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Frequently asked questions

Fees, rebates and referrals

  • Clinical Psychologist: $250
    After Medicare rebate, out of pocket cost is $100.95

    Psychologist: $220
    After Medicare rebate, out of pocket cost is $118.45

    You will receive a Medicare rebate if you have a referral from your GP. We also accept DVA, Open Arms, ADF, EAP and NDIS referrals, which have no out of pocket cost to you.

  • A valid referral from your GP provides you eligibility for up to 10 Medicare rebated psychology sessions per calendar year. This is often known as a Mental Health Care Plan.

    We will process your Medicare rebate following your appointment and this will be automatically transferred into your bank account between 24-48 hours.

  • No, you don’t need a referral to book or attend a session, however we suggest clients get a Mental Health Care Plan or referral from their GP before they attend their first session, so they can access a Medicare rebate.

  • No, you don’t need a new referral. As long as you have not used all 6 sessions, you can use the same referral at Lacuna, no need for a new referral. Just book and email through your existing referral.

  • Private insurance rebates vary by provider. We do not complete claims under private insurance, but you can submit your invoice to your insurer. Private insurance and medicare rebates cannot be applied to the same appointment.

  • Yes, we are a registered NDIS provider. If you are self managed or plan managed you can see a psychologist at Lacuna through the NDIS

  • If you need to cancel, please provide at least 2 business days' notice to avoid incurring the full session fee, as short notice limits our ability to fill appointments.


    We encourage you to book only when you’re confident you can attend. Appointment reminders are sent prior to your appointment as a courtesy.

  • Yes you can switch and no, you don’t need a new referral. You can use the remaining sessions with Lacuna and still get a Medicare rebate. Just book, email us the referral and we will handle the rest.

Therapy

  • Our therapists provide a type of emotion focussed, evidence-based therapy called Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP). Here’s what that means and how it can help:

    • Emotion drives behaviour: Unconscious processes and emotions drive our behaviours. When situations or triggers occur, our emotion system is the first thing to react. Our conscious understanding is not the same as the underlying unconscious nervous system response.

    • Focus on emotions: Unlike therapies that focus on thoughts (such as CBT), we start with emotions and the nervous system. Many people have an intellectual insight into their difficulties, but don’t know how to actually shift things on an emotional level.

    • Understanding unconscious feelings: This therapy helps you become aware of emotions you might not even realise are affecting you, giving you insight into they way your body may be responding in terms of unconscious anxiety, emotions and behaviour.

    • Addressing the root cause: In addition to helping you with your symptoms, ISTDP aims to get to the core of your difficulties. Our aim is deep and long lasting change.

    • Tools for managing emotions: ISTDP is designed to help you regulate anxiety and process challenging emotions so that you can handle them better over time.

    • More than Symptom Relief: Our goal is to help you fully experience and process your emotions so they no longer cause anxiety, overwhelm or avoidance.

    This approach is supportive and focused on helping you find real, meaningful change.

  • Our Clinical Psychologists have training and experience for wide-range of psychological difficulties:

    • Anxiety

    • Depression

    • Trauma and PTSD

    • Addiction

    • Personality disorders

    • Relationship problems and breakdowns

    • Eating disorders

    • Somatic problems and medically unexplained pain

    If your difficulties are driven by emotions, emotional avoidance or avoidance of emotional vulnerability, we can help.

    If you are unsure if we can help, send us a message.

  • We are a team of endorsed Clinical Psychologists and Clinical Psychology Registrars. This means that each therapist at Lacuna Clinical Psychology has completed an accredited Masters, Doctorate or PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Your visit

  • You can book online at any time, or call us during business hours on 02 4003 4804 or send us a message.

  • We are located at 36 Crebert St, Mayfield in Newcastle, NSW. There is free, untimed street parking nearby.

  • Yes we do. Wherever possible we suggest in person appointments, but when that is not possible we can happily arrange to see you online and all fees and rebates remain the same.

  • The first appointment is primarily dedicated to developing an understanding of the difficulties you are experiencing and developing a collaborative plan for how to address those difficulties in therapy.

  • We specialise in adults, we don’t see children. The youngest we will see is 16 years old.

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Get support at Lacuna Psychology

Take the first step toward feeling better by booking an appointment at Lacuna Psychology. If you still have questions contact our Practice Manager.

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