The AAPi recommended fee is $315.00 per session. However, Sweetwater Psychology aims to keep costs at a minimum.
Our standard consultation fee to see a registered psychologist is $230. Clients with a referral and a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from their GP receive a Medicare rebate of $96.65 per Counselling Psychology appointment, subject to conditions which are explained below. This amount is rebated after payment, leaving a gap of $133.35 for each consultation.
Clients receiving EMDR therapy may occasionally need longer sessions; these are charged at a pro rata of a standard session, i.e., a double session is charged at twice the standard rate. Your psychologist will discuss this with you before booking any non-standard sessions.
We strive to keep our fees at an affordable level. Our HICAPS connection means eligible clients can immediately receive their Medicare rebate at the time of consultation. You must have a card connected to a debit account with you for us to process your Medicare rebate on the spot.
Please note: If you have reached your Medicare Safety Net threshold within a calendar year, the Medicare rebate is increased (meaning less out-of-pocket expenses per consultation for the rest of the calendar year).
Medicare rebates are available for up to 10 individual and 10 group allied mental health services per calendar year to clients who have a Mental Health Care Treatment Plan provided by a GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician.
Your GP or psychiatrist/paediatrician can refer you for up to six individual and/or six group allied mental health services at a time, after which your psychologist will write to your doctor and request another block of up to four further sessions if required.
You do not need to return to your GP at the beginning of a new calendar year if you still have remaining services left on your current referral. These rollover into the next calendar year.
However, it is strictly 10 services per calendar year, meaning any services you carry forward will count towards the 10 total services for the next calendar year. For example, if a client had used 7 of their 10 sessions in 2024, and still had three remaining on their referral, those three can be used in 2025. Once these have been used the patient has now used three of the 10 possible in the year of 2025. As all services have then been used on the previous referral, the client would need to return to their GP or psychiatrist/paediatrician to have their referral extended, or to get a new MHCP if their reason for seeking treatment has changed.
It may also be the case that you have services still remaining on your referral but have already had 10 sessions in one calendar year. In this situation the services left will not be able to be used towards a Medicare rebate until the following calendar year.
No gap payment is required from approved compensable clients, (i.e., those being funded by WorkCover, TAC, NDIS, or another organisation).
