The following information is provided to answer some of the questions you may have about our services.

Psychology Services and Counselling

Counselling - What is it?

Counselling provides a safe, supportive opportunity to raise issues, explore problems, and contemplate new ways of handling both situations and oneself with a trained therapist.

How long?

Counselling may involve a few sessions or many sessions. This is something for you and your counsellor to decide, once you have both had the opportunity to clarify the issues you would like to address.

Who comes to counselling?

Most people will at some point in their life have issues or difficulties that could be helped by the process of talking through their thoughts and feelings. At Corazon, our clients include people of all ages, from families through to individuals, with a broad range of issues.

Why a counsellor?

Corazon’s psychological and counselling services are provided by qualified professionals. Our psychologists provide a confidential, non-judgemental service, free of the constraints of friendships and family relationships.

Appointments

It is preferable that people seeking psychological and counselling services, phone for an appointment themselves. Counselling sessions are usually weekly and are of at least 50 mins duration.

What can I expect at my first appointment?

The first session or two is normally a time for you to explain what brings you to counselling. The psychologist, in working with you, will gather information about your physical and mental health history and develop a plan to address your needs.

Are my sessions confidential?

Corazon provides psychological and counselling services, which are confidential and include appropriate professional consultation with clinical supervisors. (Refer to our Privacy Policy for further information).

Can I have access to the information you keep in my file?

In order to provide a service to you we need to collect and record personal information relevant to your current situation. You may access the material recorded in your file upon request, subject to the exceptions in Australian Privacy Principle 6. If you would like to know more about this you should discuss this with your psychologist or click on the pdf Australian Privacy Principles Factsheet (690 KB) .

Do you offer psychological assessements, testing and reports?

Yes. The staff at Corazon can undertake a wide variety of psychological assessments such as cognitive, learning and educational. We can also provide assessments for employers and government agencies. A fee is charged for psychological assessments and a Medicare rebate does not apply for this service.

Do you run groups?

Yes. Please see the home page for details of available groups.

Do you offer after hours appointments?

In exceptional circumstances and on a Saturday morning.

Do I need a referral from a doctor

No. To be eligible for a Medicare rebate, however, you will need a referral from either your GP or a psychiatrist.

Am I eligible for a Medicare rebate?

The rebate is available to anyone who holds a green Medicare card.

Am I covered by my Private Health Insurance?

Most private health funds do offer rebates to their members depending on their level of cover. Please check with your health fund for your 'out of pocket' expenses.

How and when do I pay?

Payment is taken at each session and we accept cash, credit card or EFTPOS. We can process your Medicare and DVA rebate on the spot using our online processing software.

What are the fees?

More information on our fees can be found on our Fees page.

What should I do if I can't attend my appointment?

Please give us 24hrs notice so we can offer this appointment to someone else who may urgently need it. If you don’t give us 24hrs notice or you fail to attend your appointment a cancellation fee of $50 will apply. You can email or call us after hours and leave a message with your name, number and the appointment date and time you wish to cancel. Your message will be time and date stamped.

end faq

If you hold a current Health Care or Pension Card we may Bulk Bill your Mental Health Care Plan appointments.

Corazon strongly believes that everyone should be able to access our services. Therefore, our standard consultation fees are in line with Medicare’s recommended Schedule Fees. This means that no matter which psychologist you see at our practice you will have a minimal out of pocket expense after receiving your Medicare rebate. For your convenience, we can process your Medicare and DVA rebate on the spot using our online processing software.

If you hold a current Health Care, Pension or Concession Card we can Bulk Bill your appointments with a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan referral. Please note: If you do not provide us with a current referral and Concession Card we are unable to bulk bill you for your appointment.

All fees are payable at the time of your appointment and subject to change.

Self Referrals

If you do not wish to visit your GP to get a referral or are not eligible under Medicare you can simply make an appointment to see one of our psychologists.

Medicare Referrals & Rebates

• Mental Health Treatment Plans

Medicare’s ‘Better Access’ program is a Commonwealth funded initiative that offers rebates for up to 10 sessions per calendar year. To find out if you are eligible, visit your GP who may refer you to see a psychologist for an initial 6 sessions. It is a good idea to book a long consultation as your GP needs to complete a Mental Health Treatment Plan for you to bring along with your letter of referral to your first appointment.

Psychiatrists and Paediatricians can also refer their patients to psychologists for up to 10 sessions under Medicare’s ‘Better Access’ program. A Mental Health Treatment Plan is not required to be completed in this instance, so just bring your letter of referral to your appointment.

Your psychologist will keep your referring doctor up to date with your progress over the course of treatment as required by Medicare. You may need to visit your GP again for a review of your Treatment Plan should you require further sessions.

For more information on the 'Better Access' program pdf download a Fact Sheet (130 KB) .

For the Table of Medicare Benefits Scheduled Fees and Rebates for psychology items pdf click here (35 KB) .

• Enhanced Primary Care Plans

These plans provide a team care approach to the health care management of a patient suffering from a chronic medical condition. To find out if you are eligible, visit your GP who can discuss your condition with you and may establish Team Care Arrangements (TCA) with at least two allied health professionals to provide services to meet your health needs.

Corazon Psychology can provide services to existing clients under this scheme who have exhausted their MHCP sessions under Medicare’s ‘Better Access’ initiative. For more information you can pdf download a Fact Sheet (454 KB) .

Please contact us to discuss the fees and rebates associated with these services.

NWMPHN

Through federal government funding our Medicare Local (South West Melbourne Medicare Local) acts as a fund holder for ATAPS, the Access to Allied Psychological Services Program designed to meet perceived mental health needs in the local community. ATAPS provides short term goal oriented focused psychological strategies for clients with common mental issues. There is no cost for ATAPS and eligibility criteria apply.

See more at: http://www.swmml.org.au/article/mental-health#sthash.tQqi44lh.dpuf

Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA)

We offer all DVA Gold cardholders Bulk Billed sessions. For those who hold a DVA White card, please check with DVA to find out if you are eligible for psychological services.

To find out more about your eligibility for services through DVA call 1800 555 254 or visit their website: www.dva.gov.au

Private Health Insurance Claims

Our psychologists are registered with most private health funds to provide rebatable psychological services. Each health fund offers different levels of cover and you will need to check with your health fund to see if your cover includes psychology services and any rebates you are entitled to.

Victims of Crime

Group Therapy Fees

Psychological Reports

Fees for reports and services are charged according to the APS Schedule of Recommended Fees

Massage Therapy Fees

Is everything I tell Corazon staff confidential?

All personal information gathered during the provision of psychological services will remain confidential except in the following circumstances:

• Your prior approval has been obtained to provide a written report to another professional, such as a doctor or a lawyer;
• Your prior approval has been obtained to discuss the material with another person, such as a partner or employer;
• It is subpoenaed by a court of law;
• Failure to disclose the information to an appropriate person would place you or another person at risk;

Why do we collect your information?

In the course of providing our services, personal and sensitive information is collected, held and maintained by Corazon. The information helps us to keep up-to-date details about your needs, so we can care for you in the best possible way. We also use the information to better manage and plan our service.  All staff members at the Corazon Centre have signed confidentiality agreements to protect your personal information. Information will be collected from the following sources: from yourself, your GP and other service providers who may be involved in your treatment. This information is completley confidential.

How will your information be protected?

We are committed to protecting the confidentiality of your records. All information collected by Corazon will be used only for the primary purpose intended. We treat your information in the strictest confidence and store it securely. The privacy of your information is also protected by law. Corazon is bound to adhere to the following Federal and State legislation:

• Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988
• Information Privacy Act 2000 (Victoria)
• Health Records Act 2001 (Victoria)
• Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000

How is my information stored?

This information is held in secure storage, which is accessible only to authorised employees. In accordance with the Australian Psychological Society (APS) Storage of Records - Code of Ethics (2003), all client information is maintained and kept, in the case of a child, until they are 25 years and for adults for at least seven years after the last consultation.

Who else sees your information?

At times, we are obliged to forward information on the overall program being run at Corazon or to create statistical and descriptive reports for organisations who are stakeholders in the program. Disclosure of such information is in accordance with our written policies and limited to the intended purpose as agreed with Corazon. No names are attached to this data, so your confidentiality is not at risk.

Can I access my information?

Yes, you are generally entitled to access your personal information that we keep on record. You can request more information about our Privacy Policy and find out how to access information held by Corazon by telephoning (03) 9974 2756 and asking for the Privacy Officer.

Corazon and other organisations

Corazon's service and relationship is with the client. As part of the service, at the conclusion of the 6 psychotherapy sessions, a written response on the progress of work with the client is sent to the referring GP. The psychologist may, also, if appropriate, provide a letter to the client summarising work they have undertaken.

Written reports on clients are not prepared and provided to external organisations, agencies, workers and persons as a part of this service.

A psychological assessment sought by the client for an external authority falls outside the capacity and bounds of the psychological and counselling service provided by Corazon. If such a formal report is requested the following is required to enable the report to be provided:

• A written authorisation from the client, stating clearly the purpose of the report and to whom it should be made available;
• Payment for the work time and tasks involved in the preparation, completion and distribution of the report.

Feedback

At Corazon, we strive for best practice and endeavour to provide our clients with the best possible service. We encourage your comments and feedback so that we can improve our service.

If you have a comment or suggestion about our service please email us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or use our Compliments, Complaints, Feedback Form.

Complaints Policy

If we have not met your expectations, or you have a specific complaint, we encourage you to tell us and we will aim to deal with it fully, fairly and as quickly as possible.

• You have a right to be heard;
• You have a right to be treated fairly, equally and with respect;
• You have the right to be free from intimidation and harassment;

Most issues can be resolved quickly, so we encourage you to raise your concerns with us by:

• Contacting the relevant Corazon staff member who will try and resolve the issue. If the concern is about your counsellor, contact the Corazon Centre manager.
• If you are not sure how to raise issues you are concerned about, or your concern is not resolved to your satisfaction and you would like to speak to someone who is not part of Corazon, you can contact the Complaints Officer.

All complaints will be recorded and followed up in a timely way. You have a right to continue to access the service during and after making a complaint. Any complaints that involve a breach of the rights of any person and are of a serious or criminal nature will be reported to the relevant authorities. 

If you are still not satisfied with the response you receive, you can lodge a formal complaint with your therapist's professional membership body.

If your therapist is a General or Clinical Psychologist, you can contact the Australian Psychologial Society or the Psychology Board of Australia to register your complaint.

If your therapist is a Social Worker, you can contact the Australian Associaton of Social Workers.

Third party complaints (complaints on someone else's behalf)

In line with our ethical responsibility to ensure client confidentiality, we cannot accept complaints from someone other than the client who is receiving the counselling service. Please assist the client to make a complaint directly according to the process outlined above.