Fees

At Benchmark Psychology, we believe in providing an affordable service for clients with competitive fees.  The current Australian Psychological Society (APS) recommended fee is $280 per hour. A full APS fee schedule can be found here.

Our fee structure at Benchmark Psychology is as follows :

Individuals

$297 - Initial session (50 mins)
Medicare Rebate, Clinical Psychologist: $137.05 (Out of Pocket: $159.95)
Medicare Rebate, Clinical Psychology Registrar: $93.35 (Out of Pocket: $203.65)

$272 - Subsequent sessions (50 mins)
Medicare Rebate, Clinical Psychologist: $137.05 (Out of Pocket: $134.97)
Medicare Rebate, Clinical Psychology Registrar: $93.35 (Out of Pocket: $178.65)

To be eligible to receive psychological services under Medicare, a person must be referred by their GP and in some instances by another medical specialist. Speak to your GP about your eligibility to claim these Medicare benefits and the best person to make your referral.

$135 - Sessions with Provisional Psychologist (50 mins)
A rebate cannot be claimed from private health funds or Medicare for these sessions.

Couples

  • $395 - Initial sessions (75 mins)
  • We recommend that couples book 75 minute sessions for at least the first two appointments
  • $381 - Subsequent sessions (75 mins)
  • $272 - Subsequent sessions (60 mins)

Supervision

  • The appointment will cost $299.20 (inc GST).

Cognitive assessments: Fees for assessments vary depending on a variety of factors, including the assessment measures needed and the number of sessions required. However, generally fees range between $1,700 to $3,000, including the comprehensive report. During an assessment it sometimes becomes clear that further or different testing is required and this may mean a change in fee. If this happens it will be discussed with you at the time and you will be given choices about how you wish to proceed.

Private health fund rebates: It is your responsibility to check your coverage and eligibility with your private health fund and confirm if rebates apply to your psychological service. Unfortunately, we are unable to let you know how much your private health will be able to cover unless we have your physical card present to process a quote. Alternatively, you are able to contact your Private Health company to see how much they will cover for your sessions.

Reports: If you require a report to be provided by your psychologist, this will involve an additional cost and should be discussed with the psychologist.

Billing a third party: Benchmark Psychology does not bill third parties directly for your consultation and you will need to pay the fee up front and arrange reimbursement.

Medicare rebates: If you are eligible for Medicare rebates, we are happy to assist in processing Medicare claims, however please note that we do not hold responsibility for eligibility or processing of Medicare rebates.

The Medicare system can be difficult to understand so we have provided some further information here - https://www.benchmarkpsychology.com.au/services/mental-health-treatment-plan/

Please also find further information about Mental Health Treatment Plans- Explained 2021 here.

Please note that Medicare does not currently provide rebates for couples therapy, cognitive assessments, parenting sessions when the child is not present, and some other specific situations. 

Payment platforms: The digital platforms that we currently use to process payments are medipass for online payments and rebates, and tyro for payments and rebates made in person. When payments are made online, there may be a small preauthorisation amount processed, that will be returned once payment is made. If you have any concerns, you are welcome to discuss this with us.

After Hours Surcharge

Special appointments are available outside of office hours and will incur a $25 after hours surcharge. The surcharge applies to appointments booked from 5pm or later on weekdays, and all weekend appointments.

Cancellation Policy

When appointments are booked, the psychologist reserves the whole hour especially for you.  Therefore we require 48 hours notice and the following cancellation policy is in place to allow us to offer the allocated time to another person who may be on a waiting list for that appointment.

A $65 fee will be charged for cancellation with less than 48 hours notice.

A $135 fee will be charged for cancellation with less than 24 hours notice.

The FULL FEE will be charged for an appointment that has been missed with less than two hours notice (non-attendance). 

We understand that sometimes you may be unable to keep an appointment because of sudden illness or an unexpected personal emergency. If this happens to you, please contact us as soon as possible to explain the situation.  You may call our office at any time, even after hours, as we do have an answering service that allows you to leave a message.

The APS recommended cancellation fees are:

  • 0-24 hours notice: Full fee
  • 24-48 hours notice: 50% of fee
  • 48 hours - 7 days notice: 25% of fee

A late cancelled appointment is a loss to three people

      • The client who is delaying their therapy progress

      • Another client who has been sitting on the waiting list to see the psychologist urgently

      • The psychologist who spent the morning preparing the session