APPOINTMENTS

We offer therapy to individuals 18+ years old who are experiencing a range of difficulties. Our clinic is located walking distance from North Brighton train station. We offer in-clinic, telephone or telehealth appointments (Australia wide).

If you have never attended therapy or counselling, you might not be sure what to expect. That’s okay. Below are some common questions you might find helpful.

General

  • Please contact our friendly administrative team on (03) 9034 9914, email us directly at jshulman.psychology@gmail.com, or, use our contact us form. There is currently immediate availability to start your appointments.

  • Sessions are approximately 50 minutes long.

  • Jamie will be flexible in supporting your treatment goals in line with your individual needs. Initially, weekly or fortnightly appointments are recommended. However, this can be tailored to suit individual needs and lifestyle, and therapy can be provided less regularly.

  • It is normal to have mixed feelings in the lead up to an initial session. Many people also experience a range of emotions during their first session, but often a sense of relief of being able to tell their story. You do not have to spend time thinking about what to say or how to present your story, Jamie will help guide you.

    The first session will focus on understanding who you are, what you’re struggling with, what you’d like life to look like as well and any other goals for coming to therapy. You’ll also have an opportunity to ask any questions you might have about how Jamie works. Typically, it can take up to two sessions to come to a place where a shared understanding and treatment plan is developed to reach your goals. A trauma-informed approach is taken to ensure you can leave your appointment feeling safe, not re-traumatised.

    If you have any other questions about therapy, what it looks like, how it might help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

  • Each person’s journey is unique and will be tailored to suit their individual needs.

    However, sessions will focus on building an understanding of why we feel, think and behave the way that we do and ways to start to try and feel better. Therapy will also focus on how to make your life more aligned with what you truly want. The aim will be to help you understand yourself, your life, and to feel empowered to have a greater sense of control over how you respond, feel and think.

    Overall, therapy with Jamie aims to help you feel an increased sense of wellbeing and meaning/purpose.

  • The amount of time required for therapy will be determined by your individual challenges, goals and what you are hoping to get out of attending.

    Typically, the initial two sessions will be devoted to assessment, building a shared understanding and developing a treatment plan. This helps to better approximate length of therapy required to achieve your treatment goals.

  • Just yourself. Many clients like to bring notes that they may have made prior to the session or find it beneficial to take some notes during sessions. If you have any existing reports or assessments, you can bring these also.

  • Jamie does not provide neuropsychological assessments, assessments for ASD or ADHD and does not provide court reports.

  • Yes, telehealth therapy can be provided for clients in rural or remote areas. Medicare subsidised telehealth sessions have been deemed an ongoing feature of the Medicare system in Australia to allow clients in remote areas to have greater access to services.

Fees & Rebates

  • Jamie offers highly competitive fees for therapy sessions. Medicare rebates will cover $137.05 (and higher if you have reached your Medicare safety net) which goes back into your bank account following the sessions.

    Jamie charges significantly less than the rate recommended by the Australian Psychological Society (APS).

    For further details on current pricing structure or any other appointment questions, please contact our friendly administration team here.

    Please note: we are not currently accepting bulk billing clients.

  • You can see Jamie and engage in therapy without a referral. In order to be able to access the Medicare rebate of $137.05 for up to 10 sessions each calendar year, you need to have a valid GP referral and Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) from a GP. Alternatively, you can obtain a referral letter from a psychiatrist.

  • You need to schedule a longer appointment with your GP or let the reception team at your GP practice know you’d like to obtain a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP).

    Your GP will ask you a series of questions about your thoughts and feelings, they may also ask you to complete a brief questionnaire. It is important to be open with your GP in this process.

    Your GP can then create a MHTP and provide a GP referral letter. Your GP will provide these to you and you can send these directly to Jamie at jshulman.psychology@gmail.com, or you can request that your GP do this for you.

    In order to be able to access the rebate, this has to occur before your initial appointment.

    This will allow you to access the Medicare rebate of $137.05 to see Jamie as a clinical psychologist. You can then access up to a total of 10 sessions in a calendar year.

    Your initial referral will be for up to 6 sessions. Following the initial 6 sessions, you’ll need to do a review with your GP and then if you and your GP agree, you can access the remaining 4 sessions. Your GP will then issue a second referral letter.

    This also needs to be provided before your next appointment in order to access the Medicare rebate.

    Please feel free to contact our team directly for clarification around Medicare rebates and referrals.

  • Yes you can. If you have health insurance that covers psychology/counselling as extras cover, you may be eligible for a rebate.

    It is recommended that you contact your insurance provider prior to your appointment to determine what your individual coverage is.

    Please note, you cannot claim a Medicare rebate and private health rebate simultaneously.

  • Jamie is dedicated to providing excellent client care in line with evidence-based treatment guidelines. This means that individual session plans need to be developed for each session. Cancellation fees are charged due to the time slot being set aside for individual clients.

    Cancellations or rescheduling requires greater than 48 hours from your designated appointment time in order to avoid a cancellation fee. We request that you provide as much notice as possible if you are unable to attend your appointment.

    If you are charged a cancellation fee, Medicare rebates and private health rebates are unable to be provided. Late cancellation or non-attendance without notice will incur a fee of 50% of session cost.

    We request that you email the practice at jshulman.psychology@gmail.com call and leave a voicemail on (03) 9034 9914 at any time if you are unable to attend an appointment.

  • Jamie sees clients who are supported by Workcover. However, Jamie does not have capacity to lodge invoices on your behalf via Workcover.

    Jamie sees NDIS clients who are self-managed or NDIA managed in most circumstances where individual plan allows.

    Jamie does not see NDIS clients who are on agency managed plans.

    Jamie does not see clients under any other third-party organisations at this time.

  • Yes there are. These services incur a fee due to being time consuming and extensive in nature. Please allow 5+ business days for any requests for documentation. Please discuss any requests with Jamie.

“The goal is not to “fix” people but rather to empower them.”

— Steven Hayes

Still unsure?

If you have any further questions, feel free to visit our contact page below.