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Fees

At ConnectEd, we believe it is really important to be transparent about fees so that you can make an informed decision. On this page, you’ll see we’ve done our best to provide clear information about what costs are involved across the different activities we provide in the clinic. Sometimes those fees will change (e.g. an annual increase of $10/hr at the start of the new year) or because you are wanting a specific activity involved. We will always let you know in advance when there are different fees or if what you are requesting has a fee attached to it. Again, we think this is an essential part of running a responsible and sustainable healthcare service. 

Counselling

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) recommended fee for a 46-55min appointment is $311.

We choose to charge below this rate and, as such, fees to see one of our psychologists or counsellors for therapy is $249 (initial session is $269). A session is 50 minutes in length and payment for the session is required at the time of consultation (regardless of rebate method used – if any). Your session fee includes the time your counsellor spends preparing for your appointment, completing notes of your discussions, identifying/modifying your treatment plan, providing feedback to referring providers (where appropriate) and consulting with colleagues to ensure they are providing the most effective care for your concerns.

If you are accessing an assessment (psychoeducational, ADHD or autism), our fees are structured differently and are priced as a ‘package’

Fee options for counselling/therapy

This means paying the total cost, without utilising a rebate. This option may be preferable for those who do not want to apply through Medicare Better Access (see below) or where Better Access does not cover the services you are accessing. 

Commonly referred to as a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP), this is typically completed by a GP, where they determine that you meet the criteria for a diagnosis of a mental illness. You might want to check out our guide to MHCP’s here.

This rebate is only available if you are seeing a psychologist, with the amount of the rebate being dependent on whether they are a Clinical psychologist ($141.85) or psychologist ($96.65). You can see which of our psychologists are clinical under each of their names on the clinic team page. What this means is that you will pay the session fee at the time of consultation, and then the rebate listed above will be returned to you by Medicare, so you will be out of pocket either $127.15 (initial session with clinical psychologist), $107.15 (subsequent session with clinical psychologist) or $172.35 (initial session with psychologist), $152.35 (subsequent session with psychologist).

In total (and where needed), you are able to access an initial 6 sessions, then require a re-referral from your GP for additional sessions (typically 6 or 4). It can be quite confusing with understanding how many sessions you are able to access, as Medicare counts both how many sessions you use in a calendar year (January to December) and how many are on your referral. You can only use 10 sessions per calendar year, regardless of how many are left on your referral. But sessions on your referral can carry over into the next year. Don’t worry though, we’ll help explain it to you when the time comes!

It is your responsibility (and we will assist with this) to ensure that you have got the necessary paperwork and completed the required re-referrals with your GP to access medicare sessions. If you do not have the required information, you will not be able to claim a rebate.

*Please note* – these rebates are set by the government and only apply to certain professions and services. For example, parenting support is typically NOT eligible, unless it is in the context of a parent’s diagnosed mental illness. While MHCPs help facilitate access to mental health services, they can also imply that one professional is superior to another or that certain services are more ‘worthy’ of support than others. At ConnectEd, our team are all highly skilled professionals and we believe that the right person providing the right service for you is more important than their profession or the rebate connected to it.

All funds have different rules around what services are eligible and the process for claiming. In most instances, we can provide an invoice that is suitable for claiming through private health. We do not process the rebate in our clinic

We can provide support to you if you are self-managed.

Fee for assessments

Assessments are a specialised skill set, much of which is utilised “behind the scenes” in the report-writing process and application of clinical expertise. Each assessment is likely to be different, depending on the concerns you have and what your psychologist recommends to best address these concerns. Below we have given you a general guide as to the costs, however, this is subject to change.

The format for all assessments begins with an intake session, at which point your psychologist will clarify your concerns and then provide a detailed breakdown of their recommendations for assessment and the projected cost. The reason we start with the intake and then provide an invoice is that there are times where the recommendation from your psychologist is that an assessment is not beneficial and that another option might be better. We definitely don’t want you to pay for things you don’t need! So this is our chance to provide that feedback without you over-investing.

The fees for completing an assessment are based on an hourly rate. Within the invoice, we will include the predicted time it will take to complete each task – we believe it is important to be transparent about exactly how long the process takes and want you to be able to make an informed decision about what is involved.

What is different about ConnectEd assessments?

  • Our assessment team are experienced psychologists, with additional training as Educational and Developmental psychologists, and a special interest in the assessment process. This means that the psychologist you work with is really passionate about this area!
  • We greatly value the role that parents play and see assessment as an opportunity to not just answer your specific question, but also to develop your understanding of your child and how you can best support them
  • We see the assessment process as not just answering a question, but instead supporting you to better understand yourself/your child. Through the assessment, we will support you in developing this understanding
  • Completing a thorough assessment is also particularly important given that many of the tests used can’t be repeated for an extended period of time (e.g. 2 years). We encourage clients to consider what is the best quality and most meaningful assessment process before committing.
  • We know that everyone is different and has different hopes and expectations in completing an assessment. We will work with you to understand your concerns and develop an assessment process that best meets your needs.

Psychoeducational Assessments

Typically, a psychoeducational assessment will include some or all of the following activities:
  • Intake session
  • School observation/consultation
  • Review of developmental documentation
  • One-on-one session with child
  • Test administration and scoring
  • Test interpretation and report writing
  • Feedback session
  • Finalising and issuing report

On average, the total time to complete all these components is approximately 11 – 15hrs. The price to complete an assessment is based on an hourly rate, and you will always be able to see what we plan to do and how long we expect it will take. We aim to provide a thorough assessment and include additional time allocations for liaising with your school and report writing, which allows your psychologist to spend considerable time developing a rich understanding of your child. This is particularly important given that many of the tests used can’t be repeated for an extended period of time (e.g. 2 years). We encourage clients to consider what is the best quality and most meaningful assessment process before committing, while also understanding the need to juggle a budget.

Based on the above range of 11-15hrs, this equates to an approximate cost of $2882 to $3930. Your actual cost may be less or more depending on your needs. Your psychologist will be able to give you a more specific estimate following your intake session

Typically, a psychoeducational assessment will include some or all of the following activities:
  • Intake session
  • Review of historical documentation
  • Test administration and scoring
  • Test interpretation and report writing
  • Feedback session
  • Finalising and issuing report

On average, the total time to complete all these components is approximately 9 – 12hrs. The price to complete an assessment is based on an hourly rate, and you will always be able to see what we plan to do and how long we expect it will take. We aim to provide a thorough assessment and include additional time allocations for assessment and report writing, which allows your psychologist to spend considerable time developing a rich understanding of your needs. This is particularly important given that many of the tests used can’t be repeated for an extended period of time (e.g. 2 years). We encourage clients to consider what is the best quality and most meaningful assessment process before committing, while also understanding the need to juggle a budget. 

Based on the above range of 9 – 12hrs, this equates to an approximate cost of $2358 to $3144.  Your actual cost may be less or more, depending on your needs. Your psychologist will be able to give you a more specific estimate following your intake session

ADHD Assessments

Typically, an ADHD targeted assessment will include some or all of the following activities:

  • Intake session
  • School observation
  • Review of developmental documentation
  • One-on-one session with child
  • Test administration and scoring
  • Test interpretation and report writing
  • Feedback session
  • Finalising and issuing report

On average, the total time to complete all these components is approximately 7-10hrs. The price to complete an assessment is based on an hourly rate, and you will always be able to see what we plan to do and how long we expect it will take. We aim to provide a thorough assessment and include additional time allocations for liaising with your school and report writing, which allows your psychologist to spend considerable time developing a rich understanding of your child. This is particularly important given that many of the tests used can’t be repeated for an extended period of time (e.g. 2 years). We encourage clients to consider what is the best quality and most meaningful assessment process before committing, while also understanding the need to juggle a budget. 

Based on the above range of 7-10hrs, this equates to an approximate cost of $1834 to $2620. Your actual cost may be less or more, depending on your needs. Your psychologist will be able to give you a more specific estimate following your intake session

Typically, an ADHD targeted assessment will include some or all of the following activities:

  • Intake session
  • Review of historical documentation
  • Test administration and scoring
  • Test interpretation and report writing
  • Feedback session
  • Finalising and issuing report

On average, the total time to complete all these components is approximately 7-9hrs. The price to complete an assessment is based on an hourly rate, and you will always be able to see what we plan to do and how long we expect it will take. We aim to provide a thorough assessment and include additional time allocations for assessment and report writing, which allows your psychologist to spend considerable time developing a rich understanding of your needs. This is particularly important given that many of the tests used can’t be repeated for an extended period of time (e.g. 2 years). We encourage clients to consider what is the best quality and most meaningful assessment process before committing, while also understanding the need to juggle a budget. 

Based on the above range of 7-9hrs, this equates to an approximate cost of $1834 to $2358. Your actual cost may be less or more, depending on your needs. Your psychologist will be able to give you a more specific estimate following your intake session

Typically, an ADHD comprehensive assessment will include some or all of the following activities:

  • Intake session
  • School observation
  • Review of developmental documentation
  • One-on-one session with child
  • Test administration and scoring
  • Test interpretation and report writing
  • Feedback session
  • Finalising and issuing report

On average, the total time to complete all these components is approximately 12 – 18hrs. We aim to provide a thorough assessment and include additional time allocations for liaising with your school and report writing, which allows your psychologist to spend considerable time developing a rich understanding of your child. This is particularly important given that many of the tests used can’t be repeated for an extended period of time (e.g. 2 years). We encourage clients to consider what is the best quality and most meaningful assessment process before committing, while also understanding the need to juggle a budget.

Based on the above range of 12-18hrs hours, this would equate to an approximate cost of $3144 to $4716. Your actual cost may be less or more, depending on your needs. Your psychologist will be able to give you a more specific estimate following your intake session

Typically, an ADHD comprehensive assessment will include some or all of the following activities:

  • Intake session
  • School observation
  • Review of historical documentation
  • Test administration and scoring
  • Test interpretation and report writing
  • Feedback session
  • Finalising and issuing report

On average, the total time to complete all these components is approximately 10 – 13hrs. The price to complete an assessment is based on an hourly rate, and you will always be able to see what we plan to do and how long we expect it will take. We aim to provide a thorough assessment and include additional time allocations for assessment and report writing, which allows your psychologist to spend considerable time developing a rich understanding of your needs. This is particularly important given that many of the tests used can’t be repeated for an extended period of time (e.g. 2 years). We encourage clients to consider what is the best quality and most meaningful assessment process before committing, while also understanding the need to juggle a budget. 

Based on the above range of 10-13 hours, this would equate to an approximate cost of $2620 to $3406. Your actual cost may be less or more, depending on your needs. Your psychologist will be able to give you a more specific estimate following your intake session

Autism Assessments

Typically, an Autism targeted assessment will include some or all of the following activities:
  • Intake session
  • School observation/consultation
  • Structured parent interview
  • One-on-one session with child
  • Test administration and scoring
  • Test interpretation and report writing
  • Feedback session
  • Finalising and issuing report

On average, the total time to complete all these components is approximately 13 – 15hrs. The price to complete an assessment is based on an hourly rate, and you will always be able to see what we plan to do and how long we expect it will take. We aim to provide a thorough assessment and include additional time allocations for liaising with your school and report writing, which allows your psychologist to spend considerable time developing a rich understanding of your child. We encourage clients to consider what is the best quality and most meaningful assessment process before committing, while also understanding the need to juggle a budget.

Based on the above range of 13-15hrs, this equates to an approximate cost of $3406 to $3930. Your actual cost may be less or more depending on your needs. Your psychologist will be able to give you a more specific estimate following your intake session

Typically, an Autism comprehensive assessment will include some or all of the following activities:
  • Intake session
  • School observation/consultation
  • Structured parent interview
  • One-on-one session with child (additional time compared to targeted)
  • Test administration and scoring (additional time compared to targeted)
  • Test interpretation and report writing (additional time compared to targeted)
  • Feedback session
  • Finalising and issuing report

On average, the total time to complete all these components is approximately 15 – 17hrs. The price to complete an assessment is based on an hourly rate, and you will always be able to see what we plan to do and how long we expect it will take. We aim to provide a thorough assessment and include additional time allocations for liaising with your school and report writing, which allows your psychologist to spend considerable time developing a rich understanding of your child. We encourage clients to consider what is the best quality and most meaningful assessment process before committing, while also understanding the need to juggle a budget.

Based on the above range of 15-17hrs, this equates to an approximate cost of $3930 to $4454. Your actual cost may be less or more depending on your needs. Your psychologist will be able to give you a more specific estimate following your intake session

Common additional fees - therapy

  • After-hours fee for appointments between 5pm-8pm on weekdays or on Saturdays and Sundays – additional $10/hr
  • Case conference or school visit relating to counselling/therapy – This is billed at the standard session rate (billed in 10 minute intervals) + travel time
  • Report writing relating to counselling/therapy – this is billed at the standard session rate (billed in 10 minute intervals). This fee does not apply to standard communication with other health professionals (e.g. reporting back to GP for a Mental Health Care Plan) as this is covered in the service fee 

For any other fees, we will always discuss them with you in advance and get your consent prior to completing this work.

Cancellation/Rescheduling fees

First of all – we don’t like charging cancellation fees! Cancellation policies are always a difficult process to manage, as we balance the needs of all of our clients.

We provide a range of options for keeping track of your appointments: 24/7 access to the client portal where you can book, cancel and check all your appointments, an email confirmation for each appointment you book through the portal, an appointment confirmation via SMS 24hrs before your appointment, and a list of all future appointments in each receipt we send you. We also make our cancellation policy very clear by providing it: here on our website, in the initial information you are emailed, in the consent form, on each receipt you are sent and referred to in our confirmation SMS. 

The purpose of the cancellation fee is so that we can continue to provide a responsible, sustainable and high-quality service. When you book an appointment, that 1hr is reserved specifically for you. Unlike other medical services that have short appointment times, it can be very difficult to fill late cancellations, as another client then needs to be available during that hour. These longer appointments also mean that your psychologist is typically only able to offer around 2-5 appointments in a day, so each appointment is valuable as a resource to our client’s and also for your psychologist’s income.

In the event that you need to cancel with limited notice, we will offer telehealth as an option. If this isn’t suitable and we are unable to fill your appointment with another client, we will process the following fees (note: this is an industry-standard policy and based on the guidelines provided by the peak body for psychologists,  the Australian Psychological Society – see their document here). This policy also applies if you choose to reschedule a late-cancelled appointment (i.e you want to late-cancel an appointment and change it to a future appointment). The reason for this is that, even though you are booking another appointment in the future, the one you have late-cancelled was still a booked appointment that you had reserved. We will still follow all the same processes as above, but a late cancellation fee will still apply if we cannot fill the appointment. 

More than 3 days before your appointment – no fee
3 days before your appointment – 20% of the fee
2 days before your appointment – 45% of the fee
1 day before or the same day as your appointment – 100% of the fee

Please note: We use full-day cancellation windows rather than counting specific hours. This is calculated based on the day of the cancellation and the day of the appointment – it isn’t based on the number of hours. The purpose of this timeframe is to try to give us enough time to attempt to rebook the appointment for another client, which is the best outcome for everyone.

As an example – for an appointment that is scheduled for a Friday

  • Cancelled on a Monday = more than 3 days notice
  • Cancelled on a Tuesday = 3 days before
  • Cancelled on a Wednesday = 2 days before
  • Cancelled on a Thursday or Friday = 1 day before or same day as appointment
 

A cancellation fee is charged in all circumstances, which is an important part of maintaining fairness and equality (i.e. we are not deciding whose reason for cancellation is more valid than another). For your understanding, approximately 40% of all booked appointments are cancelled/rescheduled. While we understand your specific circumstance might be a ‘one-off’, for our team, it is likely that they will have multiple ‘one-offs’ within a given day or week. In many cases, your psychologist may only have available 3-5 appointments per day, so even one late cancellation can mean the loss of around a third of their income for the day.  Given this, and as part of operating a responsible and sustainable healthcare business, we consistently apply our cancellation policy in all circumstances.

In the event that we cannot process the fee through the credit card we have stored on our system, you will need to pay it online using the client portal (select ‘my invoices’) within 24hrs, or an additional late payment fee will be charged (an additional 1% per business day). In addition, we may continue to try to process the fee using the stored credit card if the payment continues to be outstanding. If payment is not made within 24hrs, future appointments may be cancelled. In the event that fees continue to be outstanding, we may pursue legal action to recover these fees.

If you are late for an appointment your session may be less than 50 minutes in duration. Please note you will need to pay the full amount in these circumstances, however, your medicare/insurance rebate (if any) may be reduced.

Consultancy fees

Some of our consultancy fees are priced per activity (e.g. presentations) as there can be a number of factors that impact on the price. Get in touch with us here and we can give you a quote – usually within 24hrs!

Supervision is $269 (inc GST)
  • Individual mentoring is $269 (+GST)
  • Small group mentoring (i.e 2-10 participants) is $369 (+GST)
  • We can also provide these services as a ‘package’ as this can help with budgeting. For example, a school might ask for 5 individual mentoring sessions + 1 group mentoring session per term for the 4 terms. We can provide this as a combined invoice

ConnectEd acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live, the Turrbal and Yuggera people, and pay our respect to Elders past and present. We celebrate, learn and welcome stories, culture, and traditions, and acknowledge the history and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of all communities

We also embrace and welcome people from all faiths, cultures, genders and diversities. We celebrate the unique humanity in all of us.

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