Frequently Asked Questions

$230/hour  

• Medicare rebate If you bring with you a Mental Health Care plan from your doctor then you are eligible to receive Medicare Rebate $98.65 per session for up to 10 sessions every calendar year.
• Private Patient (No Mental Health Care plan): You are welcome to attend without any Mental Health Care plan.
• Private Health Fund rebates: Rebates may apply – speak directly with your health fund about whether Psychology is covered.
• Victim Services If eligible to access sessions through Victim Services you can receive up to 22 sessions funded entirely by Victim Services. Please apply directly to Victim Services and ask to be allocated to see Mel.
  IMPORTANT NOTE: Check Mel’s availability first before requesting allocation:
  Mel’s Victim Services Caseload is currently FULL (Last updated Jan 2026).
• CTP Motor Vehicle Accident – Psychology Sessions $290/hr (dependant on caseload availability)
  
  Note: The Australia Psychological Society (APS) National Schedule of Suggested Fees 2025-2026 has the standard 46 to 60-minute consultation fee at $318.  Mel has a strong value around accessibility to services and thats why her fee is considerably less than this recommended rate. 

• Face to Face Sessions in Ocean Shores, NSW
• Telehealth Online (Web Based) Sessions – Access support from the privacy of your own home.
  These sessions can be set up to occur via Health Direct (an encrypted & secure platform that enables video calling over the internet).
  Note: Telehealth is not suitable for those experiencing acute crisis, suicidal thoughts or serious mental ill health.
• Phone Sessions as requested

There are so many reasons people come to seek psychological support.
Unfortunately a big stigma still exists for some people to access support which means some people feel that “I must need to be in dire straights before i would see a Psychologist.” The most important thing to know is that you don’t have to be in crisis to come to get some support. In fact, you can often do much more effective therapeutic work when you are not in a crisis state.

Just as you would see your Doctor or Healer when your physical body feels out of balance, people come to see a Psychologist when their emotional body feels out of balance.

Most often you would come for reasons such as these:
–  You have a diagnosed mental illness such as depression or anxiety
– You feel like you are not managing your life, your work or your affairs as you would like to
– You have challenges with people and interpersonal relationships
– You are having trouble managing your emotions the way you would like to
– You are using drugs or alcohol as a way of coping with hard stuff in your life
– There is something getting in the way of having you live the life you want
– Your worries and concerns are getting in the way
– You may have experienced trauma in your life
– You have challenges in your relationships at home, at work or in the community
– You are grieving
– You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you just “don’t feel right” and there is no medical reason.

It has been said that EMOTION is Energy in Motion. When we don’t give voice to our feelings, they can transform into illness, pains, sleeplessness, headaches and the list goes on. It is for this reason that it is hugely beneficial to our well being to process and explore the inner landscape of our feelings and thoughts. Giving time, space, intention and energy to making sense of ourselves, is powerful and has a capacity to be healing and clearing and therefore improve our health.  This is a big reason people like you could come to get psychological support.

“The most potent therapeutic work happens when it is done within a strong and safe therapeutic relationship”

Consider it like this: When you are out in the community, you will inevitably meet some people you connect strongly with and others you just don’t. With the people you feel some resonance with, the relationship naturally deepens over time.
Finding a therapist that works for you is much the same process.

At the time of the first contact when you are making your first appointment I strongly encourage and invite you to use this first contact to help you assess whether or not you feel like working with this person is the right “fit” for you. Ask all the questions you need answered, find out about how the therapist works, have your concerns allayed. In the process of having such a discussion you will begin to discern if it is a good “fit” for you. Do you resonate with this person?

This process of discernment doesn’t end there. When you have the first session, see how it feels to work with the person. Do you feel emotionally safe? Do you feel like that therapist “gets” you? Is their approach a good fit for what you are seeking in your therapeutic journey?

Just because you book a first appointment with a therapist doesn’t mean you are “in it for the long haul” with the therapist you initially go to see. That said, it is often good to have between 2-3 sessions with a therapist to get a good sense of how they work and what the “fit” between you feels like.  

Even if you come with a Mental Health Care Plan you don’t need to feel “locked in” with this therapist. It is your right to choose who you work with and your right to switch therapists as and when you feel you need to. A good therapist will support you through such a discernment process and also through a transition if you feel a change is needed.