Medicare & Rebates
You can claim rebates for up to 10 sessions per calendar year.
A GP’s Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) allows you to choose any psychologist in Australia.
Requirements for Rebates:
- Valid Medicare card
- GP Referral + Mental Health Treatment Plan (covers 6 sessions)
- GP Review + second Referral after 6 sessions to unlock 4 additional rebates
Medicare & Online Therapy:
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Medicare rebates apply for up to 10 sessions per year.
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Online therapy can be just as effective as in-person therapy.
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Access quality psychological support, no matter where you live.
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No commute required, offers you greater flexibility and convenience.
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Your therapy, your choice: Work with any Psychologist you want, regardless of location.
Is Online Therapy Effective?
Yes absolutely. Over the past decade and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of systematic reviews and meta-analyses comparing video-based psychotherapy with in-person treatment have found very similar clinical outcomes – online therapy is as effective as traditional in-person therapy.
Below, is a detailed summary of this research (with external links):
- Results of a 2020 study of 4336 therapy attendees found that there were no differences between outcomes of mental health services delivered via video and therapy delivered in-person. These results were obtained across a range of psychological problems and across a range of outcome measures.
- This is supported by a large body of research conduced prior to the Covid-19 pandemic that has consistently found no difference in outcomes between online versus in-person therapy for adults, adolescents and children treated for depression, anxiety, trauma, eating problems, and substance abuse. Moreover, therapy delivered via video is also associated with a greater utilization of and fewer dropouts from mental health care.
- Research spanning decades, across various countries and cultures, consistently finds the quality of the therapeutic relationship, also known as the ‘Therapeutic Alliance,’ to be the most robust predictor of therapy success, irrespective of the therapeutic modality employed. A recent meta-analysis encompassing data from over 30,000 individuals, reaffirms this, highlighting that the strength of the Therapeutic Alliance remains paramount in determining therapeutic outcomes, regardless of whether therapy is conducted in-person or online.
- In addition to Medicare, both the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) recognise online therapy as an effective, evidence-based mode of treatment and offer rebates accordingly.
Although Telehealth may not suit everyone, most people report they find it more convenient than travelling to / from a doctor’s office for appointments, and many find it just as easy as speaking in-person.
How to Get Started
Please reach out using the contact details below. You’re welcome to share your goals or what you’d like support with—I look forward to hearing from you.
If you’re not quite ready to start therapy, I invite you to explore the self-help articles I’ve written—they’re designed to offer practical support and insights you can use right away.
Book an Appointment