burden may be counter-productive.  However, this decision to shorten a session will only occur in discussion with the client and/or their parent, guardian, or carer to ensure mutual understanding and agreement.

As Mind Life Clinic operates as a private practice, fees remain the same regardless of whether the full 50 minutes of direct contact is used. Any remaining time within the booked hour will be used for clinical documentation, progress notes, treatment planning, communication with support teams, reporting, or other agreed activities that contribute to the client’s care.  Should you have concerns about this please don't hesitate to speak with you clinician in the first instance or to the Directors of the clinic if necessary. 

Mind Life Clinic has a strong focus on helping people to help themselves. This idea is at the very core of the Mind Life Clinic approach. We also believe that all psychological treatments provided by Mind Life Clinic should be evidenced based, that is to say they have been researched and found to be effective. The psychological treatments and strategies that may be utilized varies depending on the reason someone is seeing a psychologist. The focus however is on helping the person understand their experiences or difficulties, and then assisting them develop strategies and techniques to move forward in their life. Treatments and strategies used may include correcting unhelpful thinking or behavioural patterns, improving stress management skills, becoming expert in problem solving techniques, enhancing communication and assertiveness skills, moving past previous bad experiences, relationship improvement strategies, goal setting and achievement methods, learning how to predict and prevent relapse or a wide range of other techniques designed to meet the particular needs of our clients.

Yes. People with a Low Income (LI) Health Care Card are eligible to receive a discounted rate. If a Medicare rebate is applicable this will reduce the out of pocket expense.

It varies. Mind Life Clinic provides treatment that is targeted, efficient and effective. The number of sessions required however differs from person to person depending on their circumstances, the outcomes they are looking for, and their individual response to treatment. Some clients require only a few sessions while others need longer-term assistance. Your Mind Life Clinic psychologist will evaluate and discuss this with you at the start of treatment.

Reception hours are Monday to Friday 9am -5pm. Clinicians work different days and times.  Appointments are usually between 9am and 4pm weekdays, but some after-hours sessions may be negotiable, are usually conducted via Telehealth, and will need to be booked a number of months in advance.

Yes. Mind Life Clinic conducts assessments and writes reports including for TAC, Worksafe and compensation claims. Charges apply for assessment, consultation, and the preparation of the written report. These charges will be discussed with you prior to your appointment. Mind Life Clinic must receive full payment before any report is provided.

No. A referral from a GP is not required. You can simply ring up and book an appointment. Please note that Medicare only provides rebates for certain conditions. To access these rebates your GP must complete a GP Mental Health Plan and make a referral to a psychologist.

To secure your initial appointment, a $90 deposit (or $50 if your appointment is with a Provisional Psychologist) is required. This deposit will be deducted from your fee at the conclusion of your first session. If you cancel your appointment, your deposit will be refunded. If however, you do not show up for your appointment, or if you cancel within 24 hours of your appointment, you will lose your deposit.

An email will be sent to you the day before your telehealth appointment with a link to access the session. If you don’t receive the link or are having trouble, please call our friendly admin team on 03 5332 2266 for assistance.

Mind Life Clinic has a strict cancellation policy. Any client who does not attend their appointment (“no-show”) or cancels within 24 hours of the scheduled appointment time will incur a cancellation fee.

• For private-paying and non-NDIS clients, a fee of $90 will apply ($50 if the appointment was with a Provisional Psychologist).

• For NDIS-funded clients, late cancellations or non-attendance (within 24 hours) will be charged at 100% of the scheduled session fee, in line with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, where a cancellation is not due to circumstances outside the participant’s control.

No further appointments will be scheduled until the applicable cancellation fee has been paid or claimed.

If we don’t receive confirmation, your appointment may be cancelled at our discretion to allow other clients the opportunity to book.