We aim to be transparent about the service you will receive at Duality Psychology. It is important to us that you feel well informed prior to booking your first appointment.

 

If you still have questions after reading below information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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Appointment Fees & Payment

Please note that initial appointments are 75 minutes (60-minute contact time and 15-minute buffer for administration tasks) and regular appointments are 50 minutes contact time with 10-minute buffer for administration tasks. Shorter (30 minute) and longer consultations (75-90 minute) are available at request but are subject to availability of the psychologist and billed pro-rata. Please discuss your suitability for these sessions with your psychologist. 

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Payment of appointments is to be made within 24 hours of your appointment. Late payments will attract an administrative fee of 10% of the total cost. Please be aware that you will not be able to book future appointments if you have an outstanding payment on your account. Duality Psychology reserves the right to engage a debt collector if you fail to pay for services rendered. Duality Psychology also reserves the right to request pre-payment of your full session fee if you continue to incur late payment fees or non-attendance fees.

 

With your consent, your debit or credit card details will be saved in a secure database and payment will automatically be processed after your appointment. As a client of the Service, you consent to paying any Halaxy electronic payment processing fees applicable to your Services. Alternatively, there is an option for direct deposit that is also available to you in which case no Halaxy processing fees will apply.   

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​The same Medicare rebates are available for telehealth and in person appointments. We can process a claim after your appointment into your nominated bank account if you provide us with your Medicare number. Alternatively, we can issue you with a tax invoice, and you can claim your Medicare rebates directly from Medicare[1].

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Fees will be reviewed and increased at the end of every financial year. The practice will endeavor to notify you of any fee increases in a timely manner.

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​Letters/Reports

​We may be able to provide brief letters of support and reports that are within our scope of practice. There will be at our standard consultation rate (currently $245 per hour) of a pro rata basis.

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There are no Medicare rebates available for the provision of letters or reports. We may be unable to provide letters or reports on short notice so please make requests as early as practical.

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Please note that we do not offer assessment and reports for legal matters.

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Cancellation

Appointment reminders are sent via email four days in advance to enable changes to scheduled appointments.

We have a strict cancellation policy in place to protect the sustainability of our services and the continuity of care for all our clients. As we operate as a boutique service, it is impossible to fill a late cancellation slot. A late cancelled appointment is a loss to 3 people:

1. The client who is delaying their therapy progress;

2. Another client who has been sitting on the waiting list to see the psychologist urgently, and

3. The psychologist who spent the morning preparing for your session, time completing administrative tasks relating to your appointment and had set the time aside for you. 

 

Our late cancellation policy is as follows:

• Cancellations within 48 hours will incur 50% of the full fee.

• Cancellations within 24 hours or non-attendance will incur 100% of the full fee.

 

Please note that Medicare rebates are only applied to services rendered and are not applicable to late cancellation fees or non-attendance fees. 

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We know that life can be unpredictable, please advise us if you are running late for your appointment. As a courtesy, your psychologist will wait 15 minutes before we assume that you will not be attending and charge a non-attendance fee. 

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If we have your credit/debit card details on file, late cancellation and non-attendance fees will be charged onto the card automatically. 

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Your responsibility

A valid referral from your general practitioner, psychiatrist or paediatrician is required prior to your first appointment to enable us to facilitate your Medicate rebate.

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We strive to assist you with navigating the requirements by Medicare (e.g., keeping a record of session numbers used at our clinic). However, it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the Medicare requirements to be able to claim any rebates and that includes monitoring your Medicare session numbers, ensuring timely assessment and preparation of rereferral letters with your referring doctor and forwarding a copy of the appropriate paperwork to us prior to your appointment.

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Please note that you will not be able to claim both a Medicare rebate and a rebate from your private health fund for a single session.

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Psychological Service

As part of providing psychological services (Services) to you, Duality Psychology may be required to collect and record certain personal information from you that is relevant to the provision of Services. This includes, but is not limited to, your contact information, personal history, medical history, information about your family and other relevant support persons, and other relevant information deemed appropriate by your psychologist. Collection of such personal information is a necessary part of the psychological assessment and treatment that is conducted. You may elect not to provide all requested personal information; however, this may impact or limit the Services provided. 

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Collection of information

Your personal information is kept securely and, in the interests of your privacy, used only in connection with the provision of Services to you. Your information is stored electronically in a secure practice management software (Halaxy). In line with Australian Psychological Society (APS) guidelines, your information will be kept for a period of 7 years (or, in the case of minor, for a period of 7 years after reaching the legal age of 18 years old) after this time following the end of your treatment with Duality Psychology and will be destroyed following this retention period. 

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Limits to Confidentiality

All personal information collected by your psychologist or Duality Psychology during the provision of the Services will remain confidential, except when: 

1. it is subpoenaed by a court, or disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law; or 

2. failure to disclose the information would in the reasonable belief of your psychologist, place you or another person at serious risk to life, health, or safety; or 

3. your prior consent has been obtained to: 

a) provide a written report to another professional or agency. e.g., a general practitioner or a lawyer; or 

b) discuss the material with another person, e.g., a partner, parent, employer, health provider or third-party funder; or 

c) disclose the information in another way; or 

d) disclose to another professional or agency (e.g., your general practitioner) and disclosure of your personal information to that third party is for a purpose which is directly related to the primary purpose for which your personal information was collected. 

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Access to client information 

At any stage you are entitled to request access to your personal information held by Duality Psychology, subject to any relevant statutory exceptions. Your psychologist may discuss different possible forms of access with you if a request is made.

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Communication between sessions 

Communication between scheduled sessions will be kept to a minimum with an expectation that it is limited to administrative issues (i.e., organising appointments, completion and return of psychometric assessments and questionnaires, requesting information to be shared with specialists and sharing of resources). It is strongly recommended that private information is not shared in email format between sessions due to privacy and confidentiality issues.  Duality Psychology is not responsible for the security of your information before it comes into our possession.

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Charter for Clients of APS Psychologists 

Please refer to the provided “Charter for Clients of APS Psychologists” for an explanation of your rights as a client of a psychologist.

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Telehealth

Telehealth refers to the delivery of healthcare services through telecommunication technology such as video conferencing, phone calls, and other digital means. Telehealth have been found to offer numerous benefits such as convenience, flexibility, and accessibility to healthcare services. This section outlines some considerations of telehealth services and your responsibilities. 

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By signing this form, you consent to receiving healthcare services through a video conferencing and/or telephone platform chosen by Duality Psychology.

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You acknowledge and agree that:

• you are responsible for providing your next of kin contact details, including their name and contact information, in case of an emergency.

• you are responsible for ensuring that you have a private space free of distractions for the appointment, just like in a face-to-face appointment. You agree to use a computer, laptop, or tablet device with stable and secure internet connection whenever to optimise engagement.

• you will refrain from using any mind-altering substances directly before and during the appointment.

• you agree to approach your telehealth appointment in the same manner as a face-to-face appointment. This means that you will not use your mobile phone, multitask with work tasks, school/university assessments, house chores, driving and other similar activities that will detract from your engagement in the session.

• you must be on time for your appointment and notify our psychologist if there may be able delays to attending appointment on time. You agree to notify our psychologist in advance by phone or email if a cancellation or reschedule is required. Late cancellation fees will apply within specific timeframe. 

• you agree to use the telehealth platform chosen by Duality Psychology, and your psychologist will explain how to use it if required. It is your responsibility to ensure that you familiarise yourself with the platform prior to your appointment time as your psychologist may not be able to allocate extra time to your scheduled appointment if you are late due to technical difficulties.

• confidentiality still applies for telepsychology services, and neither you, your psychologist nor Duality Psychology will record the session without prior consent.

• though every effort has been made to safeguard privacy, these services are subject to certain limitations, including the potential for technical failure, communication disruptions, or breaches in privacy.

 

Termination

Either you or your psychologist may terminate the telehealth services at any time for any reason. You agree to give notice and reason if this should occur. You also acknowledge that your psychologist reserves the right to discontinue telehealth services if they determine that it is no longer appropriate for your care. Your psychologist will endeavour to provide alternative resources and referral services should this occur.