Can you tell me more about what a Counsellor offers their community members? Can I claim Medicare Rebates for Counselling or Psychotherapy services on my Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) that I receive from my General Practitioner (GP)?
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Thank you for your question. This is a big, yet a very important topic to tackle! I'll do my best to break it down for you!
Take your time to revisit these points (in addition to the first post) as you need to for better understanding of how our mental health systems work in support of our clients.
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Part D - Have you ever wondered why you rarely receive Counselling services from a Counsellor?
!! Here are some reasons why:
Unfortunately, when our Counsellors apply for Counselling jobs, they are less likely to qualify for the role.
Many AHPRA-registered businesses hire our (Provisional/in-training) Psychologists and Support Workers, who are then trained in Counselling Skills.
There are some Counsellors who are qualified for Counsellor roles, however, they are required to have 3-4 years of Counselling experience (making it tricky at time to gain the experience).
Our AHPRA businesses can apply for Medicare Rebates when they have Provisional Psychologists and Support Workers working for them.
Our Counsellors, Psychotherapists and Clinical Counsellors do not qualify for AHPRA or Medicare. This is one reason why our Counsellors miss out on Counselling jobs.
!! It is always good to find a therapist who clearly understands the system protocols !!
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Part E - Pros & Cons when Selecting your Mental Health Services
Pros & Cons when Utilising Unregulated Counselling & Psychotherapy Services
Disclaimer: Please note that some clients and patients require a higher level of care, that is above a Counsellor or Psychotherapist’s qualification
!! A highly qualified Clinical Psychologist or Psychotherapist may be required,
which will come with a higher hourly rate invoice !!
Pros:
(Clinical) Counsellors & Psychotherapists are not regulated by industry, which means they are not governed by Medicare:
- Our clients do not require a referral from their GP to access our services.
- Our clients are not required to return to their GP for an updated Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) / Medicare Rebates.
We can work with our clients as long or as short as the client requires or requests therapy. Offering reduced chance of therapy breaks due to reduced financial disruption.
For clients who meet the criteria, many of our Counsellors and Psychotherapists provide Private Health Rebates and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding for disability services (myself included!).
Clients requiring long-term Psychology & Psychotherapy appointments, risk therapy breaks or paying full payment / ‘out-of-pocket’ for invoices, risking emotional financial strain.
Many of our Counsellors & Psychotherapists provide competitive hourly rates, deemed value for money. Some therapy invoices will total similar or less than a Medicare Rebated invoice.
!! Compare rebated invoices and mental health hourly rates for your own understanding !!
Value for money Counselling & Psychotherapy rates provide clients with long-term financial sustainability.
Many professional Counsellors and Psychotherapists opt to register with a registered body that protects both the client.
- For example:
~ Australian Counselling Association (ACA)
~ Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)
~ And many more.
Counsellors and Psychotherapists do not provide diagnoses or medicate to their clients, instead, they work alongside their clients 'just as they are!'.
Many Psychologists have indicated that they wished they had more training in the craft of Counselling when working with their clients!
Cons:
Medicare provides an essential role to our Indigenous and Australian communities.
However, this necessary and empowering governing body can over-shadow many other professional services.
- In this instance, our professional, and equally important Counsellors and Psychotherapists are often overlooked, or many community members do not know a lot about the services we provide.
Being part of an unregulated industry can create a stigma that a qualified or registered Counsellor or Psychotherapist may not have not been trained correctly.
- There is also a stigma that “'anyone' can claim to be a Counsellor”.
!! Be alert, do your research and recognise the signs !!
- This is why many Counsellors and Psychotherapists are registered with a registered body (i.e., ACA, PACFA & more).
Registered bodies such as ACA and PACFA require their registered members to maintain their Ongoing Professional Development (OPD) and provides security for both our clients and our professionals.
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Part F- Private Health & NDIS Services - Pros & Cons
How they may be linked to your Counselling & Psychotherapist services
Disclaimer: Not all clients will meet the Private Health or NDIS criteria.
Private Health & NDIS funding also have limitations regarding the number of Private Health Rebates & how much NDIS funding a client can utilise for Psychology or Counselling services through their NDIS Plan.
Private Health can also be expensive to hold a membership. Like Medicare, Private Health cap their rebate limits per year.
To access NDIS services, you must qualify for an officially diagnosed disability before the age of 65 years of age.
Counselling & Psychotherapy services must provide disability-specific services to their NDIS participant that are directly related to their disability needs.
No service is to be duplicated with other services (i.e., paying for an invoice through NDIS, while also receiving Rebate for the same invoice through Medicate and/or Private health.
Each member of our client's professional team aims to work holistically with the client.
Each professional (e.g., your medical, mental, health, physical health team etc.) provides a specialised skill set, and together work collaboratively in support of our client achieving their goals!
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Your Feedback is Appreciated
All in all, this is just one perspective about the Australian Medicare Medical, Mental Health services!
What type of perspective do you propose? Do your views differ/agree or are they somewhere in between?
How important is having access to Medicare Rebates / Private Health Rebates / NDIS funding / Medical services for you?
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