Frequently Asked Questions

No referral is required, although you may be referred by your GP or psychiatrist if you have a diagnosed mental health disorder. 

If you are referred with a “Mental Health Care Plan” by your GP, it entitles you to up to 10 subsidised sessions per calendar year. 

I also work with clients under DVA, WorkCover and private health insurance funding. 

Payment is via invoice. If applicable, Medicare rebates will be processed that same day and private health insurance will need to be claimed back at a later date through your insurer. 

Consultations run for 50 minutes to 1 hour. 

This really depends on a number of factors, which will be individual to your circumstances. It can depend on your goals for connecting with me, as well as the nature of your difficulties and the impacts they are having on different aspects of your life. 

Each person’s needs are unique and we will discuss what will be suited to meet your needs. Some clients will see me for a few sessions only and others will see me over a period of years. We will discuss this openly during the first few sessions and continue these discussions if we continue working together. 

You may choose to end the therapy at any point. 

I do not charge any fees if you cancel or reschedule an appointment with at least 48 hours’ notice. 

If you cannot provide appropriate notice, then a charge of 50 percent of the session fee will be payable you.

The first session is about developing an understanding of the difficulties you are experiencing and the goals you would like to achieve by working towards them with me. I will enquire about your current life circumstances and ask some questions about your life history. 

I use Teams videoconferencing, which is a secure and private platform that you can use within your web browser, rather than having to download and install software. It is user friendly and I’ll provide you with the instructions you need to get you started for your first session.

Online counselling is becoming a more familiar way of meeting with people and working together, and works well for one-to-one sessions. Sometimes the demands of work, family, or distance make it a more timely option than meeting in my rooms. 

Fees are charged at the standard rate of $190 per session. 

To talk with me or to book an appointment, please get in touch by emailing me at patrick@sandandsurfpsychology.com, or via the Contact Us page. 

When emailing, please leave your phone number and feel free to suggest suitable times for me to call you. I’ll do my best to connect with you at one of these times.