Start Your Therapy Journey at A Good Space
Beginning therapy often brings mixed feelings. Most people feel at least a little nervous — and often, alongside that, a sense of relief.
The first session focuses on building a safe therapeutic relationship and understanding what has brought you to therapy.
What can I expect in the first session?
Almost everyone that comes to therapy is more than a little nervous in the first session. They also experience relief.
It makes sense to feel nervous about talking to someone new about very personal struggles in your life. We can be afraid that strong emotions might surface, or that we will be seen as weak or to blame for what we are experiencing, or that our problems will be judged as not serious enough to seek help from a professional.
Clients also experience a sense of relief (even after just making the appointment) because they have been strong enough to reach out and find the support they need to understand themselves and feel better. They have wise company for the journey. This reaching out is a proactive, healthy step and feels good by itself.
I will guide you through the first session which is all about building a safe relationship and getting to know you and what has brought you to your appointment.
Usually clients come to therapy with a ‘pain point’ - something they are struggling with or that is impeding their wellbeing in some way. I will be interested to hear about all this. Clients also come with a unique set of expectations, judgments, sensitivities, sensations, triggers, strategies, and memories. I am interested in whatever you bring in whatever way you bring it. We will move at your pace. You will not be judged for doing or not doing anything. You have total control of what you do and don’t wish to share.
Later on, I will also be interested to hear about other aspects of your life - especially your relationships with family, friends and yourself. I am keen to learn what goals or expectations you might have for therapy and what changes you would like to see.
I recommend arriving at least 10 mins ahead of your appointment time. This is to allow plenty of time to park and find your way to my office without rushing.
You need only your referral/mental health care plan and means of payment. Your appointment will run for 50-60 minutes.
When you find Princess Chambers at 27 Market Street in Fremantle please come inside into the foyer area, text me at the exact time of our appointment and I will come downstairs to welcome you.
Fees and Rebates
My rates are competitive with what experienced Clinical Psychologists in Perth charge.
The 2025-2026 fee recommended by the Australian Psychological Society for a 45-60 minute Clinical psychology consultation is $318 (click here to view the APS Schedule of Recommended Fees 2024-2025).
My fee is $280 per session with the exception of the our initial session which will be $340.
The full fee is payable in full on the day of your appointment.
The current Medicare rebate is $145.25 per standard consultation with a Clinical Psychologist. This means the payment gap is $134.75 per session. I can guide you as to how to claim the rebate.
Cancellations:Please give careful consideration to your ability to attend appointments. I have a strict 24-hour cancellation policy. This means 24 hours notice or more is required for cancellations or rescheduling of appointments.
Cancellations and/or rescheduling without 24 hours notice will be charged $150.00 for ALL cancellation reasons including emergency and illness.
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A GP referral in the form of a Mental Health Care Plan or a referral from a Psychiatrist or other Medical Specialist will be necessary if you wish to access the Medicare rebate.
If you wish to access my services privately or claim a private health fund rebate, you do not need a referral.
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Most people will be eligible to access 10 Medicare sessions per calendar year. These are accessible under a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP or Psychiatrist.
As a first step, I suggest you book a long appointment with your GP to discuss your needs and to ask for a Mental Health Care Plan. The plan will allow you to access Medicare rebates for up to 10 individual sessions and 10 group therapy sessions per calendar year. These sessions can be conducted face to face or via Telehealth.
Your referring GP will require a return visit to review your progress after the first six therapy sessions. If your GP is very busy I suggest you make this appointment ahead of time. At this meeting your GP will provide a re-referral for an additional four sessions, if required.
Medicare will rebate $137.05 per standard consultation with a Clinical Psychologist. This means the payment gap is $132.095 per session.
Medicare rebates may be claimed on the day of your consultation. To claim rebates download the Medicare Express Plus app.
Medicare rebates are also available to clients referred by a Psychiatrist or Paediatrician under the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (or “Better Access”) initiative. When referred by a Psychiatrist or Paediatrician only a referral letter is required.
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You may be able to claim a private health fund rebate depending on the health fund you are with and your level of insurance cover.
To see if you are covered for psychological services and find out how much you are covered for please contact your private health fund directly.
Please note that Medicare rebates and private rebates cannot be claimed for the same session.
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I accept payment via Eftpos or direct bank transfer on the day of the appointment.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A Clinical Psychologist is an expert in mental health. They have undertaken highly specialised 8 year long training in the assessment, diagnosis, formulation, and psychological treatment of mental health, behavioural, and emotional difficulties across the lifespan. Clinical Psychology is an evidence-based profession that integrates theory and clinical practice to understand, prevent, and relieve psychological problems whether they are mild or severe, chronic or complex.
Clinical Psychologists are trained to deal with a broad range of issues, but most have special interests in working with particular issues such as trauma and eating disorders, or specific groups of people, such as adolescents or couples.
My special interest is in working with adult clients or therapists who want an evidenced based and holistic approach to mental health that includes both the mind and the body as sources of information and healing.
I love to help others to become more aware of previously unconscious patterns of thought, emotion and behaviour that once helped them to survive as children but now may be creating barriers to well-being.
A Psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has completed extra training to specialise in mental health. In Australia, this means they have completed a medical degree at university, and a further six years of training specialising in Psychiatry. Psychiatrists work to assess and diagnose physical and mental illness and can prescribe medication. They often work with GP’s, Clinical Psychologists and other allied health professionals to support their clients.
The primary difference between a Psychiatrist and a Psychologist is that a Psychiatrist can prescribe and monitor medication, while a Psychologist delivers psychological therapies. Some people might see both a Psychiatrist and a Psychologist.
A Psychotherapist is someone who focuses on helping clients to explore and understand aspects of themselves and their experience. They assist clients to understand how past experiences influence and shape their current responses to life events. Psychotherapy is related to its cousin, Psychoanalysis, but is informed by modern interpersonal and relational models of working with clients. Psychotherapists draw from modern neurobiology and a range of evidenced based methods of working.
I am both a Clinical Psychologist and a Psychotherapist.
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Yes, yes, yes! Therapy can help with many aspects of your internal and external life. It can provide you with support in times of crisis or transition, it can provide you with valuable information about how you work internally within relationships, it can help you get clarity on what is true for you in a given situation which then makes it much easier to act, it can provide you with coping skills, tools and strategies to give you greater peace of mind and help you tolerate difficult feelings and situations.
Very importantly, it can give you a ‘corrective emotional experience’, sometimes known as a missing experience. An experienced therapist can create a safe, non-judgmental space for you to feel all your feelings and express yourself authentically and may “get” you in a way that no one else has. When this happens, it is extremely powerful and transformative.
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Therapy works best when the therapist is a good match for the client.
One of the most robust findings in psychological research in the past 50 years is that one factor - more than any other - is a predictor of positive outcomes in therapy : the quality of the client- therapist relationship, often called the client-therapist alliance.
This remains true regardless of the type of approach used, the type of client or the type of problem clients may have.
So it is important to look for a therapist who has the skill and personal qualities to establish a safe, therapeutic relationship with you.
Skilled therapists know that therapy is a co-created process and will actively invite input from you about your goals in seeking help, your fears about therapy and any preferences you might have for treatment approaches. This fosters a truly collaborative partnership.
It is important to look for someone who shows you, right from the first conversation, that they are open, empathetic and gently honest in their communication.
It is best to look for a therapist with experience. Studies suggest that experienced therapists are better at forming secure, healthy relationships with clients who have struggled in past relationships. They are also better than less experienced therapists at identifying and resolving problems in the therapeutic relationship.
Finally, it is key to find someone who is willing and able to talk about the process of therapy and the relationship between the two of you, up front. This is key, especially if there is any difficulty. Studies show that engaging in this kind of ‘talking about the relationship’ is a very effective strategy for improving any relationship. It will improve your chances of healing and growing in therapy and in life.
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Talk to me about what you want and I will offer an honest opinion of whether I feel we would work together well. I want you to be well. If I feel you may be better off with a colleague offering something different, I will refer you to them.
A good relationship with anyone, including your therapist, is a co-created process and is very much dependent on transparency and honest communication. If we do choose to work together, I encourage you to let me know if something I say or do troubles you or disappoints you. Bumps are inevitable in any relationship; in therapy, the goal is to work through it together.
All of this is of course, good practice for the important relationships outside the therapy session.
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While severe and complex mental health issues may require long term, regular support to achieve lasting change, many people will begin to experience some noticeable improvement within 3 to 6 sessions as their awareness and understanding about themselves grows. Most people will feel better within themselves and their lives within 10-20 sessions.