find your inner joy

The recommended fee by the Australian Psychological Society (APS) for a 50 minute session is $311.

At Inner Joy, our fees are around $220 per 50 mins session.

You do not need a referral to see a psychologist. A referral is only necessary if you want to claim a Medicare rebate or a CTP/Work Cover insurance.

Services can be provided for people who do not wish to be referred through a GP or other services. No Medicare rebate is available for clients who are not referred through another service, however rebate may be available through your private health funds, depending on your level of cover.

A GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician can refer a patient to a psychologist under the Better Access to Mental Health Care Treatment Plan (MHCP). The client can have up to 10 individual counselling sessions or 10 group counselling sessions each calendar year under this plan.

Make an appointment with your GP to get a MHCP and bring this to your first session. This will enable you to claim a Medicare rebate of $96.65* per session for a maximum of ten sessions per calendar year. (*2024-25 rate)

See: What is a mental health care plan and how do I get one?

Medicare rebates are provided 2-3 business days after payment. We do not offer bulk-billed sessions through Medicare. However, we offer pensioners discount if you are receiving Centrelink payments. Please provide your pensioner details to our admin when you arrange your appointment.

People who have been involved in workplace incidents and/or car accidents with a psychological impact can be referred for psychological treatment sessions to help deal with the issue and support the return to work process. Sessions are funded through the workplace or CTP insurance company.

Please discuss with your insurance case manager and/or GP regarding your eligibility prior to contacting us. We will need your claim details prior to booking your first appointment.

After completing your initial intake and consent form, you may prepare as much or as little as you want for your first session.

Some people may feel hesitant or anxious about opening up to a stranger and this is perfectly normal. In therapy, your wellbeing and safety are paramount. Our psychologists are trained to make you feel comfortable and will proceed at your own pace.

The first session is mainly about getting to know you, finding a therapy style that suits you and collaboratively setting therapy goals.

If you would like to prepare for the first session, these guiding questions may help: What would you like to achieve from these sessions? What would you like to change in your life? What are your past experiences with therapy, if any?

You may also bring along any medical documents, GP or specialist referrals and/or previous assessments and reports.

As mental health professionals, we are bound by strict ethics and codes of conduct. We acknowledge that confidentiality and trust are the foundations of every therapeutic relationship.

Therapy is a safe space where you can share anything without judgment. Everything that you discuss with your therapist will remain private and confidential unless you have threatened to harm yourself, to hurt someone else or if it is subpoenaed by court.

In such circumstances, as with all medical contexts, we will be required to contact the relevant government organisations (e.g. ambulance, police, child protection, mental health crisis team) to ensure your safety.

For all other situations, you will need to provide written consent before your therapist can disclose any matters with another person (e.g. GP, specialists, school counsellors).

Please be reminded that if you asked a lawyer to represent you, you will need to personally notify your psychologist from Inner Joy and offer your consent before your psychologist would respond to any correspondence.

For therapy to be effective, it is important to have a good therapeutic relationship and have clear and realistic expectations for treatment outcomes.

You must also take an active role in managing your therapy and put in the work outside of the treatment room. If you find that something is not working for you or your therapist said something that you found unhelpful, it is important to let them know.

Every psychologist has an ethical obligation to explore different options to facilitate your care. Feedback enables your therapist to develop a new plan to overcome barriers. Therapy is flexible and adapts to the client's needs. Your therapist may take a different approach or intervention, or refer you to another psychologist with a different skillset.

Sometimes, clients may be referred back to their GP for further assessment or a psychiatrist to add a pharmaceutical treatment.

If you need to change or cancel an appointment, that is not a problem.

Please contact us on 0473 013 160 between 8:00am and 6:00pm Monday to Saturday with at least 24 hours' notice (and by Saturday if your appointment is on a Monday).

Please note that we reserve the right to charge for the full session as late cancellation or no show penalties.