1. Do I need to see a Clinical Psychologist?
2. Do I need a referral from my doctor to make an appointment?
3. What kind of problems does Medicare cover?
4. What do I have to pay?
5. What should I expect in a typical therapy consultation?
6. How many sessions do I need?
7. What about privacy and confidentiality?
8. What is the difference between a Psychologist and a Clinical Psychologist?
9. What is the difference between a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist?
Do I need to see a Clinical Psychologist?
Psychological treatment is proven to be effective with managing many psychological conditions.
It is certainly not true that only people who are “crazy” see a psychologist. While clinical psychologists do see some individuals with more severe mental problems (such as schizophrenia), most of their clients are everyday, “normal” people who would like to learn some skills to cope with their emotional problems, to learn to prevent it from happening again, and to function more effectively.
Do I need a referral from my doctor to make an appointment?
If you wish to claim rebates from Medicare for a mental health problem you will need a referral from your GP or psychiatrist.
If you are not entitled to Medicare benefits, or if you choose to pay for the consultations yourself, then you do not require a referral to make an appointment. However it is often helpful if your regular doctor provides a short letter.
What kind of problems does Medicare cover?
Under Medicare guidelines, mental disorder is a term used to describe a range of clinically diagnosable disorders that significantly impact on a person’s emotions, thoughts, social skills and decision-making.
You will have to make an appointment and discuss your problem with your GP. It is up to your referring doctor to decide if you require a referral for psychological therapy with a clinical psychologist. It may be helpful to know that Medicare covers problems arising from:
Psychotic disorders
Schizophrenia
Bipolar disorder
Phobic disorders
Anxiety disorder
Adjustment disorder
Depression
Sexual disorders
Conduct disorders
Bereavement disorders
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Eating disorders
Panic disorder
Alcohol use disorders
Drug use disorders
Sleep problems
Attention deficit disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Co-occurring anxiety and depression
What do I have to pay?
Please refer to Fees & Rebates.
What should I expect in a typical consultation?
The initial session takes 1.5 hours, during which a thorough assessment will be undertaken. You will be asked about your current situation, past history, and past treatment. You may also be asked to complete some self-report questionnaires.
In most cases, it is possible for your therapist to give you an estimate of how many sessions you will need and explain what you can expect from therapy after the initial assessment.
Sessions thereafter are therapy sessions that are 55 minutes long. A formulation of your problems and an overview of treatment techniques will be discussed in detail.
Therapy does not only occur during sessions. CBT is about learning skills to deal with problems, and therefore a key feature of CBT is completing home based tasks, or homework, between sessions.
How many sessions do I need?
Suzanne generally provides therapy that is short-term in nature. Most clients attend between 5 and 18 sessions. It is usually possible to have an idea of how many sessions are needed, and how frequent they should be, after the initial assessment.
What about privacy and confidentiality?
All registered psychologists are ethically bound to honour your privacy. All information collected from you is confidential, and will not be disclosed to another person without your explicit permission.
However there are some exceptions to confidentiality:
1. If your file is subpoenaed by a court
2. Where professional ethics overrides confidentiality, such as when failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at risk
3. If Child Protection legislation makes it compulsory to release information, eg. situations in which a child may be at risk of some form of harm or abuse
Please note that if you have been referred by your doctor under a Mental Health Care Plan, Medicare requires the treating clinical psychologist to write a letter to the referring doctor after each block of 6 sessions.
You may request to see your file or information about you at any stage. There may be a fee associated with complying with your request in some situations. Please discuss your requirements with Suzanne.
What is the difference between a Psychologist and a Clinical Psychologist?
In Australia, all psychologists must be registered with to practise. Only psychologists with specialist endorsement by the Psychology Registration Board can refer to themselves as Clinical Psychologists.
Clinical Psychologists complete all the same basic training as Psychologists. In addition, they also undertake at least 2 years of full-time university training at Master’s or doctorate level in Clinical Psychology. They have fulfilled requirements for supervised practice post graduation, and undergo ongoing professional development to keep up to date with the latest research. Clinical psychologists therefore have extra theoretical and practical training in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of a wide range of emotional and behavioural problems.
What is the difference between a Clinical Psychologist and a Psychiatrist?
Psychiatrists are qualified medical practitioners who have obtained additional qualifications and training in the area of mental illness. Psychiatrists often prescribe medications, and many have admitting rights to private psychiatric hospitals. Some psychiatrists may also provide CBT, or other more long-term “talking” therapies.
Clinical psychologists are not medical practitioners. They do not prescribe medications (although they usually have good general knowledge of pharmacological treatments). They have received a minimum of six years of university training, both at an undergraduate and postgraduate level. Clinical psychologists provide psychological therapy for a range of emotional, behavioural and cognitive problems. Many clinical psychologists specialize in cognitive behaviour therapy or other forms of evidence-based therapy.
Suzanne Dang provides clinical psychology services in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.