Funding
Private health insurance
Many extras policies cover counselling and psychotherapy. You pay for your session, and you claim it back from your fund.
How claiming works
After your session I send you an invoice with everything your fund needs on it: the date, the service, what you paid, and my PACFA registration.
You send that invoice to your fund and they reimburse you directly. There's no terminal in the room, so nothing needs processing on the day, and it works the same way whether we meet in West End, in Milton, or online.
Whether you get reimbursed depends on your fund and your specific policy: some cover counselling under extras, some don't cover it at all.
How to check before you book
Call the number on the back of your card and ask two questions: whether your extras cover counselling or psychotherapy with a PACFA Registered Clinical Counsellor and Somatic Psychotherapist, and how much you're covered for per session and per year.
That two-minute call is worth making. It's the difference between a session you can claim and one you can't, and your fund is the only one who can answer it.
How to get started
- Check your cover with your fund using the two questions above.
- Book your session as usual, no referral is needed.
- Pay for your session, and claim it back with the invoice I send you.
If you have experienced crime
Additional support and funding pathways may be available to you. These usually involve specific criteria and an approval process before support begins, so the fastest way to find out where you stand is to contact them directly.
- Blue Knot Foundationblueknot.org.au
- Victim Assist QueenslandVictim Assist QueenslandFinancial assistance for victims
Funds I'm registered with
Registered means the fund recognises me as a provider, so a claim can be processed. It doesn't mean your particular policy covers counselling: extras vary by tier, so the two-minute call above is still worth making.
Through Australian Regional Health Group (ARHG)
- Defence Health
- Doctors' Health Fund
- HBF / See-U by HBF
- St Luke's Health
- Police Health
- GMHBA
- Westfund
- Emergency Services Health
- Phoenix Health
- AIA Health
- Mildura Health
- Teachers Union Health
- Teachers Health
- Nurses' & Midwives Health
- Unihealth
Being upfront
There is no Medicare rebate for these sessions. Medicare rebates under a Mental Health Care Plan apply to registered psychologists and some other providers; I'm a PACFA Registered Clinical Counsellor and Somatic Psychotherapist, which is a different registration. Private health extras are the pathway that does apply.
Not sure if you're eligible?
Write to me, or ask when you book. I'll tell you honestly whether it's likely to apply to you.