Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What happens in a psychology session?
There is no typical psychology session. Your psychologist is highly trained in listening and providing a safe environment in which to explore your issues. With most types of therapy you are free to discuss what you wish, including everyday events, dilemmas, feelings, and thoughts. We provide a highly effective, evidence-based psychology treatment and most people find that it is easy to talk once they start their first session.
How long is a psychology session?
Most psychology sessions are 50 minutes. This allows the psychologist time to document notes and record any plans before beginning their next appointment. However we can tailor your session length to suit you. Some people prefer shorter or longer session times. For initial appointments, please try to allow a little extra time for filling out paperwork.
Rebates for Australia, United States, United Kingdom
Medicare rebates are available for those living in Australia for ~ $93 with a GP referral. Available for up to 10 sessions each year.
United States and United Kingdom. Health insurance benefits are dependent on your particular policy. Please contact your health fund.
How many times do most people see a psychologist?
Psychological counselling can be short-term and structured to provide practical exercises to help you understand your thoughts and actions. Or it can be longer, in order to help you explore your life circumstances and change ingrained patterns of behaviour. At the start, most people prefer to go for weekly or fortnightly appointments however each person’s situation is unique so there is no set length of time.
Can I get help for anxiety and depression?
Yes. Our friendly psychologist is experienced with treating people with anxious and depressed symptoms.
What is Discernment Counselling?
Discernment counselling is where couples who are uncertain whether they want to continue their relationship can see a psychologist that will help them clarify their thoughts about whether they want the relationship to continue or to end the relationship. This is a very gentle and respectful treatment that we offer at Better Health Psychology in order to help couples consider all options before they make their decision. It is useful for current relationships, as part of marriage counselling and also for singles that want to understand what happened in a previous relationship. It is not about blaming anyone and respecting both people is an important part of this process.
Discernment counselling can be offered as part of couples therapy, or to one person from a couple who is unsure whether to stay in the relationship. In some cases, one or both people in the relationship are relieved that they found the clarity to end the relationship. In other cases, we find that there was a reason for the couple’s difficulties that can be treated and this means that the couple will now feel happy and fully confident about continuing their relationship together long-term. Living with ambivalence and stress every day causes more harm to a couple, or family, than making a decision to end the relationship (and learning to live apart and be happy). On the other hand, you could be stressed and uncertain about the relationship for years, only to start Discernment Counselling and find the answers you needed to finally be fully committed to staying together. Discernment counselling makes sense of it so that you can feel confident in your relationship decision.
My parents were always busy and didn’t have time for me growing up. I think my mum is a narcissist. Now I feel sad and anxious.
In our psychology sessions we can explore why you feel this way and you can heal what you didn’t get as a child so that you feel better and happier. Here is a link to an article on Narcissistic parents https://betterhealthpsychology.com/news?author=5b1becf47e5992db03a20c6e
What happens during an EMDR treatment?
Before any EMDR treatment, there is a preparation phase. The purpose of the
assessment phase is to isolate memories to work with in EMDR. The length of time for each of these phases varies per person, depending upon their individual needs. Once the
preparation and assessment phases are complete, the treatment phase begins. You
will be asked to focus on a “target” image, thought or emotion, while doing an EMDR technique. This may be EMDR Butterfly technique, Tapping technique, Eye Movement technique, or listening to a specially prepared type of music on headphones. The initial focusing on the memory opens the door to the memory and the EMDR completes the processing on a deeper subconscious level. The music is played in sets of 3-4 minutes with brief breaks in between of varying length dependent upon your needs. You are in control of this process the whole time and can go at your own pace. You may experience feelings, thoughts, or physical tension as you process the memories but then those release, and you can feel a sense of healing from the past event. For this reason, the session is usually quite tiring. Often people sleep deeply on the night following an EMDR and wake up feeling lighter as they go through this healing process.
More info can be found here
See Prince Harry’s interview on his EMDR treatment here
Medicare Rebates - how does it work in Australia?
If you have a GP referral, after you pay the full amount for your session, Medicare will pay a rebate of about $93 back into your bank account. Available for up to twenty sessions per year.
If you pay more than the Medicare Threshold in out of pocket Medicare expenses within a year, then you will receive 80% back for all Medicare chargeable claims for the rest of the year. This includes up to ten psychology sessions within that year, and any other Medicare rebatable services.
Medicare requires you to pay the full amount before you can receive the rebate back into your bank account.
Sessions that go over time may be charged an extra hour.
Some concession rates are also available for those with Health Care Cards. To find out more, send us an email.
What is a psychologist? What’s the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who can prescribe medication, diagnose illness and manage treatment with medication. Psychologists focus on providing psychotherapy (talk therapy) and practical skills to help patients. Some client’s will only see a psychologist. Others will see a psychiatrist to help with medication as well as seeing a psychologist to help with ongoing issues.
What is your appointment cancellation policy?
Appointment time changes that are within 48 hours incur a fee so always give at least 48 hours notice of any changes so that we can offer the appointment to someone else.
To do this you can log in and change it online. Alternatively, please contact us by email or call us on 0490 129 003
Cancellation fees:
Within 48 hours - full fee
More than 48 hours - a full refund
Weekend Retreats and Rates or After Hours Appointments - no refund
If you would like to ask another question, then feel free to call us on +61 490 129 003 , message us , or use the question form.