Frequently Asked Questions

Anyone can call and make an appointment to see one of our Mind & Seek psychologists. Alternatively, you may be referred to us by your GP, paediatrician, school or other health professional. If you choose to call us on 0452 526 463 (0452 52 MIND), your general questions can be answered and you can schedule an initial consultation.

For children under 12 years old, it is recommended that the first 50-minute appointment be a session between the psychologist and parents/guardians. The initial consultation will involve a discussion about your child’s developmental history, current issues, concerns and needs. Attending the session without your child enables you to discuss your concerns without little ears listening. It also provides you with an opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the therapeutic or assessment process. Our Mind & Seek psychologists work collaboratively with parents/guardians to plan, review and deliver therapy.

It is the responsibility of parents and guardians to adhere to the parental responsibility arrangements regarding their child as stipulated by temporary or final court orders. At mind and seek psychology, we have an ethical obligation to request attending parents to inform all parents with shared parental responsibility of scheduled psychology sessions. To make sure mind and seek is the most appropriate service for your circumstances, please inform us of any shared parental responsibility arrangements and send through any relevant orders to reception@mindandseek.com.au as these will need to be reviewed by the psychologist prior to your first appointment. We may contact you for further information. If you are unable to inform the non-attending parent, mediation services may be necessary before commencing sessions at mind and seek. It is also important to note that if we are contacted by a non-attending parent with shared parental responsibility of your child, we have an obligation to involve them in the therapeutic process unless court orders stipulate such restrictions. This can include pausing sessions until written consent is obtained from all parties with parental responsibility. We appreciate that family dynamics can be complex and believe that by being transparent about our processes from the outset we minimise disruption your child's therapeutic experience as much as possible.

A treatment schedule typically involves weekly or fortnightly 50-minute appointments. Treatment goals are devised collaboratively with the psychologist, client and parent / guardians (if appropriate). Treatment goals are reviewed regularly in order to assess / and or modify the focus of the session according to your needs. Typically, individuals require between 5 and 15 therapy sessions. Once initial concerns start to improve, it is common for psychologists to recommend review sessions in order to check-in and see how things are going. Review sessions tend to occur at less frequent intervals than when treatment first started (e.g., monthly or longer).

An Autism Assessment for children begins with a 2-hour interview with parents / guardians to gain a thorough understanding of the child’s developmental, behavioural, social, emotional and cognitive history, as well as current concerns. Parents may be asked to complete questionnaires to help the psychologist identify a range of presenting concerns. Typically, the school or kinder are also asked to complete questionnaires to provide the psychologist with an understanding of the child’s behaviour in a classroom setting. The second session is a child or adolescent observation and/or interview session where the psychologist asks the child to complete several play-based activities using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) and/or the Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum (MIGDAS-2). Depending on the child’s age and individual needs, the parent may be asked to sit in the waiting room during the assessment. A comprehensive report containing the outcome of the assessment and recommendations are discussed to parents / guardians at the feedback session. For more information about Adolescent and Adult Autism Assessments, please click here.(www.mindandseek.com.au/adultautismassessments)

A cognitive or educational assessment may be recommended if parents, teachers or other health professionals have concerns or questions regarding the child’s learning. This may involve concerns or questions about the child’s general learning, or specific questions regarding an aspect of the child’s learning (e.g., reading ability). Cognitive assessments or intelligence tests (IQ) are used to determine a child’s learning capability by identifying their cognitive strengths and weaknesses. When interpreted in combination with background information and/or parent and teachers interviews, the results of cognitive tests can provide a profile which can assist with the development of individualised intervention and learning plans for children. When our psychologists approach an educational assessment, they will discuss your main concerns in an initial parent session. Our psychologists will typically require 3 assessment sessions to answer your referral question (e.g., exploring difficulties in numeracy, literacy or writing), especially when parents have multiple areas of concern. The first assessment session will assess the child's cognitive ability (their learning capacity compared to same-aged peers). The second assessment session will assess the child's broad academic abilities (to help identify areas of concern). The third assessment session will assess targeted areas of concern (e.g., literacy, numeracy etc.) to help diagnose specific learning disorders. Please see our flyer for more details on the process If your child has not received targeted intervention in the past to assist with their learning difficulties, your psychologist may recommend a 6-12 month intervention before confirming a specific learning disorder.

Cognitive assessments with children require the administration of standardised psychometric tools by experienced and accredited psychologists. These tools can assess various areas of cognitive capacity, for example: • Verbal Comprehension: the ability to use a range of vocabulary to understand and express general knowledge and explain concepts • Visual Spatial: the ability to evaluate visual details and understand visual spatial relationships • Fluid Reasoning: the ability to use conceptual information from visual details and apply that knowledge • Working Memory: the ability to learn, manipulate and retain information to complete new tasks • Processing Speed: the ability to quickly process and make judgements about visual information

Cognitive assessments with children help assist in the examination of: • Intellectual Giftedness: a cognitive assessment will help to assess whether a child can access gifted and talented programs or special classes e.g. admission to selective schools, acceleration or opportunity classes, or guide teachers in the provision of extension activities in the classroom setting. • Diagnosing learning difficulties or disabilities in children: a cognitive assessment in conjunction with an educational assessment (looking at specific abilities, such as reading, writing and maths abilities) can assist in identifying the presence of a learning difficulty or disorder in children and to help teachers make appropriate accommodations for students in the classroom. This information can be used to manage and minimise negative experiences at school such as poor academic results, school avoidance and low self-esteem. • Intellectual difficulty or disability: an assessment will assist in identifying children with an intellectual disability, which is characterised by an IQ test score at least 2 standard deviations below the mean (this often equates to an IQ score of 70). Following an assessment, children and parents will have a better understanding around how an intellectual disability impacts the child’s ability to learn. It will also help to provide information to develop effective plans or accommodations in the classroom that are tailored to meet a child’s specific needs. Results can also assist in making applications to access government or school disability funding, special needs teachers or special provisions (e.g. scribe) in formal school examinations.

A cognitive (or educational) assessment begins with a brief interview discussing the history of the child’s learning and current concerns. Parents / guardians are encouraged to bring recent school reports and any previous assessments. Depending on the referral reason, the assessment may then take between one to two assessments sessions with the child. The sessions involve asking the child to complete several different activities using a developmentally appropriate assessment tool (e.g., Weschler Intelligence Scales for Children, WISC-V, Weschler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, WWPSI, and Weschler Individual Achievement Test, WIAT-III). Depending on the child’s age and individual needs, the parent may be asked to sit in the waiting room during the assessment. A comprehensive report containing the outcome of the assessment and recommendations are discussed to parents / guardians at the feedback session.

Our provisional psychologists have studied a minimum of 5 years in tertiary education before undertaking an additional internship year or clinical placement to further develop their professional practice. During this internship or clinical placement, they undertake a higher level of supervision from fully registered senior psychologists. This supervision process ensures that provisional psychologists have additional support in skill development, ethical practice, and reflection to guarantee that their clients receive effective and appropriate treatment. Provisional psychologists have met the registration standards outlined by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (https://www.ahpra.gov.au/)(AHPRA) and are continually committed to meeting these standards in future practice. They are also required to do extensive professional development in their internship year or whilst completing their clinical masters to learn new ways to support their clients. Once they complete their provisional requirements, they can gain general registration as a psychologist. All provisional psychologists are skilled in providing the services to aid their clients in achieving their therapy goals. Like generally registered psychologists, provisionally registered psychologists can help support clients in a broad range of presenting concerns and regularly report to their governing body, AHPRA. Provisionally registered psychologists cannot offer a Medicare rebate, which means that clients do not need a mental health care plan. However, the prices of a session with a provisional psychologist are lower to reflect this. Additionally, provisional psychologists do not have a maximum number of sessions that you can see them. Our provisional psychologists have current availability and are eager to help close the gap between clients and the significant wait times that people seeking psychological support experience.

The Australian Psychological Society recommends an hourly rate of $311 per session, However, we aim to keep fees reasonable and rates are set substantially below this. From July 1st 2025, our consultation rates range from $200-$260, depending on your selected psychologist. Our provisional psychologist offers reduced consulting rates. For current assessment fees please click here.(https://www.mindandseek.com.au/fees-and-rebates) The Mind & Seek administrative team work onsite at Aberfeldie location and process Belmont payments and bookings remotely. If reception is onsite, payment is made on the day of your appointment by credit card or eftpos. If reception is unattended on the day of your session, one of our friendly reception staff will send an invoice via email to you after your appointment or with your permission process the credit card details we have on file. Medicare rebates can then be processed if eligible.

Subject to eligibility, rebates for psychological services may be claimed through the following means: Medicare: The psychological services at Mind & Seek are registered under Medicare. Clients referred to us under a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan, may receive up to 10 treatment sessions per year subsidised by Medicare. Please ask your GP or Paediatrician for further information regarding Medicare referrals. Click here for up-to-date information on Medicare rebates for psychology. Medicare rebates may be claimed via Medicare Online Claiming for payment direct to your account if your bank details are registered with Medicare. Alternatively, you can claim your rebate by visiting Medicare. Please note that Medicare does not cover psychological assessments (except for autism assessments under the appropriate referral by a paediatrician or psychiatrist) however, you may be eligible for a rebate under your private health care fund.

If a client is unable to keep their scheduled appointment, it is important to please give as much notice as possible, so that the time is available for us to offer that session to a client on our waiting / cancellation list. A cancellation fee applies when you change or cancel an appointment without providing two (2) business days' notice. A business day means a day that is not a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday in VIC. The cancellation fee is equal to the scheduled service fee.  Please ensure you record your Mind & Seek appointment in your calendar. Our cancellation policy is crucial for maintaining the smooth operation of our clinic. It enables us to meet our financial obligations, including paying our staff and covering business expenses. Missed appointments or last-minute cancellations directly impact our clinic, which is why this policy will be strictly enforced. A fee will not be charged if you provide at least two business days' notice of a cancellation. For clarity, if your appointment is on a Monday morning, you must notify us by the beginning of the previous Thursday at the latest. Please be aware that a business day does not include Saturdays, Sundays, or public holidays in VIC. Notifications on these days will not be processed. We understand that sometimes, serious and unavoidable circumstances arise. If you cannot provide the required two business days' notice due to a qualifying extenuating circumstance, you may request an exception to our cancellation policy. What We Consider a "Serious Extenuating Circumstance": A serious extenuating circumstance is an event that is: • Extremely beyond your control. • Unforeseeable and could not have been anticipated. • Makes it impossible for you or your child to attend the appointment, even by phone or video. Examples of situations that DO NOT qualify: We are unable to waive the fee for circumstances such as: • Forgetting the appointment or double-booking. • A vehicle breakdown. • An illness of another child or an inability to find a babysitter. Policy Exceptions & Alternatives If you do not qualify for an exception, we offer alternatives to a full cancellation fee. We will first attempt to find a solution that keeps your appointment and will only offer a reduced fee if those options are not available. The alternatives we may offer are: • Zoom Consultation: Convert your appointment to a phone or video call. This could be a session with your child or a parent session. • Reschedule: We may reschedule your appointment for another time on the same day, provided we have an opening.