You do not require a referral to make a booking. However, without a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician, you will not be eligible for a Medicare rebate and will need to pay the full listed price for your session.

You will receive a rebate if you have a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP). Having a MHCP allows you to claim back a portion of your session fee via Medicare. For more information on how the MHCP works read more here. If you have private health insurance you may be eligible for a rebate. Check with your provider.

Hourglass Psychology will submit a claim to Medicare on your behalf after your psychology session. If you hold a Mental Health Care Plan, you will be charged the session fee in full and Medicare will pay the rebate portion into your nominated bank account (using the bank deposit account details that you have provided Medicare directly). Typically, Medicare provides rebates to you overnight. NOTE: If no bank details are available, Medicare will send a letter to your registered address advising you to register bank details with Medicare.

If you have a Mental Health Care Plan, you are currently eligible for a Medicare rebate of $96.65 per session. Therefore with the rebate, your out of pocket expense or “gap payment” for the First Session is $143.35 and $113.35 for subsequent Standard Sessions. Healthcare/Pensioner Card Holders out of pocket expense is $93.35 for the First Session and $83.35 for subsequent Standard Sessions.
If you’ve hit your Medicare Safety Net, then rebates will be significantly higher.

The initial referral will likely be for 6 sessions. Following this, your psychologist will communicate with your GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician to initiate a review and extend your Mental Health Care Plan if required, typically allowing for an additional 4 sessions. Please note that you will need your referral prior to attending your psychology session if you wish to process a rebate (unfortunately, they cannot be backdated).

Treatment plans vary from person to person. Some people may find 6 - 10 sessions sufficient, while others may find it beneficial to continue treatment for a longer period of time. We encourage you to enter therapy with an open mind, where you will develop a plan in collaboration with your psychologist.

We sure do! We provide online therapy using video conferencing as well as phone consultations. The cost for these services are the same as our normal fees listed here.
These services are now permanently eligible for a Medicare rebate with a Mental Health Care Plan as per Federal Government funding. Applicable Telehealth rebates are the same as the rebates for face-to-face sessions.

You will NOT be charged prior to your appointment. The only exception is a 50% deposit required for your first session. We require you to input your credit or debit card details at the time of booking, and funds will only be debited from your account post appointment. This allows us to reduce no-shows and administration requirements, ensuring we can maximise our session times (which is the most important part!). Rest assured we use a secure payment provider, and we do not have visibility or access to your card details.

No, we do not offer couples counselling. However, individuals are welcome to invite significant others into particular sessions during the course of their therapeutic process, in consultation with their psychologist.

We see young people aged 15 and above.

At Hourglass Psychology we focus on counselling support. We do not provide emergency or crisis care. If you are experiencing an acute crisis and feel you may be at risk of harming yourself or others, please see the crisis numbers listed here.
We do not provide Psychological reports including those for court, legal, insurance or Centrelink purposes. We do not work with forensic clients or clients who require mandated counselling (e.g., clients on parole or probation).

We are not registered to provide Psychological services for those under the DVA.

Although we are not a registered NDIS provider, we can work with self-managed or plan-managed NDIS clients.
We are registered with WorkSafe Victoria as a provider of Psychology services.
For both NDIS and WorkCover please contact us BEFORE making your booking to check if we are the right service for you and if we have availability as these services cannot be booked online.

Yes. Referrals and support letters are quoted according to the purpose for which they are requested, and the total length in pages. As a general guide, referrals of 1 page but less than 2 pages are $250.00 +GST.

Psychologists study cognition and human behaviour, whereas psychiatrists focus on biology and medicine. Both are trained to understand how your brain works, how you think and how you behave. Both are able to use different types of counselling and psychotherapy to help.

Psychologists typically complete an Undergraduate degree with a major in psychology, an Honours research degree, followed by a Postgraduate Master’s degree. To gain full registration as a Psychologist, they then undergo a further year of supervised practice at a minimum. In total this equates to at least 6 years of training. Psychologists use “talk therapy” to help people with their problems and prevent ongoing issues. Numerous scientific research studies support the effectiveness of psychological therapy.

Psychiatrists have completed a medical degree and further training and study related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Psychiatrists specialise in the “medical model” and prescribe medications as their main form of treatment. Some psychiatrists combine medication with talk therapy, but this is less common.

Psychologists and psychiatrists often work in tandem when clients are prescribed medication for their mental health issues.

In Australia, the practice of psychology is highly regulated, while that of counselling is not. Both offer mental health support to their clients and use various forms of “talk therapy”. The main difference is between their level of training and expertise. Given there are no specific requirements incumbent on counsellors, there can be large variability within their level of training and/or education. Some counsellors may be affiliated with a registration body such as the Australian Counselling Association (which is well regarded), however, this is not a requirement. For more information read here under subheading Professional qualifications of a counsellor.

Psychology, by contrast, requires the completion of a minimum of 6 years of training and tertiary education to a master’s level. This includes at least 1 to 2 years of supervised clinical practice. Psychologists are highly educated professionals in the science of mind and behaviour. “Psychologist” is also a protected title. This means that only individuals who have completed a Board approved education and training sequence and are registered by the Board to work in Australia are eligible to call themselves a psychologist. For more information, please visit the Psychology Board website here.

Hourglass Psychology encourages help seeking for anyone experiencing mental health difficulties. When deciding who can help you, consider the practitioner’s professional experience, registration status and your personal preferences. Connecting with your professional is an important part of the therapeutic process.