Frequently Asked Questions
Your first consultation usually involves describing what is troubling you. I may ask you to do some psychological tests and/or answer a range of questions to help me get a clear picture of your treatment needs. I should then be able to discuss how I see the difficulties you are experiencing, what I suggest we do about it and how long this might take.
Later consultations usually involve giving you information and strategies to improve your coping and to move you toward the goals you have for your therapy. I try to make this practical and meaningful so that you feel empowered to work toward your goals and so that you see real and meaningful change in the areas of your life that are troubling you. Depending on the mode of therapy we use, the exercises and strategies may differ somewhat, but will always be tailored to meet your expressed needs.
If you have a referral, please bring this with you to your first appointment. Also, if you want to make any notes of things that are important to you, that you don’t want to forget to tell me, feel free to make notes to bring in and share with me.
It is difficult to predict this without meeting you, but hopefully by the end of our first meeting I can give you my best guess. Typically, people see me between 6-12 times, but sometimes less or more is needed. Often a good predictor is how long your issues have been concerning you. The longer a problem is present, usually the longer it takes to resolve, but this is not necessarily the case.
All information and records regarding you will be kept strictly confidential. I will not normally release any information about you to anyone, unless you give me a written and signed request to do so. But you should know that there are some possible exceptions to this rule:
- If you indicate that you seriously intend to hurt or kill yourself or someone else, I am obliged to notify potential helpers or victims.
- If you are legally a minor (under 18 years of age), I am obliged to keep your parent(s) or guardian(s) informed of your progress, if they ask. But I am not obliged to give those details of my discussions with you.
- If there is an overriding legal or social obligation to do so, I may disclose information to the relevant authorities about a patient’s criminal acts.
- If you are involved in a court case and I appear on your behalf or if I am subpoenaed to appear, you should know that psychologists’ records have no special legal privilege.
- If childhood sexual abuse is reported, mandatory reporting obligations will be followed.
If you are referred under a mental health care plan, I am obligated to provide feedback letters to your referrer to update them on our progress. I will discuss the content needs of these reports/ letters with you during our first session.
Your file essentially is kept by me and remains in my property in a securely locked facility. If you want to have access to notes I have made about you, you can request this and I can verbally discuss what I have written with you. If another practitioner is authorised by you to access my notes, I can forward summaries or reports as clinically indicated to them, with your consent only.
You do not require a referral to see me but no Medicare rebates will apply if this is the case. You may however be entitled to a health fund rebate if you have private health insurance that covers psychology consultations.