Please feel free to read through our FAQ and If you don't find the information you are looking for or would like more information on a particular topic, give us a call or send us an email and we will endeavor to answer your questions/concerns.

1. What are your fees for a Psychological Consultation?

For the period 1.7.2006 to 3.6.2007, the fee recommended by the Australian Psychological Society is $186.00 per 1 hour session. Although, most practices charge their private clientele less than this recommended fee.

At, PBP CONSULTANCY the general charge as at 1.1.2007 per 1 hour session is $120.00. These rates approximate the fees of most private psychological services in our region.

However, clients should note that our fee varies depending on the type of service being sought, and the time required for treatment or assessment to take place. We recommend that you clarify the fee for the particular service you are seeking through our reception service as part of your consideration of engaging our service, or at the time of making the appointment.

Our fees are set to provide a professional service commensurate with the high level of training, quality of service and equipment required to meet the needs of our clientele. In addition, the fees need to allow for the overhead costs relating to staff, office expenses, and a high level of ongoing training and research expected of a relevant, well informed and exceptional consulting health practitioner. We consider that being up to date with “cutting edge” technologies and developments in our field is a quality that distinguishes our service from most others.

Appointments with a Psychologist are mostly for a 1 hour duration, which we reserve in advanced for each client. We aim to keep our fees low by minimizing the need to factor in the real costs of missed appointments and late cancellations.

For these reasons, we ask our clients to support us by respecting our need for advanced notification of inability to attend a scheduled appointment. In this way, we can re-schedule others who may be on a waiting list and keep the cost of the service to a minimum.

2. What Rebates are available for Psychological Services?

There are a number of avenues that clients can be rebated for Psychological Services.

Government and Employer payments

Many clients visiting a Psychologist have their services either funded or at very low cost through a range of Government and Employee programs.

Consultations can be covered for those clients who are referred through:

WorkCover - due to a Work place injury
ComCare - due to work place injury for Commonwealth Government employees
Transport Accident Commission (TAC) - due to a traffic accident.
Veterans Affairs (DVA)- which covers veteran’s consultations.
Victims of Crime - for clients needing treatment as a result of being directly involved in a crime, or having a witnessed a crime, or

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP’s) - for clients (and usually their families) who are eligible to access free psychological counselling via an Employee Assistance Program offered by their employer in conjunction with our practice (see About Us for more details about some such associations we have with employers).

Private Health Insurance.
For those who have Ancillary Cover with a private health insurance fund, it is possible that you may be able to claim a rebate for Psychological services. Clients should contact the relevant health fund for the latest rebate rates.

3. What is the difference between a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist?

Psychologists and psychiatrists both work in the area of mental health, and sometimes work together in complimentary roles. At PBP CONSULTANCY, we have a Psychiatrist working part time from our rooms with whom we “cross refer” clients when a different expertise or type of treatment is required.

There are some significant differences between the two professions.

Services provided

Psychologists, as general rule, help mentally healthy people find better ways of functioning. Individuals, couples and families engage the services of a Psychologist for many reasons – reasons which may include: resolving long standing or recent personal issues; dealing with stress and emotional problems; looking for help in making a decision; managing and improving relationships; coping with illness; or simply the need to learn strategies to manage life’s challenges more productively and with greater fulfillment.

Psychiatrists mainly treat people with a mental illness, such as schizophrenia.

Education and qualifications

Psychologists study human behavior in their undergraduate and postgraduate degrees before undertaking supervised experience and gaining registration. They do not have a medical degree, however many study for a similar number of years to specialize in various aspects of psychology. To gain registration as a Psychologist, students have to study for a minimum of 6 years, often combined in the final 2 years with a variety of specified supervised experience in the field.

Psychiatrists have a medical degree, which involves six years of studying general medicine, followed by further study to specialize in psychiatry.

Prescribing medication

Psychologists cannot prescribe medication. Their treatments are based on changing behavior without medication. Psychologists will often treat individuals who are on a medication regime. In some cases, under the guidance of the treating G.P. or Psychiatrist, the medication can be reduced or even withdrawn from the treatment program. For many symptom patterns relating to the anxieties and depression for example, there is a considerable amount of evidence showing that a combination of psychological treatment and medication can be a more effective approach than either treatment method on its own.
Psychiatrists can prescribe medication. Some combine medication with other forms of therapy.

4. What type of therapeutic approach does PBP CONSULTANCY offer?

We employ a wide range of general contemporary approaches to treatment, as well as a host of more specific modern techniques.

Details about our approach to our work and the therapy we offer can be accessed within the Our Approach section of the website. Specific detail concerning the range of treatments and techniques we offer can be reached in the Treatments We Offer section.

5. How can I find out more about the qualifications, areas of specialty and extent of professional experience of the PBP CONSULTANCY staff?

Our qualifications, professional interests and professional histories are outlined in the Meet the Staff section of our website.

6. How long has PBP CONSULTANCY been established and what type of therapeutic work does the clinic tends to specialize in?

The evolvement of the clinic and the nature of its work are discussed in the About Us section of the website.

7. How can I make an appointment at the clinic?

The simplest and most common way to make an appointment or enquire about the services of our clinic is by phoning us, on

(03) 87074812 or 0412 170841

Alternatively, using the Make an Appointment section of this website will allow us to contact you to discuss your needs.

In some cases, we will require a referral from your treating General Practitioner or medical Specialist. This will generally apply for example where clients come to our service through the TAC, WorkCover, Veterans Affairs, ComCare, and other agencies that may be partially or fully funding the cost of the service. If you are unsure whether you need a referral, a call to the clinic can help clarify our requirements, and those of the funding agency.

8. How many sessions can I expect my treatment to require?

Whilst different issues and different people need different treatment protocols, it is usually possible to give a client some idea of the type of treatments that we offer in relation to their issue, and even some suggestion as to how long it will take. We encourage those considering therapy to call us and ask for whatever information they might need to assist their decision making. Our Practice Manager and Psychologist staff will usually be able to assist such enquiries.

As a general guide, we would estimate that approximately 15% – 20% of our clients attend for a single session. More generally, we tend to average between 3 – 6 sessions per client. Whilst we do have some longer term clients, they are very few. Appointments can usually be made at our clinic within a week to ten day time frame, or sooner.

9. How can I know which Psychologist and what particular approach is going to be the most effective for my problem?

We think this is an excellent question, given the range of approaches, treatments and the number of practitioners on offer these days. Where does someone who knows little about the psychological profession and types of therapy, begin to decide between the mass of options available to them?

For these reasons, we have included a Choosing a Psychologist section on our website to assist people in increasing their awareness of some key factors in choosing their treatment path.

In addition, the Our Approach section of our website provides a deal of information about factors we consider important in the general running of a psychological service, as well as the approach we offer our clients from both a service and therapeutic point of view.

We hope these sections will assist those who are in the process of considering psychological treatment.

10. What is the difference between a Psychologist who is registered with the Psychologists Registration Board and one who is a Member of the Australian Psychological Society?

All psychologists are legally required to register with the Psychologist Registration Board in their State or Territory, in the same way medical practitioners must be registered.

Australian Psychological Society (APS) membership involves meeting standards in addition to this registration. Membership of the APS requires more university training than is necessarily required by the Boards. See our section on Choosing a Psychologist for more information on this topic.