Psychiatry Services Melbourne 

At Positive Wellbeing Psychology and Psychiatry, we offer access to experienced psychiatrists with expertise in treating a broad range of mental health conditions. You can book an in-person consultation at our Armadale clinic or a telehealth appointment anywhere in Australia, depending on your preference.

Our psychiatrists work alongside our Melbourne psychologists as part of one integrated team. Whether you’re seeking help for depression, anxiety, trauma, or other mental health concerns, our team provides evidence-based psychiatric assessment and treatment.

Yes, you will need a current GP referral to access Medicare-rebated psychiatry. This referral also provides important medical and psychiatric history that helps your psychiatrist deliver informed, coordinated care.

You just need to book an appointment with your GP and ask for an open referral or GP letter of referral to a psychiatrist at our psychiatry practice. Unfortunately we are unable to accept GP referrals addressed to other psychiatry practices.

Your GP does not need to know exactly which psychiatrist you’re seeing – this is called an open referral. Your GP’s referral should ideally include your medical history, current medications, any previous psychiatric or psychological assessments, and the reason for referral. This helps your psychiatrist understand your full clinical picture, particularly if there are co-occurring conditions that need assessment.

Our psychiatrists provide expert assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for a wide range of adult mental health conditions. This includes mood disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, and treatment-resistant depression, as well as anxiety disorders including generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety, and panic disorder.

Our psychiatrists are also trained to treat trauma-related conditions such as PTSD and complex trauma, as well as neurodevelopmental conditions including ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.

Other conditions our psychiatrists have a special interest in include OCD, eating disorders (along side a care team of a dietician, GP, and psychologist) including binge eating disorder, sleep disorders, substance use concerns, personality disorders, and psychotic disorders including first-episode psychosis.

It is a special interest in assessing presentations where multiple conditions overlap, such as anxiety and depression or PTSD and substance use. Another common presentation we often support is ADHD and binge-eating. Comprehensive evaluation ensures accurate diagnosis and effective treatment for the full range of your mental health needs.

We aim to offer appointments within 2–8 weeks of receiving your GP referral and any required diagnostic reports or medical screening. This is significantly faster than typical public psychiatry wait times, which can range from 6–18 months across Melbourne.

Several factors may affect wait times, including your preferred delivery method since in-person appointments may have different availability than telehealth consultations.

If you request a specific psychiatrist, the wait may be slightly longer. If you’d like to be seen sooner, ask to be added to our cancellation waitlist when you enquire, as we fill these regularly. To get faster booking, submit your online enquiry with your GP referral letter. If you have a prior diagnostic report or psychiatry letters, please submit these as part of your initial online enquiry.

Both psychiatrists and psychologists support mental health, but they have different training and roles. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe medication and focuses on diagnosis, medication management, medical oversight, and treating complex or treatment-resistant presentations. A psychologist cannot prescribe medication and focuses on therapy, coping strategies, psychological assessment, and behavioural change.

Many people benefit from both services working together — medication to stabilise symptoms plus therapy to develop lasting coping strategies. Our team of psychiatrists and psychologists coordinate care for integrated treatment, ensuring medication and therapy work together effectively.

Yes, both can refer you. From your GP, ask for a referral to a psychiatrist at Positive Wellbeing Psychology. If you’re already working with a psychologist at our clinic or elsewhere, they can recommend psychiatry services and communicate with our psychiatrist to coordinate care. We encourage integrated treatment when both services are needed.

Yes. We strongly believe in integrated care, combining psychiatric medication management with psychological therapy for improved outcomes. Our integrated model includes psychiatry for assessment, diagnosis, medication management, and medical oversight, plus psychology for therapy using approaches such as CBT, psychodynamic, mindfulness, schema therapy, DBT, and EMDR, along with coordination where your psychiatrist and psychologist communicate to align treatment goals.

You might start with one of our psychologists for an assessment and then commence with one of our psychiatrists to clarify diagnosis and medication adjunct to therapy.

Both clinicians can review your progress together as part of an integrated support team including psychiatrists adjusting medication and psychologists focusing on therapy based on what’s working. Benefits of combined care include faster symptom relief since medication often works quicker while you build coping skills, better long-term outcomes as therapy provides lasting change, reduced relapse risk since both approaches address different aspects, and one trusted team making easier communication and clearer care coordination.

Visit our Fees and Rebates page for more information about Medicare rebates for psychiatry consultations under MBS items 291 and 296. The page also explains how to obtain a GP referral and provides information about Medicare rebates for psychology sessions, with eligible patients able to access rebates for up to 10 sessions per calendar year through a Mental Health Treatment Plan.

Yes, we provide secure telehealth psychiatry appointments for clients across all Australian states and territories. Our telehealth service is convenient for appointments from home or any private location, professional providing the same quality assessment and care as in-person appointments, and flexible with availability on weekdays, evenings, and some weekends.

Telehealth suits clients living outside Melbourne with no travel required, those with mobility or transport difficulties, people with busy schedules who appreciate home-based convenience, and clients preferring privacy of their home environment.

What’s included in telehealth appointments is the same as an in person appointment including a full psychiatric assessment and history-taking, medical review and screening with discussion of blood test results when applicable, medication prescription if appropriate, ongoing medication management and reviews, and the same Medicare rebates as in-person appointments (MBS 291/296).

Technical requirements include a quiet, private space, reliable internet connection, and a device with camera and microphone such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone. For more details, see our Telehealth FAQ.

Yes, with a valid GP referral. Medicare covers part of the psychiatry consultation and is available under two item numbers.

MBS Item 291 is for initial assessment and management plan, offering one-off comprehensive psychiatric assessment where the psychiatrist prepares a detailed report and management plan for your GP who then manages ongoing care, possibly including prescribing medication under shared-care arrangement. This option may be best for clients with good GP relationship who want ongoing GP coordination.

MBS Item 296 is for ongoing psychiatric management where the psychiatrist continues managing your care directly with regular follow-up appointments and medication reviews, the psychiatrist prescribes and adjusts medication as needed. It might be best for more complex cases needing specialist oversight or when GP is unable to prescribe medications such as for ADHD.

How rebates work is you pay the full fee at appointment, we provide a receipt with Medicare claim details, you claim through Medicare or we can claim directly if you’re eligible, and Medicare sends rebate to your account usually within five to ten business days. If you’ve reached the Medicare Safety Net threshold for the year, your rebate increases automatically — check your Medicare balance at www.services.gov.au.

Visit our fees and rebates page for more information.

Both are Medicare item numbers for psychiatry but differ in who manages ongoing care.

MBS Item 291 is for initial assessment and management plan, offering a comprehensive one-off psychiatric assessment with a detailed report and management plan prepared for your GP. Medicare rebate is paid one time. Your GP then manages treatment and prescribes medication under the psychiatrist’s delegation. It’s best for clients with an established, capable GP, those who prefer GP coordination, and simpler presentations.

MBS Item 296 is designed for ongoing psychiatric management with ongoing psychiatric consultations and repeated visits. The psychiatrist manages care directly throughout treatment. Multiple Medicare rebates are paid, one per appointment. Your psychiatrist manages all treatment, prescribing, and medication adjustments. It’s best for complex presentations, multiple medications requiring close monitoring, and ongoing specialist oversight needed.

We recommend to discuss with your GP to confirm they’re willing and able to prescribe psychiatric medication, and consider the complexity of your case, GP availability, and whether you prefer GP or specialist coordination.

If unsure, you can start on MBS 296 and then request for your GP to manage your medication plan once you’ve settled a suitable treatment regime. If this is your preference, you discuss with your psychiatrist and GP. For more details, visit our fees and rebates page.

It is not a good idea to stop medication without discussing with your psychiatrist first. The reason for this is that most psychiatric conditions are chronic and benefit from ongoing treatment, stopping too quickly can lead to relapse or withdrawal symptoms, medication needs time to solidify improvement, and abrupt stopping can cause significant withdrawal effects.

Typical treatment duration varies by condition. First episode depression or anxiety often requires at least six to twelve months minimum, recurrent depression often requires two or more years to prevent relapse, bipolar disorder often requires long-term treatment of years or indefinitely. ADHD often continues into adulthood, psychotic disorders often require long-term management, and OCD and anxiety disorders vary but often require six to twenty-four months or longer.

If you want to stop medication, discuss with your psychiatrist first and we never recommend to stop abruptly. Your psychiatrist will develop a gradual discontinuation plan, tapering over weeks to months depending on medication, monitoring closely for relapse during and after discontinuation, and resuming medication if symptoms return.

It is important to know that abrupt stopping can cause withdrawal symptoms or relapse, gradual tapering allows your brain to adjust, many people need medication indefinitely and this is normal and healthy, and regular check-ins help determine when or if you might reduce or stop.

Yes, absolutely. If you have an existing psychiatric diagnosis and want to transfer to our team, first send an online enquiry so we can ensure we have a suitable psychiatrist to recommend for your treatment and care. You will also need to include all prior psychiatric diagnosis report and any assessment results as part of submitting your online enquiry.

We ask you to include any previous medication trials, medication history, and current treatment plans. You’ll still need a current GP referral, so ask your GP for a referral to transfer care.

In many cases, one consultation with our psychiatrist is sufficient to review your history and continue medication management, though occasionally a second appointment may be needed to ensure continuity and consider any new medical or psychiatric factors.

It is common for patients to transfer care when seeking a different psychiatrist’s approach or perspective, desire for integrated care combining psychiatry and psychology in one team, change in life circumstances requiring appointment flexibility, or need for reassessment of current medications or treatment approach.