Sessions & Fees
The fee for a standard 50min session is $220.
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Medicare
Rebates are available for clients who have obtained a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from their GP or treating Psychiatrist.
A MHCP entitles you to 10 rebated sessions per calendar year.
The current rebate rate is approximately $96 per session.
Private Health Insurance
If you have Private Health Insurance you may be entitled to a rebate. Check with your insurer to see if you are covered for Psychology.
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
If you have a self-managed plan with allocated funding for Psychology you can access sessions using NDIS.
Sessions
Terrigal Boardwalk
A standard session is 50 minutes and can be conducted
either in-person or via Telehealth (video or phone call).
Telehealth
While many clients prefer in-person sessions, in the current COVID climate there may be times when Telehealth is required (if you or the therapist are symptomatic for example).
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Advantages of Telehealth
We understand some clients are apprehensive about the use of technology,
throughout the pandemic clients have reported many advantages including;
* No travel time to sessions
* No need for masks (when mandated in public)
* Ability to access easily from your phone or computer wherever you are.
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Where you can access a Telehealth session
Some of the places my clients have been during session...
* In their car on lunch break
* On the other side of the country for work or on holidays
* Even in their kids’ treehouse while the whole family
were in isolation together!
These current times have helped us to think outside the box,
if we are unable to meet in-person Telehealth offers a great alternative.
What to Expect in Session
Killcare
Safety
The foundation of any healthy relationship is feeling safe.
When we share our thoughts, feelings, memories, worries urges and actions we
feel vulnerable and exposed.
It’s absolutely normal to feel nervous about coming to your first session with a Psychologist, in fact, feeling some apprehension is probably a sign of good boundaries!
The primary focus of the first few sessions is for the client and therapist to get to know each other a little and get a sense as to whether this relationship is a good fit. Part of this ‘fit’ will be personality, and part will be the nature of the challenges you’re experiencing.
In the first session we will chat about general background information but will always be led by you in terms of how much or how little you’d like to share. You decide when you feel safe (not the therapist!).
Some things we may ask in the first session:
What brings you to therapy?
Have you seen a Psychologist before?
How long have you been struggling with this issue?
How would you like things to be different?
Things we won’t ask you in the first session:
What’s your deepest darkest secret?
Let’s talk about your childhood trauma...

Why don’t you have a close relationship with your mother?
(YIKES)
Empathy
Empathy is not consoling, a sympathetic pat on the shoulder or tutting and saying “oh you poor thing”. Empathy occurs when two human beings connect in their humanness imagining themselves in the other's situation, listening without judgment.
It’s saying “I hear you… I see you” and not always with words.
This is often difficult to come by in our day-to-day relationships, and even when we have it there are private things we don’t want or feel safe to share with those close to us. Experiencing an empathetic connection can only come after establishing an element of safety.
When we feel safe, empathy is powerful and validating;
I am human, I am heard, I am not defective, there is hope.
Empowerment
We believe the therapy space acts like a microcosm of the outer world. In this room, in this relationship, you are able to practice vulnerability, boundaries and finding your voice while feeling safe
to feel and express yourself.
For this to happen, there can be no power differentials in the therapeutic relationship.
The therapist may be an ‘expert’ in human behaviour, but you are the expert on YOU.
Working together as a team you and the psychologist combine your knowledge and skills to find opportunities for improvement, small steps at a time.
This partnership and personal empowerment approach involves contracting
verbal agreements along the way...
For example; an agreement that the you have the right to only talk about what you are comfortable with, that the therapist will explain treatment options and only proceed if you consent and you have the right to change your mind, that you and the therapist can pause the session at any time, and that the therapist will offer options and it’s up to you to decide next steps.
We believe the ultimate goal of therapy grounded in safety, empathy and empowerment is to identify and draw out the strengths you already have, top up with some extra skills and build your resilience to manage challenges in the future.
Cancellations
Girrakool Loop Trail
Clients receive a text message reminder 2 business days prior to their appointment. We ask that you reply to inform us whether you will be attending to allow for clients on our waitlist to access an appointment.
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If you need to cancel or postpone your appointment, please give the psychologist at least 24 to 48 hours notice (a minimum of 1 working day). If you cancel within 24 hours of the appointment, or fail to attend your appointment, a late cancellation fee of $100 will be charged. This must be paid in full before attending your next appointment.
Cancellations can be made via;
Text or phone: 0456 558 422
Email: krist.thomson.psychology@gmail.com
Confidentiality and Consent
North Avoca
Prior to commencing your initial session you will be required to read the consent and privacy conditions (as outlined by AHPRA) and sign a consent document acknowledging your acceptance of the confidentiality terms. In this document you will be advised of any other practitioners you consent for general information to be shared. You will receive a hard copy of the Consent Conditions and Privacy Policy for your records.
Note: if you have been referred under a MHCP, updates to the referring practitioner are required
in order to access ongoing rebates.
