What are your fees?
My current fee schedule is as follows:
Individuals: $150 AUD per 50-minute session
Couples: $170 AUD per 50-minute session.
How do I pay you?
Electronic bank transfer. Credit card. Paypal.
What is your cancellation policy?
I require 48 hours notice or you will be liable to pay my consultation fee in full. I will, of course, make exceptions for emergencies or other unavoidable situations.
Can I pay in my national currency?
Depends. Currently, I can receive payments in AUD, USD, GBP, EUR, CAD.
How long are your sessions?
Approximately 50 minutes.
Do you accommodate people on low incomes?
I keep room in my patient load for low-income patients. If you are on a low-income, I will accommodate you if I can.
How long will it take me to get better?
Research has shown that between ‘57.6% and 67.2% of patients improve within an average of 12.7 sessions’. This doesn’t mean patients are ‘better’ by the 13th session, but that, in general, the effects of psychotherapy begin to be felt by patients at this point: there is a difference between improvement and complete remission or ‘cure’. Depending on the complexity of your problem(s), you may require fewer or more sessions to ‘improve’. More complex problems will, generally speaking, require more sessions. In my experience, clients who attend regular weekly sessions and practice the activities I prescribe between our regular sessions improve more rapidly than those who don’t.
How often do I need to have sessions with you?
I generally recommend that patients begin with weekly sessions to achieve dosage efficacy and reduce symptoms. If weekly sessions are not possible for you then I will do my best to accommodate you with another arrangement.
What’s the difference between a psychotherapist, a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has specialised in the branch of medicine, psychiatry, that studies and treats mental illness.
A psychologist is someone who has studied psychology—a discipline which regard itself as the science of mind.
Some, but not all, psychiatrists and psychologists also practice psychotherapy. (Some psychiatrists only manage medication for patients; some psychologists do work that is completely non-therapeutic—administer psychometric tests for example.)
All psychotherapists practice psychotherapy, and are generally trained in one or multiple models of psychotherapy (of which there are many different kinds).
What kind of psychotherapy do you practice?
My approach to psychotherapy is integrative: I regard most models of psychotherapy as having some theoretical and practical utility. Some psychotherapies are very useful for explaining and treating certain problems, but less useful for explaining and treating others. Integrative Psychotherapy draws on multiple models of psychotherapy to develop a holistic approach to understanding and treating mental suffering.
Are you registered with a professional body?
I am a Level 3 registered member of the Australian Counselling Association (the ACA).
Will my health insurance provider reimburse me for sessions with you?
Depends on your provider. As a level 3 member of the ACA, many of my patients are reimbursed by their health insurance provider for my services. But you will need to check with your provider to be certain.
Will Medicare (Australia) reimburse me for seeing you?
No. Services offered by psychotherapists are currently not included in the Better Access initiative.
How can I know you are a good therapist?
Unfortunately you can’t know whether I am good or not until you have worked with me. Some therapists have impressive academic records but are below average clinicians. Research also shows that, unfortunately, therapists don’t necessarily get better with time. Improvement in therapeutic skills depends on natural ability, training, supervision, and deliberate practice. The last of these is, regrettably, the most neglected component of therapeutic practice. I am fortunate to have received good training and excellent, continuing, supervision. I am a certified Deliberate Practice Therapist (with the International Deliberate Practice Society) and am completing training as a Deliberate Practice supervisor. This doesn’t necessarily mean I am the therapist for you though. We may just not be a good match. If, for whatever reason, I am not suitable to be your therapist, I will still do what I can to refer you to someone who can help.
Are you available for in-person consultations?
No. I am currently only available for online consultations.