Family Support

The first session is an “Intake and Discovery” session. It is a collaborative space designed to ensure we have a clear path forward before we begin our work together.

During this appointment, your psychologist will:

• Gather Information: We will discuss your current situation, your concerns, your background, and any relevant history.

• Understand Your Goals: We will take the time to understand your specific reasons for seeking support, what you are expecting from the service, and what you hope to achieve.

• Review the Essentials: We will review your intake paperwork and explain important aspects of the service, such as our privacy and confidentiality policies.

• Clarify the Plan: You are encouraged to ask any questions you have. We will clarify how we can support you, discuss the likely length and frequency of sessions, and confirm any specific reporting requirements.

Clinical Alignment: Our priority is ensuring you get the right support. If, during this first meeting, we believe there is a more appropriate practitioner or organisation to assist you, we will explain this clearly and help arrange a referral for you. This first session is the beginning of turning your concerns into a structured roadmap for progress.

Ongoing appointments are where we move from planning into action. The structure of these sessions depends on whether you are engaging in clinical support or professional consultation:

• For Clinical Clients: Sessions focus on building the skills and systems needed to navigate daily life. This might involve practicing practical tools for executive functioning, troubleshooting challenges in your home or school environment, or preparing for NDIS reviews. Each session is a mix of reflection and actionable strategy.

• For Professionals & Agencies: Ongoing sessions focus on reflective practice and professional growth. We dive into complex case formulations, navigate the emotional impact of clinical work, and refine your professional “lens.” These sessions are a protected space for you to build your capacity, prevent burnout, and ensure high-quality service delivery.

Regardless of the service, the frequency and duration of these appointments are flexible. We will review our progress regularly to ensure the level of support remains appropriate for your goals.

No, you do not need a formal referral to access support at Brightseed Psychology. You are welcome to reach out to us directly as a “self-referral” to discuss your needs.

However, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding funding pathways:

• Medicare: If you wish to claim a Medicare rebate for your sessions, you will need to see your GP for a Mental Health Care Plan and a referral letter prior to our first appointment.

• NDIS: If you are using NDIS funding, a GP referral is generally not required; your NDIS plan serves as the basis for our service agreement.

A Note on Pricing: Regardless of your referral type or how your sessions are funded (NDIS, Medicare, Private Health, or Self-Funded), our hourly rate for clinical services remains exactly the same. We maintain a consistent, transparent fee structure for all clients to ensure our clinical focus remains solely on providing the highest quality of support.

Yes. We are experienced in working within the NDIS framework and can provide services for participants who are:

• Self-Managed

• Plan-Managed

Please note: As we are currently a non-registered provider, we are unable to see participants whose funding is NDIA-managed (Agency-managed).

Yes, depending on your individual circumstances:

• Medicare: If you have a valid Mental Health Care Plan and a referral from your GP, you are entitled to a rebate for up to 10 sessions per calendar year. The current Medicare rebate for a standard consultation with a Registered Psychologist is $98.97 (effective from 1 July 2025).

• Private Health: Many private health funds cover psychological services. Since every policy is different, we recommend checking with your provider to see what your specific “extras” cover allows.

Please note: You cannot claim both a Medicare rebate and a Private Health rebate for the same session. As with all our services, our base hourly rate remains the same regardless of the rebate you are accessing.

As a community-based service, we often meet you where the work needs to happen (whether that is at home, school, or your workplace). We follow a transparent billing structure for travel that aligns with industry standards and current NDIS guidelines:

• Travel Time: Travel is billed based on the time spent in transit to your location. For most clients, this is billed at 50% of our standard hourly rate for the service being provided.

• Location Caps: To keep costs predictable, we cap billable travel time based on your distance from our hub, typically up to a maximum of 30 minutes for metropolitan areas (MMM 1–3) and 60 minutes for regional areas (MMM 4–5).

• Time Only (No Mileage): We only bill for the time spent traveling; we do not charge additional per-kilometer “mileage” or vehicle fees.

• Clinical Judgment: This is a key part of our approach. We use our clinical judgment to determine if an offsite visit is the most appropriate and effective way to meet your goals. If we believe a session would be safer or more productive in an office or via telehealth, we will discuss this with you.

All travel arrangements and estimated costs are clearly documented in your service agreement during the intake process so you can budget with confidence.

Yes—in fact, this is often a core part of our systemic approach. For a family consultation to be effective, parents and carers need a “safe space” to speak openly about challenges, fears, and the complex logistics of support without the pressure of being “overheard.”

Meeting without the individual present allows us to:

• Discuss sensitive clinical or behavioural information openly.

• Focus purely on your capacity-building and emotional regulation as a carer.

• Brainstorm and “stress-test” new strategies before introducing them to the home or school environment.

Yes. We understand that high-quality documentation is essential for securing the right level of support. We can provide comprehensive reports for NDIS plan meetings and mid-plan reviews.

Our reports are designed to be “evidence-based but human-led.” We focus on:

• Functional Impact: Clearly explaining how a person’s disability impacts their daily life and participation.

• Progress Tracking: Documenting the outcomes of the strategies we have implemented.

• Recommendations: Providing clear, clinical justifications for the supports and services needed moving forward to meet your goals.

Please note: Report writing is a detailed clinical process and is billed at our standard hourly rate. We recommend letting us know at least 4–6 weeks before your plan review to ensure we have ample time to capture the information you need.

We understand that life, especially in the context of disability and family support, can be unpredictable. However, because we reserve a significant block of time for your session (and often coordinate travel to your location), we require a minimum of 48 hours’ notice for any cancellations or changes.

• Late Cancellations: Cancellations or reschedules made with less than 48 hours’ notice will incur the full session fee.

• Why we have this policy: This allows us to maintain a sustainable service and offer that time to other families or individuals on our waitlist who may be waiting for support.

We recommend notifying us as soon as possible via email or phone if you cannot make your scheduled time.

The relationship between you and your psychologist is the most important part of the process. You should feel heard, respected, and like we are “speaking the same language.”

To ensure we are a good match, we use a detailed online enquiry form as our first point of contact. This allows me to review your goals and ensure my expertise aligns with what you need.

Your Choice Matters: Even after we meet, you always have the right to decide if the fit is correct for you. If at any point you feel we aren’t the right match, we won’t be offended! Finding the right “click” is essential for progress, and if we aren’t it, we can often suggest other clinicians or pathways that might suit you better.