Self

Our friendly administration staff will answer any questions you may have and can book an appointment for you with one of our Psychologists. 

If you have not been referred to or chosen to see a specific psychologist, our administration staff can help recommend a psychologist to your needs.

Please also feel free to take the time to read information about Our Psychologists prior to contacting for an appointment.

At your initial appointment you will meet with one of our psychologists who will ask you to provide information about yourself, your background and reasons for seeking assistance. Our psychologist will provide you with some feedback to check their understanding of your difficulties and if necessary provide education and/or brief suggestions to help you.

Our psychologist will provide education around your difficulties and develop a plan with you to assist you in attaining your goals. Subsequent sessions will focus on providing the strategies identified in the plan to help you. Your psychologist will review your progress with you on an ongoing basis and seek your input. Changes can be made to your treatment to help ensure you achieve the changes you want to.

Our psychologists seek to provide the most cost-effective psychological care available. Our psychologists will pair their expertise and experience with your knowledge of your circumstances and goals to estimate the number of sessions you require within your first two consultations.

You can request a Mental Health Plan for Individual Sessions from your General Practitioner. Depending upon your circumstances, you may be eligible for rebates from Medicare for as many as 10 sessions per year. Rebates can be processed onsite at Geelong.

Clients who have private health insurance with ancillary services may also be eligible for rebates.

No. 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.

What we can do, however, is consider your 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 you in choosing a psychologist who best aligns with your needs.

We also respect that some clients may already know which psychologist they wish to see before contacting us. Furthermore, General Practitioners, Consultant Psychiatrists, Paediatricians, and other healthcare professionals may make recommendations or referrals based on their understanding of your needs. We welcome and appreciate the expertise of other healthcare providers.

It is completely normal—everyone experiences therapy differently. Clients may have been referred or recommended a specific psychologist based on factors such as their presenting concerns, gender preference, appointment availability or word of mouth. Despite everyone’s best efforts, sometimes the fit just isn’t right. If this happens, please know it’s not unusual, and we’re here to help.

Step 1:
We encourage you to first share your concerns with your psychologist. Let them know what you feel isn’t working and what you’re hoping for. Often, understanding your perspective allows them to adjust their approach or style to better meet your needs. 

Step 2:
If 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 the practice as a whole. We see it as an opportunity for reflection and improvement so we can better support our clients and referrers to make meaningful change. Helping us to help you further helps us to uphold our commitment to all clients and referrers. 

Yes. Our Group Therapy programs are designed to complement and support the individual sessions clients undertake. There is also some research evidence to suggest coupling the two together can lead to improved benefits for clients.