People see psychologists for many reasons. At our clinic, often people seek assistance from us when they are feeling stressed, down or are having difficult coping with a recent or longstanding issue or change in their life or are experiencing symptoms of a mental illness. Other times someone may seek assistance in achieving their goals or improving some aspect of their life such as work and relationships.

Clinical Psychologists are trained to assist people develop the skills to cope better and overcome difficulties they are experiencing in their life. They can also assist people to develop their potential further in areas of their life, such as career and relationships.

No, you do not need a referral unless you wish to claim Medicare rebates. To access these rebates your GP must complete a GP Mental Health Plan and make a referral to a clinical psychologist at Mind Harmony Psychology Clinic.

A Mental Health Care Plan (GP Item no. 2710) is a Plan written by your GP and is generally for anyone who has a diagnosable mental health condition. Under GP Mental Health Care Plan, you can be funded for a rebate on a maximum of 10 individual psychological consultations in one calendar year.

To get a Mental Health Care Plan, you need to visit your GP who will complete the plan which will be either sent to the identified clinical psychologist or you will be given the plan to bring with you on your first consultation.

Yes. All Mind Harmony clinicians are registered Medicare providers. Medicare rebates are available for many conditions for up to 10 individual sessions per year.

The Medicare rebate covers most of appointment cost however a gap payment will apply.

Yes. Many private health insurers allow for some refund for psychology services. We advise you to contact your insurance provider to find out what your policy allows.

Please note that you cannot use your private health insurance in conjunction with claiming a Medicare rebate. However you may use your 10 Medicare rebates and then claim against your health insurance.

Sessions are generally 50 minutes in duration. The initial assessment session is longer, usually an hour and a half, to allow plenty of time to gain a detailed understanding of you and your needs. A thorough initial consultation is important, to ensure that subsequent sessions are relevant and helpful to you.

The first session is about understanding your current difficulties and your needs, and agreeing on treatment targets with your clinician. For example you may want to overcome feelings of sadness and a lack of enjoyment related to depression. Perhaps you would like to feel in control of your life rather than be consumed by worry. It can be helpful to think about your expectations from therapy and raise any concerns that you have with your clinician. Subsequent sessions will then focus on providing the treatment and strategies to help you achieve the outcomes you desire.

Evidence-based research shows that therapy works best when you attend regularly and give some thought to what you want to discuss during each session.

Clinical psychologists are bound by the Code of Ethics. With regard to confidentiality at Mind Harmony, all therapy discussions are strictly confidential. However, our clinical psychologists are also bound by a Duty of Care, which means that they are required to ensure your safety and the safety of others. Therefore we may need to break confidentiality if you are at risk of harm from yourself or to someone else. You should always be informed if this is going to happen and why it is necessary.

Yes, we offer after-hours appointments Monday to Friday. Our clinicians are also available for appointments on Saturdays.

Our CBD clinic is located on the 5th floor at 311-315 Castlereagh Street, Sydney. Parking is available directly opposite the building at Secure Parking (located corner of Goulburn and Castlereagh Streets), entrance to the carpark is on Goulburn Street.

It varies. Your recovery process will depend on a number of factors, such as, what symptoms you are experiencing, how long you have had those symptoms, what support you have, what goals you are expecting to achieve, where you are at in terms of motivation to change, what skills you already have, and your individual response to treatment, etc. It is normal for people to experience fluctuations in their recovery before they see an overall improvement. For some the transition can happen quickly, for others it is a longer journey. Our clinicians will evaluate and discuss this with you at the start of treatment.