Fees and Rebates

While private psychologists can set their own price, advice from the Australian Psychological Society National Schedule of Recommended Fees 2023-2024 indicates a standard 46 to 60-minute consultation fee of $315.00.

At Deb Psychology, we have set the cost of our standard individual 50-minute consultation fee as $240.00 (Medicare rebate of $141.85).

Relationship counselling and Couples sex therapy are not covered by Mental Health Care Plans, and do not attract a Medicare rebate.

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Cancellation Policy

At Deb Psychology, we value your time and understand the importance of your appointments. In return, we ask that you respect our time by adhering to our cancellation policy. Your appointment time is reserved especially for you, and we appreciate your cooperation in keeping it.

Appointment Reminders

You will receive an SMS reminder 48 hours prior to your appointment. However, please note that technology can sometimes be unreliable. We recommend keeping a personal record of your appointments as cancellation fees will apply regardless of whether you receive the SMS reminder.

Rescheduling or Cancelling Appointments

If you do need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, we ask that you please contact the Deb Psychology administration team directly, via email (admin@debpsychology.com.au) or phone (03 9068 5844), as soon as possible.

Cancellation Fees

Less than 48 hours’ notice: A fee of 50% of your session will be charged.

Less than 24 hours’ notice or no-show: The full fee for your appointment will be charged. 

Please note that Medicare, Private Health funds, and Third Parties do not provide rebates for missed appointments.

Running Late

If you are running late, please inform Deb as soon as possible. Arriving more than 15 minutes late means your appointment cannot be extended, but you will still be charged the full fee. If Deb does not hear from you within the first 15 minutes, she will assume you are not attending, and you will be charged the full cancellation fee.
In emergencies, contact us immediately to discuss. Repeated missed appointments without notice may result in pre-payment requirements or a referral back to your doctor for review.

Why does it cost so much?

Years ago, the Australian Psychological Society (APS) explained their recommended fee (currently $300 for FY23/24), stating that specialist trained private practitioners should have working conditions similar to those of private medical professionals and not worse than the public sector. The APS calculated the recommended fee by accounting for holidays, sick days, and education days, then determining the available clinical hours and setting a gross hourly rate slightly above the public sector wage to cover private practice risks. The Medicare rebate of $136 is significantly less than the actual cost of delivering services in private practice.

To protect psychologists’ mental health, the APS calculate their recommended fee based on 5 client contact hours per day, plus time for notes, communication, supervision, research, and other business tasks. Psychologists invest many hours a week providing indirect services to each and every one of their clients, and that work must also be accounted for within fee calculations. The APS recommended fee accounts for the significant overheads private practitioners incur, such as:

  • Regulatory compliance
  • Professional indemnity Insurance
  • Income protection (in lieu of work cover)
  • Bookkeeping & accountancy fees
  • Professional registration fees & membership fees
  • Professional services (bookkeeper, accountant and legal etc)
  • Supervision expenses
  • Mandatory ongoing professional development
  • Allowance for client non-attendances
  • Allowance for client bad debts
  • Allowance for sick leave (2 weeks), annual leave & professional development leave
  • Tax, HECS repayments & superannuation
  • Office rental or mortgage, body corporate fees, council rates
  • Insurance on premises (third party & contents)
  • Receptionist / admin support, associated taxes & superannuation
  • Cleaning of premises
  • Office supplies, kitchen supplies, bathroom supplies
  • Stationery
  • Office furniture
  • Office equipment (photocopier/fax/phone system & maintenance or rental expenses)
  • Commercial electricity, water, gas
  • Facilities maintenance
  • Phone /internet costs
  • Office computer, software subscriptions
  • IT Infrastructure
  • Website development and maintenance
  • Marketing and advertising
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