Frequently Asked Questions

If you are a new client it's best you contact the Centre for information about available practitioners. You can email your enquiry to WomensMentalHealth@protonmail.com or call us on (03) 7044 6711

Alternatively, you can book online with one of our practitioners and our intake team will contact you for more details. 

No. You do not need a referral to see a practitioner at our Centre. However, often a referral will allow you to access Medicare rebates for your sessions which will make it more affordable in the long run. 

INITIAL CONSULTATION FEE 

• Clinical Psychologist is $295.00
• General Psychologist $250.00
• Relationships Counselling $250
• Dietitian initial hour consult $230.00

FOLLOW UP CONSULTATION FEE 

• Clinical Psychologist $295.00 
• General Psychologist $250.00
• Relationships Counselling $250
• Dietitian $230.00 (60 mins),  $115.00 (30mins)

You may be able to receive funding to help cover the cost of your session from either Medicare, Private Health Insurance or NDIS.

The Medicare rebate available for Clinical Psychologists is $141.85

The Medicare rebate available for General Psychologists is $96.65

The Medicare rebate available for Dietitians is $58.30

Any questions regarding our fees? 

Email WomensMentalHealth@protonmail.com

or call

(03) 7044 6711

Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP)

The Better Access initiative gives Medicare rebates to help people access mental health professionals and care, regardless of where they live. 

The Medicare rebate are:

Clinical Psychologist - $141.85

General Psychologist - $96.65

Dietitian - $58.30

Referral and plans available from your General Practitioner.  

A Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) for anyone who needs support with their mental health. This plan allows you to access an initial 6 rebated sessions with a psychologist, followed by a review from your GP and then a further 4 sessions may be available to you if further treatment is required. The current rebate available on the MHCP is $141.85 if you see a Clinical Psychologist and $96.65 if you see a General Psychologist. A mental health care plan is valid for a calendar year.  

Eating Disorder Treatment Plan (EDP)  

Patients with a clinical diagnosis of anorexia nervosa; or Patients who meet the eligibility criteria (below), and have a clinical diagnosis of any of the following conditions: 

• bulimia nervosa 
• binge-eating disorder
• other specified feeding or eating disorder

This plan allows you to access rebated sessions with a psychologist in bouts of 10 and up to 40 sessions in a 12-month period. The plan starts on the date it is created and ends 12 months later. The current rebate available on the EDP is $141.85  if you see a Clinical Psychologist and $96.65 if you see a General Psychologist. 

Furthermore, the EDP allows you to access 20 rebated sessions with a Dietitian in the 12-month period. The current rebate available if you see a Dietitian is $58.30

Chronic Disease Management Plan (CDM)  

A chronic medical condition is one that has been or is likely to be present for at least six months, e.g. asthma, cancer, cardiovascular illness, diabetes mellitus, musculoskeletal conditions.and stroke.  A patient is considered to have complex care needs if they require ongoing care from a multidisciplinary team consisting of their GP or medical practitioner and at least two other health or care providers. Read more about eligibility here.  

This plan allows you to access 5 rebated sessions with a psychologist or Dietitian per calendar year. The rebate available on this plan $58.30

Medicare benefits are available for up to five allied health services per eligible patient, per calendar year.  The five allied health services can be made up of one type of service (e.g. five physiotherapy services) or a combination of different types of services (e.g. one dietetic and four podiatry services).  Five services per calendar year are the legal maximum per patient.  

When you spend over a certain amount in a calendar year on medical services, Medicare will give you a higher amount back as a rebate.

We offer concession rates to people with healthcare and concession cards or people who are going through genuine financial hardship. Please note: each practitioner only has a certain number of concession clients they can take on at one time. You need to speak to our administration staff to see whether you are applicable for a concession rate when making an appointment. 

We send out appointment reminders via text message and email 48 hours before the appointment time. 

We ask that you give us 24 hours notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment.

We charge a cancellation fee to value the time of the practitioner which has been booked. At late notice, it is unlikely we will be able to offer this time to someone else.

Unfortunately, you cannot claim Medicare rebates on cancelled appointments. 

If you wish to discuss our cancellation policy, please contact our admin staff at WomensMentalHealth@protonmail.com 

As part of providing a mental health service, we will need to collect and record personal information from you that is relevant to your clinical care. This information will be a necessary part of the assessment and treatment that is conducted. The information is retained in order to document what happens during sessions and any written or verbal contact outside of sessions. 

All personal information we gather will remain confidential and secure except where:

• It is subpoenaed by the court
• Failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at serious and imminent risk
• Your prior approval has been obtained to: provide a written report or consult with another professional or agency (e.g., your GP or psychiatrist); or, provide information to another person (e.g., family member, employer)
• If disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law

We have detailed Policy and Procedures for staff to follow to ensure that your information is protected, and these are regularly reviewed and updated. If you would like more information about privacy or have any concerns let us know.

Please refer to National Disability Insurance Scheme to see whether you are eligible for funding.  

We are not NDIS registered. However, NDIS participants with self-managed or plan-managed funds can still access our services.   

You need to decide if you will use Medicare or your private health insurance cover to pay for any services you receive. That is, you can either access rebates from Medicare by following the claiming process or claim where available on your insurer's benefits, not both.

You cannot use your private health insurance cover to top up the Medicare rebates. 

Melbourne Centre for Women's Mental Health has a multidisciplinary team of health professionals who are able to offer TeleHealth consultations, delivering evidence based therapy and support straight to you in the comfort of your own home.

Who provides the TeleHealth service? The TeleHealth therapy is delivered by our Clinicians. You can read more about them in the 'Staff Profiles' section. We do also offer other programs online including therapeutic groups such as Meditation and Yoga and we have a suite of educational courses relating to mental health as well!

How does it work? You will need a phone, tablet, laptop or desktop with internet connection. We are currently using a purpose built videoconferencing tool. We will send you an email with a link to join the meeting, just prior to your appointment. Please ensure you are in a private, quiet room for 50+minutes, so the session will have less likelihood of being interrupted. 

How will I be billed? At the time of making the appointment, our Practice Management Software 'Halaxy' will securely store your credit card details which will be used for payment. The system also automatically processes your Medicare rebate if applicable. More information about fees and rebates is available in the 'Fees and Rebates' section.

Please email Dr Sonja Skocic direct to obtain information about assessments for adult women aged 19 years and older. Email: DrSonjaSkocic@protonmail.com