APS Submission to Medicare Review Archives -

Dear Mental Health Client, please don’t be too unwell

07/04/201929/10/2019Anne9 Comments

Dear Mental Health Client,

Mental Health Client You came quietly into my counselling room, looking a bit unsure, eyes cast downwards. Hesitant to speak.

It had been tough to pluck up the courage and ask your GP for a referral to a psychologist. You hardly ever see your GP and felt uncomfortable when they asked about your mental health and living situation. You gave the GP brief answers, just wanting the appointment over and done with. This stuff so hard to talk about.

Starting your treatment

Mental health client You left the GP with a Mental Health Care Plan for 6 sessions, a bit surprised to learn that they’re not free because most psychologists can’t afford to bulk bill. Ouch, this is more expensive than you anticipated. You also learned that you can only have 10 Medicare subsidised sessions each year. Still, you think, 10 sessions must be enough for the psychologist to “fix” you. Why else would they only give you this many? It seemed like quite a lot of sessions at the time.

It was so hard for you to come to the first appointment. Initially you tell me you are “just a little bit depressed and anxious”. By our fourth session, you’ve trusted me enough to share the Continue reading →

Enraged psychologists fighting for an improved mental health system

17/02/201918/07/2021Anne34 Comments

I’ve never met so many enraged psychologists as I have in the last six months. We’re channelling our pent up fury by pounding keyboards, our battle cry is echoing loudly through social media and Members of Parliament (MP’s) are being accosted at every opportunity.

And that goes against everything I know about my usually sedate and contemplative colleagues.

Life of an enraged Psychologist

Let me tell you a bit about the life of a psychologist. We work with vulnerable people in our Continue reading →

Why reduce access to 100 years of psychological expertise? Reject the APS Submission to the Medicare Review.

27/08/201829/10/2019Anne11 Comments

Australian’s requiring psychological treatment will have less access to psychologists if the Australian Psychological Society’s (APS) submission to the Medicare Benefits Schedule Review is accepted.

Our Practice

I am a generalist psychologist in a busy inner-city practice. Our professional team consists of five generalist psychologists, a mental health occupational therapist, a music therapist and a therapy dog.

Our admin team consists of two psychology students and a mental health nurse.

Together we have about 100 years of psychological expertise, hard earned in a range of settings including domestic violence services, sexual assault services, child-focused treatment centres, mental health institutions, relationship services, unemployment services and crisis lines.