Understanding Your Medicare Rebate for Psychologist Sessions:

At our Melbourne psychology clinic, we want to make accessing mental health support as clear as possible. One of the ways to access our services is through Medicare rebates, which can help you manage the cost of psychological treatment. To access the Medicare rebate, a valid GP referral and treatment plan must be in place before your appointment with our psychologists. You can read about various GP treatment plan options here.

Total of 10 Sessions Per Calendar Year (1 Jan – 31 Dec):

When you visit our clinic and see one of our qualified psychologists with a valid MHTP, you can submit a Medicare rebate of $96.65 per session. This is for a total of 10 sessions in a calendar year. This means that a portion of your session cost is covered by Medicare, and you’ll be responsible for the remaining amount.

If you have provided our psychology clinic with a copy of your MHTP and all the relevant information is provided in this document, our psychologist can submit the Medicare rebate at the end of each appointment. The rebate will directly be cleared into your account from Medicare. It is the clients responsibility to track how many sessions that have used under each of their care plans, should you opt for our psychologists to submit the Medicare rebate on your behalf.

The Medicare Safety Net provides increased rebates once your out-of-pocket medical expenses reach a certain threshold in a calendar year. This includes psychologist fees. When you reach this threshold, your rebate increases, reducing your session costs. Check the Medicare website for current thresholds.

Medicare Safety Net Threshold:

As you continue your journey to better mental health, you may reach a Medicare threshold, also known as the Medicare Safety Net. This threshold, which includes various medical expenses, such as psychologist fees. As this changes each year, you are recommended to visit the Medicare page for the most recent updates here. Reaching the Medicare Safety Net may occur in the later part of the year.

Medicare Safety Net threshold and Increased Rebates:

Once you cross the Medicare Safety Net threshold, you become eligible for increased Medicare rebates. Instead of the standard rebate amount, you’ll receive a higher percentage of our psychologist’s fee. This can significantly reduce your out-of-pocket expenses, making ongoing therapy more affordable. However, please keep in mind that you are only able to access a total of 10 sessions under the MHTP per calendar year

Medicare covers up to 10 individual sessions with a psychologist per calendar year under the Mental Health Treatment Plan. A referral from a GP is required to access this rebate.

Speak with your GP to Access the MHTP

To check your eligibility for a Medicare rebate, we’d recommend to start by discussing a mental health treatment plan or otherwise referred to as a  medicare mental health care plan with your GP. If you qualify, you can claim a rebate for up to 10 sessions annually with a valid GP referral and an approved MHTP.

Booking ‘Double Appointments’ with a GP 

When scheduling your GP appointment, we’d recommend requesting extra time or a ‘double appointment’ to ensure a thorough discussion. During this consultation, your GP will assess your eligibility to access a MHTP (medicare mental health care plan), which can be used with one of our psychologists at Positive Wellbeing Psychology.

MHTP Funded Session Amount 

The GP will start by providing an initial MHTP (medicare mental health care plan) includes 6 sessions. After using these 6 sessions with a psychologist, you will require a GP review to access the additional 4 sessions that would fall under the MHTP Review.

Other Types of GP Treatment Plans

In our FAQ, you can read more on the ‘Types of GP Treatment Plans, should you require additional information about other options including the EDTP or CDM plan, however you will need to discuss this with your GP.

Start by Booking with a Psychologist at Positive Wellbeing Psychology:

If you believe you need assistance in approaching your GP for support, you have the option to schedule a Private Health appointment with one of our psychologists. During this appointment, you can discuss the process, and if deemed appropriate, our psychologists can provide you with a GP letter to facilitate your access to a medicare mental health care plan (MHTP).

Our fee remains below the Australian Psychological Societies (APS) schedule of the recommended fee ($311 per standard consult) to ensure our services are accessible to our clients.

If you have a GP referral, you may be eligible for a Medicare rebate, however you do not need a referral from your GP or a Medicare MHTP in place to access support. Appointments before 9 am or after 4 pm on weekdays, incur an additional fee of $20. Appointments that fall on the weekend also occur this additional fee. Please send an enquiry to ensure are accessing the most recently updated fees.

To access our updated fees, please submit an enquiry here. 

We do not routinely offer bulk billing at our Melbourne psychology clinic. However, please contact us directly if you would like to discuss any financial concerns or access to care.

Yes, clients with private health insurance may be eligible for rebates, depending on their provider and level of cover. We recommend checking with your insurer about the available benefits for psychology services.

Am I Eligible for Private Health Rebates?

Your eligibility for private rebates depends on your level of health insurance coverage and extras with a psychologist. You will need to email or phone your private health provider to enquire about your coverage. When you call, you can ask about item code 100 (initial appointment with a psychologist) and 200 (follow up appointment with a psychologist).

How to Claim Under Private Health?

You will need to let us know before your appointment, as the item code on the invoice will need to be set to either 100 for your initial appointment or 200 for your follow up appointments, so that you can submit your claim. Your psychologist will send you the invoice a the end of each appointment. You will be able to claim directly with your private health insurer.

We offer services for individuals who are registered with the NDIS and self-manage their funding. Currently, we do not provide services for NDIS-Managed funding or Plan-Managed participants.

What we provide: 

Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme, you may be able to access Capacity Building, Daily Activities – Improved Daily Living Skills – Therapeutic Supports, which includes Assessment, Recommendation, Therapy and/or Training (including AT) by a Psychologist (Support Item Reference Number: 15_054_0128_1_3).

You can read more about our NDIS supports here.