Session Fees
At Solutions Chatswood, we aim to keep our fees as reasonable as possible to make counselling services accessible to everyone who needs them. As a practice that supports a network of independent practitioners, our standard fees vary by practitioner and reflect an individual, 55-minute session. Fees for couples, families or longer sessions can be obtained by contacting practitioners directly.
| Ros Knight | $150 |
| Vicky Hamey | $110 |
| Lyn Abery | $120 |
| Brenda Stevenson | $100 |
| Tuvan Rochford | $90 |
| Derek Leung | $85 |
| Wendy Schuster | $80 |
| Lilian Gowers | $120 |
| Chris Ling | Please contact to discuss |
| Melanie Ambrose | $150 (a per person fee applies for Dispute Resolution services) |
| Choon-Hwa Lim | $150 for psychological services, $165 for career counselling |
Medicare
As part of the Federal Government’s ‘Better Access to Mental Health Care Initiative’, over recent years mental health has attracted increased funding which translates into higher and more widespread Medicare rebates for clients. Whilst this is a very positive step, it does not mean all mental health services are eligible for Medicate rebates.
Currently, to access Medicare support for mental health services, a referral is required from a GP for a diagnosable medical condition, such as depression or anxiety, to a registered psychologist, social worker, occupational therapist or psychiatrist. The referral is valid for the first 6 sessions after which clients must obtain a new referral for further sessions, up to the cap of 10 of per calendar year.
Outside of psychologists and psychiatrists exists a large body of professionally trained and accredited counsellors, such as those offering relationship, career and life counselling, who are not presently able to offer Medicate rebates to their clients. This does not have any bearing on their skills or experience and is a situation which peak industry organisations such as PACFA are lobbying to change.
Solutions Chatswood consists of a diverse range of practitioners; some are registered with Medicare and able to offer rebates and others who are highly trained and qualified counsellors who are unable to offer that service. Which practitioner is right for you will depend on several different factors, including considering the overall cost of counselling, and more of which are covered on our ‘About’ page. For more information regarding Medicare rebates, please contact our centre or get in touch with one of our individual practitioners.