Frequently Asked Questions (faqs)

about psychologists + how they help

  • Psychologists study human behaviour and explore how thoughts and behaviours contribute to an individual’s experience of their world and emotions.

    They do not prescribe medication, focusing instead on helping individuals to build skills to think, do, and relate differently so as to improve their lives – whether it’s bouncing back from anxiety or depression, or working on improving communication in a relationship, or boosting mindset and resilience.

  • If you’re asking yourself when is the right time to see a psychologist, the answer is likely to be now, rather than when things get too overwhelming – learn the skills to navigate what you’re going through (whether it’s shifting thoughts or setting boundaries), practice them, so that when you need them it’s easier to apply them.

    For certain presentations that may be deadline-driven (e.g. an upcoming exam, travel plans, or public speaking scenario) - we recommend a lead time of several weeks beforehand as these often involve more detailed skill building sessions and practice in between sessions to help consolidate skills. For example:

    • For students facing exams, we recommend even before the start of a semester, to give ample time to learn to manage homework, assignments, procrastination, exam preparation, and managing anxiety about upcoming exams. For some exams (e.g. clinical vivas) there is also the added element of practising a verbal response in an exam context.

    • For presentation/public speaking anxiety, we recommend several months in advance – stepping through our 6-session Speaking Volumes program you have a chance to work on the various aspects of public speaking anxiety (content, presentation style, facing fears, managing anxiety).

  • Several differences exist between psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, and therapists.

    In Australia, a key difference relates to whether the profession is regulated by a professional body - the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Of the above professions, only Psychologists and Psychiatrists fall under AHPRA, meaning there are minimum standards for training (at least six years), standards for professional practice, as well as requirements to meet ongoing training every year. This gives reassurance to the public regarding the training and knowledge of who they are seeing.

    Psychologists study human behaviour and explore how thoughts and behaviours contribute to an individual’s experience of their world and emotions. They do not prescribe medication, focusing instead on helping individuals to build skills to think, do, and relate differently so as to improve their lives. Psychologists train for a minimum of six years (including an undergraduate and a masters degree), and some undertake a masters degree in a specialised area of psychology (e.g. health, clinical, organisational, counselling).

    Psychiatrists are medical doctors with further specialised postgraduate training in mental health. They train for a minimum of eleven years (undergraduate and postgraduate degrees). Psychiatrists prescribe medication (e.g. antidepressants, mood stabilisers) for the pharmacological management of mental health conditions. Some psychiatrists conduct counselling.

    Use of the titles counsellor, therapist, psychotherapist, and coach are not regulated in Australia, thus anyone is able to use these titles without meeting minimum levels of training or adhere to professional practice standards. Certainly, there are some very highly experienced counsellors, therapists, psychotherapists, and coaches who are registered with professional bodies, so we encourage you to check their training, experience, and associations with their professional bodies.

  • There’s often confusion between the different titles for psychologists, so let’s break it down.

    A Provisional Psychologist is someone who is the last stages of registration to be a Registered Psychologist. They have completed an undergraduate degree, and often a 1-year Master of Psychology degree or are in the process of completing a 2-year Masters of Psychology in a more specialised field (e.g. Clinical, Health, Organisational, Counselling).

    All other psychologists are Registered Psychologist with a minimum of six years of training (combination of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees together with supervised practice). This is the minimum level of training to become a psychologist in Australia.

    Following this, there are Registered Psychologists with Endorsement - these are psychologists who have undertaken a 2-year postgraduate degree (Masters or Doctorate) plus an additional 2 years of on-the-job experience in one of 9 areas of advanced area of training. In Australia those who completed the additional training in these niche areas are able to use the titles:

    • Clinical Psychologist

    • Counselling Psychologist

    • Organisational Psychologists

    • Health Psychologist

    • Forensic Psychologist

    • Clinical Neuropsychologist

    • Community Psychologist

    • Educational and developmental Psychologist

    • Sport and Exercise Psychologist

    There may be psychologists who use similar terms (e.g. “Workplace Psychologist”, “Industrial and Employee Wellbeing Psychologist”, “Consulting Psychologist”) however these titles are not protected by AHPRA.

about seeing a psychologist at The Skill collective

  • Yes! We provide face-to-face sessions in sunny Perth, Western Australia. We also offer sessions via telehealth or phone.

  • No. A GP referral is not necessary to see a psychologist.

    However, if you wish to claim a Medicare rebate, you will require either a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan / Chronic Disease Plan and referral from a GP, OR a referral letter from your psychiatrist. These need to outline:

    1. Your name, date of birth, address.

    2. The diagnosis;

    3. The number of sessions you are being referred for (up to a maximum of 6 sessions); and

    4. A statement of whether a Mental Health Treatment Plan, a Shared Care Plan (for Chronic Disease), or psychiatrist assessment has been created.

    5. The letter should be signed, dated, and include the referrer’s Provider Number.

  • Our psychologists work in different niche areas based on their training, knowledge, and career experiences.

    Take a look through the profiles of our psychologists to see who might be a good fit, and if you’re still undecided give our friendly reception team a call and we can help!

  • Whilst our psychologists practice in their individual niche areas, we are governed by the Psychologists Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioner’s Agency who have strict guidelines regarding advertising. One of these guidelines relates to psychologists’ use of the terms ‘specialist’, ‘specialise’, ‘expertise’, and ‘experts’ - namely, we’re not permitted to.

    Our psychologists do work in niche areas, and each of us have undertaken additional training in specific areas aligned with our interests - clinical psychology, organisational psychology, counselling psychology, EMDR, schema therapy, etc.).

    Overall, we see many clients with the following presentations:

    • Social anxiety: We have a niche program, Social Set.

    • Anxiety – Health anxiety, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Phobias, Panic, relationship anxiety)

    • Burnout, stress, and building resilience

    • Performance concerns (exam anxiety, public speaking via our niche program Speaking Volumes, study skills and exam preparation, improving work habits/self-management)

    • Adjustment, grief, and loss: We help to cope with the emotional impact of changes, as well as the impact on routine and identity.

    • Trauma

    • OCD

    • Depression

    • Communication and relationship issues – romantic relationships, friendships, parenting, relating to parents, assertive communication.

  • Psychologists are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Health Regulation Agency (AHPRA), and AHPRA prohibits the use of testimonials in advertising.

  • Some of our psychologists may have long waitlists for new clients, but there are some things that you could try to get in earlier:

    • Get in touch, book in, and complete intake forms, and send through your referral if you have one.

    • Ask to be placed on the waitlist for an earlier appointment. Cancellations can occur and if so, our reception team works through our waitlist first.

    • You can also try calling at the start of the week to see if there have been any cancellations (often clients cancel over the weekend so appointments may become available).

  • A good therapeutic fit is important, so if you don’t ‘click’ with your psychologist here are some things to try:

    • Communicate with your psychologist what your preferences are - perhaps you prefer a more structured approach, or would like regular homework exercises to keep you on track. Or, perhaps you prefer a less structured approach.

    • You can contact our reception team who can help you find a different psychologist.

  • Psychologists are required to act in the best interests of their clients, and with objectivity. Under our Code of Ethics psychologists are to avoid dual relationships, and as such where there is a potential conflict of interest we do our best to minimise it.

    A conflict of interest potentially exists where:

    • A psychologist ends up seeing two individuals in a close relationship (e.g. flatmates, partners, relatives), and information from each individual may influence impartiality.

    • You may be within the same wider social circle.

    If your psychologist becomes aware of a potential conflict of interest they will notify you. Please note that there will be instances in which they are unable to to outline the exact nature of the conflict as they are required to protect the confidentiality of others.

    More generally, this means that the same psychologist would not be able to offer therapy to an existing client’s family members, close friends, co-workers, and so on.

  • The Skill Collective does not provide legal reports or court-mandated therapy.

  • Some of our psychologists see clients whose NDIS funding is self-managed or plan-managed.

  • Only some of our psychologists see WorkCover or ICWA clients; please contact our office for further queries. For WorkCover/ICWA clients we require:

    • Case manager contact

    • Written confirmation from the case manager regarding the number of sessions of psychology treatment granted. 

  • We see clients under an Employee Assistance Program only for organisations with whom we have an existing EAP arrangement. Check with your organisation to see if we are their EAP Provider, and if not who it may be.

  • As a private practice we are not equipped to provide crisis or emergency support.

    If you are in crisis, there are services in Western Australia that you may contact:

    • Lifeline (131 114)

    • Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

    • Crisis Care (counselling, accommodation, food; 08 9223 1111)

    • Kids Helpline (5-25yrs; 1800 551 800)

    • Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467)

    • Mental Health Emergency Response Line (1800 676 822)

    • Men’s Line Australia (1300 789 978)

    • Post and Antenatal Depression Association of Australia (PANDA; 1300 726 306)

    • Sexual Assault Resource Centre (1800 199 888)

    • QLife (1800 184 527; 3pm-12am)

    • Yarn 13 92 76

    • Police, Fire, Ambulance (000)

  • Contact our reception team if it is your first time attending our practice, or if you are changing psychologists. They will speak with you regarding who may be most suitable for you based on a variety of factors including availability (waitlists/appointment days or times), presenting issues, and also a therapeutic fit. They will take details and set you up in our booking system.

    Following booking in, you will be sent forms to complete prior to your first appointment.

    Initial appointments require pre-payment.

  • We’re located in Subiaco Perth, and you can find directions and information regarding parking and public transport here.

  • We get that seeing a psychologist can be daunting.

    Our hope for the first session is to get to know you, what you face, and how we can help you. For this, we ask lots of questions – about the impact of what you’re going through, your life experience, and how you see the world.

    This information gives your psychologist a good framework from which to explore specific ways to move forward.

  • Under their Code of Ethics, psychologists are required to keep your information private. They need to seek your verbal or written consent to communicate your information to others, and may collect your information for other uses if you agree.  Confidentiality protects your privacy and safety.  

    However, there are limits to this confidentiality. At The Skill Collective these are:

    • If there is potential harm to self or others (this is a safety issue). Psychologists are mandatory reporters of child sexual abuse, and may additionally be required to report some crimes.

    • If you request the release of your information to other individuals. If you seek treatment under a Medicare Plan, please note that we are required to correspond with your GP as part of coordinating your care.

    • Your file is subpoenaed by a Court of Law.

    • If we need to pass on information regarding attendance (not clinical information) to third party information for other reasons (e.g. contact tracing).

  • Psychological treatment varies depending on what you’re seeking assistance with. We utilise evidence-based treatments, tailoring their delivery to your personal circumstances. Treatments may include:

    • Working on shifting your mindset using cognitive restructuring.

    • Practising mindfulness and acceptance.

    • Engaging in exposure therapy for phobias or anxiety presentations.

    • Skills training in specific areas that affect your wellbeing, for example - building social skills, focusing on public speaking, learning to self-manage when it comes to studying.

    • Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) to help with traumatic memories.

    • Exploring and deep diving into your history to identify and shift longstanding unhelpful patterns.

    Above are just some examples of what treatment may look like. Once the initial assessment session has taken place, your psychologist will be in a better position to discuss treatment options with you.

  • Psychological treatment does come with potential side effects. Notably, engaging in therapy may mean that you’re now facing issues and memories that you have previously avoided - this in itself can cause distress.

    Certain treatments may also increase discomfort. For example, in exposure therapy the goal is to face your fear in order to reduce your anxiety in the longer term, thus it is likely that there will be some degree of distress associated with working towards approaching your fears.

  • The answer to this is so varied depending on

    1. How longstanding the issue is;

    2. How complex the issue is; and

    3. How much work you put towards changing in between sessions.

    Consider:

    • Someone who has recently started to experience panic attacks following a car accident and feels anxious about driving to unfamiliar places vs.

    • Someone who has had panic attacks for 20+ years that now severely limits them from leaving their house and stepping outside their comfort zone.

    We find that sometimes people feel worse before they get better; often this is a combination of talking about things that they often avoid thinking about, or starting to face fears that they’ve been avoiding for a long time. This is part of the process of change.

    We recommend that you speak to your psychologist about what would be a suitable pacing for sessions to help you make changes and embed them sustainably in your life.

    A common pattern may be a series of weekly/fortnightly sessions closer together for skill-building, then spacing sessions further apart to once every 3-6 weeks so you can then start to embed these in your daily life and touch base with your psychologist for troubleshooting.

about fees, rebates, + cancellations

  • The Skill Collective is a private practice. We do not receive funding from the government for the provision of services, and we do not offer bulk-bill appointments.

    As a guide, fees for our psychologists range between $165 and $320 depending on the psychologist’s training, level of experience, and also whether appointments are after hours or during business hours. Please contact our office to obtain an up-to-date fee structure. Fees for health services do not incur GST.

    Out-of-session services (e.g. Out-of-session consultations with third parties, reports, liaison with schools, release of notes etc.) incur additional fees as well as GST.

    Rebates may be available via Medicare with a valid Plan (either a Mental Health Treatment Plan, or Chronic Disease Management Plan) in place.

    Under a Mental Health Treatment Plan rebates for a session 51+ minutes are around $141 for Clinical Psychologists, and around $96 for Counselling, Health, Organisational, and Registered psychologists.

    Sessions with a Provisional Psychologist do not attract a Medicare rebate and thus are priced more competitively.

    Private health rebates may apply depending on your level of cover; check with your private health insurance.

  • Medicare rebates are available under the following schemes below.

    • Mental Health Treatment/Care Plan. This plan grants rebates for up to ten sessions per calendar year. Rebates vary from $96 to $145 depending on the psychologist whom you are seeing.

    • Chronic Disease Plan. This plan grants rebates for up to 5 sessions, and is intended for chronic physical conditions. The rebate is approximately $55.

    • Eating Disorders Treatment Plan. This plan is for up to 40 sessions per calendar year. We are not currently accepting new clients on EDTPs.

    Rebates apply only if:

    • A valid Medicare plan is in place.

    • Both the psychologist and client must be located in Australia, and you cannot be an inpatient at hospital (even if unrelated to psychological presentation- sorry, those are the rules as we understand them).

    Provisional psychologists do not attract a Medicare rebate.

  • It would be great if that were possible, but unfortunately Medicare doesn’t allow for this.

  • Pre-payment is required for all initial assessment appointments, and also for telehealth/phone appointments.

    For ongoing face-to-face appointments, payment is required on the day of the appointment. We have EFTPOS facilities.

  • Appointment time changes within 48 business hours incur a fee, so please give up at least 48 business hours (we are not open on weekends) so that we can offer the appointment to someone else. We encourage switching to an online consultation if travelling to-and-from the appointment is an issue so as to avoid a late notice fee. Note that Late Notice fees are not eligible for Medicare rebates.

    Late notice fees are:

    • Under 48 business hours – 50% fee + GST.

    • Under 24 business hours or Non-attendance – 100% fee + GST.

    We implement a fee for late-notice cancellations and reschedules because your psychologist has set aside the time exclusively for you to work with you on meeting your wellbeing goals. As a private-billing clinic we do not receive alternative funding.