Individual Counselling
The purpose of counselling is to assist you to identify challenges and barriers to living a happy, functional and fulfilling life. Your psychologist will support you to work towards changes that lead to personal growth, improved relationships and greater wellbeing. The number of sessions required depends on the issue being addressed. Most people attend around 10 sessions, which is the maximum number of Medicare rebates that can be accessed through a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP). However, if there are a number of problem areas you wish to explore, more sessions may be required. You can discontinue any time if that feels right for you.
Sessions last for 50 minutes. If you have a MHTP from your GP you can obtain a Medicare rebate of $86.15 per session for up to 10 sessions per calendar year. This covers more than half of the cost of a session. Some private health insurance companies cover psychology but cannot be claimed at the same time as a Medicare rebate. Speak to your provider to check if you are covered.
Couple / Relationship Counselling
All relationships go through ups and downs but sometimes couples get stuck and find it difficult to resolve an issue on their own. It may be due to difference of opinion or values, or the result of life stressors, major events or conflicts. Other times it is a difference in communication styles leading to conflict about minor day to day issues. Your psychologist will support each member of the couple to feel heard and guide them to learn new ways to communicate and manage issues within the relationship.
Relationship therapy works best when the focus of the work is on the relationship, not on one member of a relationship. The work will involve sessions together and/or separately, as determined by your psychologist. In order to stay impartial, your psychologist will not be able to hold secrets with either member of the couple. Therefore, your psychologist will provide guidance and support to the couple to communicate relevant information within sessions and help the couple to hear one another in a supportive way.
Individuals needing their own individual, confidential therapy in addition to relationship counselling will need to engage a separate therapist. Referral information can be provided upon request. No Medicare rebates are available for couple sessions.
Relationship Assessment and Development Sessions
These sessions may benefit couples who are contemplating getting married or making a commitment to one another. They can also benefit couples at any stage of their relationship to gain insight into strengths and weaknesses of the relationship and develop skills to strengthen it. These sessions can be used as a short-term, solution-focused approach, or as a starting point for longer-term couple therapy.
Each member of the couple will be invited to complete a questionnaire developed by Prepare-Enrich. The results will be sent to your psychologist for interpretation. The couple will then attend 3x 1 hour sessions (or 2x 1.5 hour sessions) for the psychologist to guide you through the results and teach you strategies to strengthen areas of weakness within the relationship.
These are not couple counselling sessions, but rather relationship skill-building sessions and will be focused and outcome-oriented. Each member of the couple will receive a report summarising the results only once all 3 hours of the course are completed. If required, a certificate of completion can also be provided upon completion of all 3 hours. No Medicare rebates are available for these sessions.
Pregnancy Support Counselling
Each pregnancy is a unique and different experience. It not only results in many physical changes, but can also be an emotional rollercoaster and may involve some tough decisions, challenging experiences, and adjustments you may or may not have been anticipating. Vivid Life Psychology is here to support you with non-judgemental, non-directive pregnancy support counselling sessions.
A Medicare rebate of $63.20 per session can be accessed for up to 3 non-directive counselling sessions per pregnancy, for women who are or have been pregnant within the past 12 months. These sessions can focus on all pregnancy-related issues for which non-directive counselling is appropriate. A GP referral is required.
The referral is different to a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) so be sure to specify it is for 3 non-directive pregnancy counselling sessions. These 3 Medicare rebates are in addition to the 10 sessions per calendar year that can be accessed with a MHTP. Our treating psychologist, Melissa Thomas, has completed the mandatory training in non-directive pregnancy counselling to provide this service.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is short-term, solution-focused, confidential counselling for employees and sometimes their family members. It is funded by employers who determine the number of sessions funded for their staff (often between 3-6 sessions). Sessions are aimed at supporting employees with personal and work-related problems impacting their work performance and personal wellbeing.
Sessions last for 50 minutes and are usually face to face. Telehealth sessions (phone or video) can be arranged where face to face sessions are not possible. Contact us for details.
Fees
The fees will depend on the service being provided. Please contact us via phone, email, or head to the CONTACT page to send an instant enquiry message. We will contact you as soon as possible to inform you of our rates and to discuss which of our services might suit you best.