A Psychologist is a trained health professional who helps people learn healthy ways to handle life challenges. They are trained in human behaviour, and may also be trained in organisational dynamics, educational and developmental aspects, life development, and helping people with psychological conditions. They have undergone years of education and training to be able to provide a range of services. They can help people with workplace situations, to specific conditions like depression or anxiety, or those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, or those who are going through a tough time.

ABetter_Life Resource has experienced Psychologists who can work with people to deliver the following services, but are not limited to:

• Resources for health professionals and organisations including ebooks, proformas for health professionals.
• Training.
• Supervision
• Human Resource Management Consultation.
• Coaching.
• Conflict resolution, Workplace Mediation.
• Stress Management.
• Critical Incident Response.
• Trauma Counselling.
• Injury Management & WorkCover Counselling. 
• Child, Adolescent and Adult Counselling.
• Counselling

Our Forensic Psychologist applies psychological theory and skills to the understanding and functioning of the legal and criminal justice system. Forensic psychologists work in a role that combines law and psychology. They work in criminal, civil and family legal contexts. Forensic Psychology encompasses issues such as: the causes, prevention and treatment of criminal behaviour; the Courts and the correctional system; and the contributions of psychological evidence to legal proceedings. Our Forensic Psychologist are trained in writing reports for forensic and legal purposes. Forensic Psychologists can provide testimony as expert witnesses in cases. The diversity of forensic psychology includes issues such as but not limited to, assessing level of recidivism, assessing risk, post-accident impairment, capacity to work, and custodial arrangements.

Do you think you might benefit from speaking with a Counsellor or Psychologist? Maybe you would like to work through some personal issues with someone who is trained to help people move towards positive change and resolution. ABetter_Life Resource offers professional counselling and support to individuals, groups, couples, families, and organisations. Our Psychologists and Counsellors are skilled professionals who are committed to giving a high quality of care.​

No referral is necessary … anyone can call us directly to arrange an appointment, self-referral is very common. It's your choice if you see your Doctor before seeing a Psychologist. If you are being referred under WorkCover then you will need a WorkCover reference number to be able to have your sessions funded by WorkCover.

We are not a bulk billing service. You will need to pay the full-service fee upfront that was provided to you in the intake process, and then you can take the receipt to Medicare or your Private Health Insurance to receive your rebate from them. 
You may meet criteria for a mental health care plan. A Mental Health Care Plan is a formal referral written by a GP. Your doctor will determine your eligibility for a mental health care plan based on your symptoms. Some conditions which meet criteria for a mental health care plan include depression, anxiety and adjustment issues. If the Mental Health Care Plan is completed correctly, will provide you a rebate on the cost of the psychology service you receive (current rebate 2022-2023 for general psychology is $88.25). 

The Mental Health Care Plan will enable you to claim Medicare rebates for up to 10 appointments per year, depending on what your GP recommends.  A maximum limit of 6 visits for the first referral occurs, then after these 6 sessions are completed or if circumstances change, the Clinician will send a brief letter to the referring medical professional to inform them about your progress. Your GP, Paediatrician or Psychiatrist will need to see you or your child (if applicable) before they will renew the Mental Health Care Plan for a further four sessions. The mental health care plan is only valid for 12 months from the date of referral. The Mental Health Care Plan must be provided to our service prior to your first appointment.

For more information about Medicare rebates for psychological services please click on the link below
​​Visit the Australian Psychological Society website.

ABetter_Life Resource is a private organisation that is not funded by the Government, and therefore fees will be incurred. Fees are based on the type of referral received. You will need to pay the full-service fee that was provided to you in the intake process. 
A scale of fees applies for training, medico legal reports, reports, assessments, supervision, clinical practice development, coaching, mediations, and human resource management. 

Sometimes clients come to us for intervention and assessment as a part of a legal process. You must notify us of this upfront if you are involved in legal matters of any sort, prior to making an appointment. If there is any forensic (medico legal matter work) requested or required by you or your third-party representative, the cost per hour consultation (usually around 45-60 minutes), required work to be completed, case conferencing, or report writing, is $320/hr. Payment for training, medico-legal reports, and forensic issues is due a set time prior to the report or training date taking place.

A separate scale of fees applies for counselling. You can self-refer without any referral. Private Health insurances may provide rebates for Psychological Counselling Services and we encourage you to contact them for further information. Alternatively, if you require counselling, a referral from your General Practitioner, Private Psychiatrist, or private Paediatrician, may qualify you for a rebate under Medicare. You may also be able to claim Psychologists’ fees through your workplace, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or State accident/compensation scheme. Fees vary per session (45 – 50 minutes) to see our Psychologists and Counsellors depending on the issue being addressed. Payment is due on the day the session has taken place. 
If you require professional services (e.g. for supervision, undertake any readings, reports written and/or edited, etc) these are also billed at a set fee. 

During the course of providing our services, you or your third-party representative may require us to liaise with other professionals, make phone calls, write letters, and undertake research (case conferencing). These are also billed at a set hourly rate. 
A discussion on the fees will occur prior to undertaking work with you, and if you proceed to making an appointment this will mean that you agree to those fees and terms and conditions.

Information Security
All information stored is protected by virus scanner and password protection with strict access protocols. 
Information is held in secure electronic password protected systems which are accessible only to authorised employees. The information on each file includes personal information such as name, address, contact phone numbers, and other information which is relevant to the service being provided. We record your email address. Your email address may then be used to correspond with you. Your email address, and any other contact information, will not be used or disclosed for any other purpose without your prior written consent.

 
Limitations to confidentiality
You have a legal right to expect that any personal or health information held about you will not be disclosed inappropriately to others without your informed consent. Your information will be limited to the purpose for which it is collected.  In some situations, disclosure of personal or health information may be necessary. All services are provided under the protection of the National Privacy Principles as outlined in the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988. Under the Act, we are required to provide/disclose information where:

• ​required by law (e.g., Mandatory Reporting for child protection, unlawful activity, neglect of a vulnerable person),
• if the client is now over 18 (but was a child when the sexual offence happened), we still have to report the offence to police if we receive the information after 5 July 2021. However, if we reasonably believe you do not want to reveal the information to police and you inform us of this, then we do not have to report it. We also do not have to report if you have another reasonable excuse’.
• failure to disclose information would place you or another person at risk of serious harm. In critical circumstances, we may contact authorities or family members without consent to protect the client from serious harm. 
• it is revealed that a criminal act under the Commonwealth or State law has been or is intended to be committed;
• records are requested by subpoena, Court Order, Search Order;
• if you have a Mental Health Care Plan after 6 sessions or if circumstances change, the Clinician will send a brief letter to the referring medical professional to inform them about your progress. 
• when your prior approval has been gained for authority to discuss information with a nominated person.

​If required to disclose, a Counsellor or Psychologist will only provide the information necessary in order to keep you safe. 
If I am under 18 years of age, will the Clinician tell my parents what was discussed?
Our Clinicians will ensure a client is aware of the process at the booking of the appointment and at the first appointment. Automatic confidentiality is applied to anyone over the age of 18 years of age in Australia (within the limitations outlined above). The only exceptions are in the Northern Territory, as the age of automatic confidentiality is given at 14 years of age and over. This is similar to South Australia and New South Wales, as automatic confidentiality is given at 16 years of age and over. During the initial session, a parent or guardian will need to be present if you are below the age of automatic confidentiality. This allows everyone to be involved and reach an agreement around the minor’s privacy. It is common for the primary carer to agree only to be informed if the minor is at risk. The Clinician will then explain how subsequent sessions will be managed, which could include sessions with or without parents present.