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 $300.
We choose to charge below this rate and, as such, fees to see one of our psychologists or counsellors for therapy is $230 (initial session is $250). A session is typically 50 to 55 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 or ADHD), fees are structured differently and are structured 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. 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 ($137.05) or psychologist ($93.35). 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 $112.95 (initial session with clinical psychologist), $92.95 (subsequent session with clinical psychologist) or $156.65 (initial session with psychologist), $136.65 (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 session on your referral can carry over into the next year.
It is your responsibility (and we will assist with this) to ensure that you have got the necessary paperwork and completed the required reviews 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. You will see in this invoice 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.
- Intake session
- School observation/consultation
- 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 10 – 13hrs, which equates to an approximate cost of $2415 to $3140. 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
- 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 – 14hrs, which equates to an approximate cost of $2656 to $3381. 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
- School observation
- 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 7-8hrs, which equates to an approximate cost of $1690 to $1932. 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 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 does NOT include standard communication with other health professionals) – This is billed at the standard session rate (billed in 10 minute intervals)
For any other fees, we will always discuss them with you in advance and get your consent prior to completing this work.
Cancellation fees
We provide reminders to assist with scheduling (e.g. access to all appointments through the client portal, list of appointments emailed with receipts, and SMS reminders) but also understand that life happens, which means appointments need to be rescheduled. 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 time is reserved specifically for you and it is very difficult to fill that time without sufficient notice.
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 Australian Psychological Society)
More than 3 days before your appointment – no fee
3 days before your appointment – $50
2 days before your appointment – $100
1 day before or the same day as your appointment – full fee
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 week. 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 48hrs, or an additional late payment fee will be charged. 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 48hrs, 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.