Psychotherapy & Counselling

Number of sessions

As a general guide, clients could anticipate:

Brief counselling/therapy – 6-10 sessions
Short-term psychotherapy – 10-26 sessions weekly
Long-term psychotherapy – > 26 sessions

Self referral

You can refer yourself without any special requirements, simply by phone or email to Suzanne to make an appointment, or to discuss your particular situation. If you refer yourself, health fund benefits might be accessible, but Medicare rebates are not available.

Medicare Rebates with a GP Referral

If your GP determines you have a diagnosable mental health condition (e.g. Depression or Anxiety), they
can prepare a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) for you and refer you to Suzanne for counselling. When you are referred under a MHTP, you are entitled to claim a proportion of the fee from Medicare for some services. Normally an initial referral will be for 6 sessions with a possibility of up to another 4 in the same calendar year. The steps required are:

1. Phone or email Suzanne to check her availability.
2. Make a GP appointment to discuss your situation and your interest in a MHTP.
3. If your GP agrees and prepares a MHTP, and if you wish to see Suzanne,
   ensure the referral is directed to Suzanne Smith. Your GP is the referrer and can decide to refer you to someone else.
4. Phone Suzanne to confirm an appointment time.
5. Ensure your referral is either electronically sent or mailed to Suzanne, or bring it with you to
   your first appointment. We cannot apply the required Medicare code without a valid referral.

What to expect

• A safe, respectful, healing space for working together.
• Sessions may also integrate the latest research on self-compassion and mindfulness.
• Depending on the client’s needs, sessions may draw from a range of evidence-based approaches, which include:
  • Accelerated Experiential Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
  • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
  • Mindfulness Based Approaches
  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
  • Solution-Focussed Therapy
  • Narrative Therapy

Locations

• Bundanoon, Southern Highlands, New South Wales
• Ainslie, Inner North, Canberra