Counselling FAQs

Offering a personalised approach to meeting your unique mental health situation is our mission. Sometimes people feel that they are assigned to a psychologist without any attention to your unique and particular needs. It is common that some people may only attend 1-2 sessions before giving up, if they reach out for support at all.

At Personalised Psychology we understand the importance of matching you to the right Psychologist, and we get that it can be extremely hard to reach out for support.

A Psychologist has completed at least 4 years of intensive undergraduate university training in the science human behaviour. We then complete further postgraduate university training (1-2 years) and/or an extensive supervision and internship program. This means that every Psychologist has completed at least 6 years of full-time training.

We are also required to undergo ongoing, clinical supervision and professional development. This equips us with the knowledge and expertise to be able to assist people with a range of life challenges and mental health concerns.

Whilst the term "therapist or counsellor" can be used by anyone, Psychologists must be qualified and registered with the regulatory body - Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and are required to maintain professional and ethical standards.

If you book an appointment via calling our office, our admin staff will send you an intake pack via e-mail after your phone call to us. They will also answer any queries you may have.

If you book an appointment via our online booking system, our team will call you within 1-2 days and have a brief chat about why you're coming to see us, to ensure we are the best service for you.

Once we confirm your appointment, you will receive an e-mail with all relevant appointment information and our intake pack.

During our initial session, you will be seen with our matching Psychologist who will ask and explore key areas such as:

• Why you are seeking counselling, your background and history

• Explain how counselling works and answer your questions

• Identify which of our psychologists you will work best with

• Help you set realistic and achievable treatment goals and advise on timelines

• Follow up if there are any problems with the match

The number of sessions for each individual varies. Some people only require a few sessions to meet their goals and outcomes, others come longer term to deal with more complex issues.

Research consistently shows that most clients require 10+ sessions to meet their treatment outcomes and we therefore require all new clients to book a minimum of 3 initial sessions.

This ensures consistency of subsequent appointments and can be cancelled/re-scheduled if required.

You may be eligible for Medicare rebates up to 20 sessions per year.