FAQ

Starting therapy can be exciting but daunting. It is normal to be anxious and worried beforehand.

At Eucalyptus Psychology, we aim to provide a safe and calming environment. Our friendly reception team and therapy dog will offer a warm welcome, cup of tea, and help you with any administrative matters.

Your Psychologist will then provide an introduction to therapy and answer any questions you may have. Initial consultations tend to focus on exploring current problems and their origin. To understand your thinking style, behavioural patterns, and emotions, we need to understand you and your background. To do that, we’ll sit and talk and really examine things.

Once we have collaboratively explored the problem and figured out some of the underlying thought processes and behavioural patterns that may be precipitating and maintaining your mental health difficulties, we’ll formulate an intervention strategy. Over weeks and perhaps months, we’ll fine-tune it to suit your individual needs and challenges.

Counselling can help in many ways. Sometimes, therapy focuses on identifying and overcoming unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaviour. For example, we might focus on reducing critical self-talk and cultivating healthy relationships.

Therapy sessions can also focus on flourishing. For example, we might explore what it is for you to have a meaningful life well-lived.

There is no right or wrong way to do therapy – it is different for everyone. Some people find long-term therapy over months to years helpful, while others prefer shorter-term therapy over weeks to months.

It usually depends on the type of problem you are experiencing, how much time you have, and whether you enjoy the therapy experience. In general, meaningful change takes time. Sessions are usually held weekly-fortnightly until you start to feel better, and then monthly after that (or as often as you find helpful).

We primarily take a cognitive-behavioural approach, while also drawing on a range of other techniques, including schema therapy, mindfulness, existential therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, emotion focussed therapy, family systems therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, and communication skills training.

To learn more about the therapeutic approaches we use, click here.

Our psychologists can provide psychological reports for a range of reasons, including for NDIS, Centrelink, WorkSafe, and Insurers. However, we usually only provide reports if you are also engaging in ongoing therapy sessions. Psychological reports are charged at the normal hourly rate but you may be eligible for a rebate.

You do not need a referral to make an appointment. However, the most affordable way to access psychological therapy is through the ‘Better Access to Mental Health Care’ initiative. 

A ‘Mental Health Care Plan’ (MHCP) can be prepared by a general medical practitioner (GP), psychiatrist, or paediatrician, who will decide if a MHCP is appropriate for you, given your health care needs and circumstances. Eligible patients can receive up to 20 individual therapy sessions with a psychologist per calendar year, with a rebate of $88.25 (for a general psychologist) or $129.55 (for a clinical psychologist) per session, which can be processed on the day.

However, even if you are not eligible for a MHCP, you can still make an appointment as a private client. In some cases, clients with private health insurance may be able to claim rebates through their provider, depending on their policy. We also accept TAC, DVA, WorkSafe, and NDIS (self-managed) referrals.

Eucalyptus Psychology offers telehealth sessions (video or phone).

The Australian Government has recently widened eligibility for online (‘telehealth’) appointments with psychologists. Most funding bodies (e.g., Medicare, WorkSafe, TAC, NDIS, DVA) will now allow phone or video sessions with psychologists. For example, clients with a MHCP can still have sessions over the phone or using video conferencing, and will still be eligible for a Medicare rebate ($128.40).