General Practitioners

As our Psychologists are all fully registered they can accept Mental Health Plan Referrals made by General Practitioners.

A Mental Health Plan may be a letter or note to an eligible psychologist signed and dated by the referring practitioner. Referring General Practitioners are not required to use a specific form and/or provide the Mental Health Plan to the psychologist to refer patients for these services.

If you are looking for our help to recommend a particular client or presenting issue to one of Our Psychologists please do not hesitate to contact our friendly administration team.

The maximum is 10 individual sessions per calendar year (e.g., 1st of January to 31st of December). . 

Clients are eligible to receive more than 10 sessions in year from the date of their Mental Health Plan. Subsequent referrals can be made under an additional review of the clients Mental Health Plan. 

Clients are also eligible for 10 Group Therapy sessions in a calendar year. These can also be reviewed after 6 sessions and further group of 4 sessions provided. See our SHADES and SHADES-Y programs for further information on our Group Therapy services.

This can occur through a psychologist referral for:

Up to 6 treatment sessions under;

A GP Mental Health Care Plan (Medicare Item 2715 or 2717) for General Practitioners who have completed mental health skills training accredited by the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC) or a;

A GP Mental Health Care Plan (Medicare Item 2700 or 2701) for General Practitioners who have not completed mental health skills training accredited by the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC)

Up to 4 further additional treatment sessions under Medicare Item 2712

Yes, we presently run the popular and evidence-based SHADES (Self Help for Anxiety and Depression Education Sesssions) groups each term. 

Please contact our friendly administration staff on (03) 5242 8637 for details regarding referrals to the SHADES group therapy program under the Better Access to Mental Health Care scheme

Yes. Our Group Therapy programs complement the individual sessions provided by Our Psychologists. There is some evidence also to suggest there is an additive benefit of Group Therapy sessions. Clients being referred under a Mental Health Plan are eligible for 10 Group Therapy Sessions per year in addition to their 10 Individual Sessions. 

No. At this point in time there is currently no evidence-based approach in Australia for formally matching clients to psychologists. For this reason, we believe it would be neither ethical nor appropriate to advertise or charge for such a service. 

We also respect that some clients may already know which psychologist they wish to see before contacting us or their General Practitioner. This can be through word of mouth recommendation, their own research, or other relevant sources. 

For General Practitioners who are unsure of which Psychologist to refer to we can consider your client preferences and provide informed recommendations. These preferences may include factors such as the psychologist’s gender, areas of expertise and experience, availability for an initial appointment, and options for after-hours sessions. 

Our administration team is trained to assist General Practitioner’s in selecting a psychologist who will fit with your patient’s preferences.

It is completely normal—everyone experiences therapy differently. Clients may have been referred to a specific psychologist or scheduled based on factors such as their presenting concerns, gender preference, or appointment availability. Despite everyone’s best efforts, sometimes the fit just isn’t right. We are here to help and suggest the following;

Step 1:                                                                                                                              Encourage and support your client to identify and then share their concerns with our psychologist. Often, if a Psychologist can be made aware it can allow them to reflect and consider adjusting their approach or style to better meet your needs.

Step 2:
If you are receiving feedback from your client/patient things still don’t feel right, please contact our administration team or reach out to our Practice Manager. At Growth, we welcome feedback—both for individual practitioners and our practice as a whole. We see it as an opportunity for reflection and improvement so we can better support our clients and referrers.

Yes, we commonly use routine outcome measures with clients on an individual and group basis. These will typically be provided to both clients and referrers as they move through a cycle of client care and feature in reports to General Practitioners. We also prioritise the development and attainment of clear and measurable client-related goals.