Services For Adults
In any given year, more than a quarter of Australian adult’s experience depression, anxiety or another mental health problem. Some people need help coping with a serious illness, losing weight or stopping smoking. Still others struggle to cope with relationship troubles, job loss, the death of a loved one, stress, substance abuse or other issues. And these problems can often become debilitating.
At Providence House, our practitioners use evidence-based therapeutic treatments to help you develop coping and management strategies to live a healthier life. Our practitioners are qualified and registered with the Australian Health and Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Psychology Board of Australia.
We offer individualised therapy in a one-on-one context, relationship counselling and group therapy programs.
Your ability to relate with family, friends, work-mates and the broader community is affected by your mental health. People suffering from a mental health issue like depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress can experience significant distress and disability. A psychologist can help you work through such problems.
Through psychotherapy, psychologists help people of all ages live happier, healthier and more productive lives. Through individual therapy, Providence House psychologists apply scientifically validated procedures to help people develop healthier, more effective habits.
At Providence House, we use a client-centred approach and form a genuine connection with our clients. As part of our client-centred approach, we will tailor an individualised evidence-based treatment plan based on your unique story, struggles and strengths. There are many evidence-based approaches to therapy that your psychologist might employ, including:
- Cognitive-behavioural therap
- Acceptance and commitment therapy
- Interpersonal therapy
- Psychodynamic therapy
Our aim is to work with you to understand your personal strengths and challenges, and to set goals that are supported by a trusting and therapeutic relationship . If you would like to learn more about our individual practitioners, please click here. Hyperlink to Practitioners page (page 3).
Research shows that to make a relationship last, couples must become better friends, learn to manage conflict, and create ways to support each other’s hopes for the future. If you are currently experiencing problems in your relationship, practitioners at Providence House trained in relationship therapy can help you and your partner to work through problem areas in your relationship to reduce distress and foster love, friendship and understanding.
At Providence House, our practitioners who work with couples are trained in the Gottman Method Couples Therapy. Combining the knowledge and wisdom of nearly forty years of studies and clinical practice, the Gottman Method helps couples break through barriers to achieve greater understanding, connection and intimacy in their relationships. Through research-based interventions and exercises, it is a structured, goal-oriented, scientifically-based therapy.
At Providence House, our practitioners can help you and your partner to:
- Increase respect, affection, and closeness
- Break through and resolve conflict when they feel stuck
- Generate greater understanding between partners
- Keep conflict discussions calm
While it’s true that each of us are unique and may have unique circumstances, none of us are alone in our struggles. Group therapy can help you to realise you’re not alone by creating a safe space with other people who are experiencing similar struggles. Group therapy encourages every member of the group to both provide and receive support, feedback and connection. Activities will involve learning new information, developing an understanding about how this applies to you and your situation, practicing new skills and reviewing your progress.
At Providence House, attending a group program means that you will be attending sessions regularly (weekly or fortnightly) and working in a small group of similar people. The best thing about group programs is that you learn how to overcome your difficulties from other people who may have experienced similar difficulties.
We offer groups for adults, children and parents. Providence House offers Parenting Skills, Child Resilience, Adolescent Coping, Relaxation and Mindfulness Skills, Health & Wellbeing and Men’s Group Programs.
Services For Children
Many children and adolescents experience a range of emotional or behavioural challenges that can impact upon their school life, home life, social life and self-esteem.
This may stem from anxiety, worry and stress, depression and sadness, anger, grief and loss, trauma, difficulty in adjusting to family separation or from developmental disorders like Autism and Intellectual Impairment. Other children may be experiencing trouble at school relating to learning difficulties and disabilities, bullying, and social and friendship issues.
At Providence House, a number of our practitioners specialise in working with children, adolescents and families. Our services for children and adolescents include assessment for Developmental and/or Learning Difficulties, individual therapy, family therapy and group therapy
At Providence House, our practitioners who conduct assessments are specifically trained in the administration and integration of standardised assessments to gain an in-depth understanding of your child’s strengths and areas of difficulty to provide specific recommendations to assist your child in maximising their potential in and out of the classroom.
Our practitioners can help to
- Identify and clarify developmental problems and learning and behavioural difficulties
- Assess developmental, learning and behavioural difficulties
- Diagnose disabilities and disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD and Specific Learning Difficulties in reading, writing, language or mathematics
Educational or developmental assessment at Providence House usually involves the following steps:
- An initial interview for the whole family to attend when background history and other relevant history is provided by the child’s parents, that typically includes early developmental information, schooling history and home life.
- Reviewing information from other sources, such as school reports, assessments by medical specialists (such as paediatricians), and other allied health professionals and educational specialists (speech pathologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, audiologists, guidance counsellors)
- Undertake some specific assessment tasks which may involve answering questionnaires and/or completing standardised tests. Standardised testing involves spending some time, perhaps up to 2 hours at a time, with the psychologist who will ask you to perform a series of activities to help understand you level of functioning
- All assessments are then scores and a report is prepared on your child’s individual performance and abilities
- Your psychologist will then provide you and your child with feedback to help you understand your child’s strength and weaknesses, and suggestions on ways to improve their performance to reach their potential. Your psychologist may then speak with others including teachers and carers, if required, to assist the school in putting in place adjustments that may help your child in and out of the classroom
Our practitioners can work with your child to help them to understand, process and overcome a range of emotional and behavioural problems, including:
- Anxiety, stress and worry
- Grief, trauma and loss
- Depression and sadness
- Behavioural difficulties
- School related difficulties
- Social and friendship problems
- Bullying
- Developmental delays and disabilities
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Dyslexia and other learning difficulties
- Toddler tantrums and behaviours
- Newborn challenges
- Fears and phobias
- ADHD/ ADD & attention concerns
- Sleep problems
- And many other challenges
At Providence House, we use a client-centred approach and form a genuine connection with your child to help them feel heard and understood. As part of our client-centred approach, we will tailor an individualised evidence-based treatment plan based on your child and your family’s unique story and strengths. Your child’s psychologist may involve you in the therapeutic process to help you to understand what your child may be experiencing and to develop strategies to help them work through at home.
Providence House offers group programs for children, adolescents and parents. For children and adolescents, group therapy involves attending sessions regularly (weekly or fortnightly) and working in a small group similar aged children experiencing similar troubles.
Activities will involve learning new information, helping your child to develop an understanding about how this applies to them, practicing new skills and reviewing progress. The best thing about group programs for kids is that your child can learn how to overcome your difficulties with other children who may have experienced similar difficulties.
Group programs for parents run at Providence House are skills- and reflection-based, utilising an evidence-based framework and incorporate practical parenting strategies based on research into neuropsychotherapy and attachment parenting. Our practitioners will help you to reflect on your parenting skills and experiences, and guide you to develop a toolkit of strategies to manage your child’s emotional and behavioural reactions and build their resilience and confidence.
Services for People with a Disability – NDIS
Providence House provides services to NDIS participants who are either Plan Managed or Self-Managed.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was set up as a new way of providing individualised support for eligible people with permanent and significant disability.
The scheme has been developed to help link people with disabilities and their families to support services so they can live an ordinary life.
Providence House Psychologists can assist with:
- Psychological assessment and therapy to help individuals suffering from mental health issues such as depression, trauma and anxiety related disorders.
- Help with reducing unhelpful thoughts or behaviours that may prevent you from reaching your potential
- Finding ways to increase motivation and develop a plan to move towards life goals.
- Help with social skills and building self-confidence.
- Assistance dealing with life transitions and change.
NDIS supports Australian’s who have a permanent disability and are under the age of 65 to maximise their daily living potential. NDIS will assist clients to enjoy everyday life and achieve their life goals through the provisioning of community involvement, independence, improved wellbeing and employment. NDIS also helps family and carers of people with disability with information and guidance to further community support services.
To access NDIS services and become a participant you must:
- Be an Australian citizen, or hold a permanent visa or a Protected Special Category visa,
- Reside in Australia
- Be aged less than 65 years old when initially entering NDIS
- Have a permanent disability that significantly impacts your ability to partake in everyday activities
Funding will be dependent on your needs, goals and existing supports. The amount you are eligible for may change from year to year and you may not be eligible for funding every year. You will need to meet with a registered NDIS planner to discuss this and identify that you require ongoing psychological support and have this built into your plan.
There are 3 main Plan types available
- NDIA Managed:whereby the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) provides you with funding so you can access the supports that will best help you achieve your goals, then the NDIA pays the invoices.
- Plan Nominee/ Managedthe NDIA will provide funding in your plan to pay for a Plan Manager who pays your providers for you, helps you keep track of funds and takes care of financial reporting for you
- Self-Managed The NDIA provides you with funding so you can access the supports that will best help you achieve your goals whereby you or your funds, then you are expected to pay the invoices directly on the day of your visit.
For further information, please see the NDIS website at www.ndis.gov.au or you can call 1800 800 110.
Make an appointment to discuss your requirements.
Contact us either by
- Phone 3831 3936
- Or email enquiry@providencehouse.com.au
If you already have an Approved NDIS Plan, you will need to bring your NDIS Approved Plan Summary to the first session which states the summary of areas approved and budget allocated.
We would then need to enter into a Service Agreement with you to detail the supports agreed upon and decide with the psychologist on how many sessions to log onto the NDIS portal system. This will be completed in the first session.
Please be aware that until you have entered into a Service Agreement you will be required to cover the costs of the initial appointment and any assessments or reports required to support your application for eligibility for NDIS funding.
Online Telehealth Services
A telehealth service is a psychological therapy service that is delivered to eligible clients via video conference where both a visual and audio link has been established between the patient and their treating Psychologist.
Telehealth services can be delivered by Providence House psychologists in a secure and compliant environment.
You will not need any special software as this will be provided via an emailed link supplied by Providence House. All you will require is a computer or tablet with a webcam and an internet connection.
Phone consultations are available in some situations if a computer or internet connection is not available.
At the present time the Federal Government is providing Medicare funded services to all Australians in response to Covid 19.
Eligibility is the same as current Medicare requirements
Eligible patients in rural and remote areas have the option of accessing all of their Medicare Better Access sessions via videoconference.
The treating allied health professional can be located anywhere in Australia, subject to the 15 kilometre minimum distance requirement being met.
A search tool to identify the MMM region of a specific location is available at:
http://www.doctorconnect.gov.au/internet/otd/publishing.nsf/content/locator
Where can Medicare Better Access telehealth services be provided? (drop down)
The patient must be in the MMM (Modified Monash Model) areas 4-7 at the time of the consultation and at least 15 kilometres apart from the treating allied mental health professional by direct road from the eligible allied mental health provider at the time of consultation.
And the patient, or their treating allied mental health professional, is not able to travel to a place to meet the 15 kilometres minimum distance requirement.
Commonwealth subsidised residents of a residential aged care facility are not able to receive Medicare Better Access telehealth services.
Fees
Fees and funding assistance varies depending on the service, referral source and eligibility of each client or patient, and each practitioner is responsible for setting their own fee schedule. Full payment is required at the time of consultation.
Medicare Rebates are available with the appropriate referral from a GP or Medical Specialist and can be processed at the time of consultation. Psychologists, Clinical Psychologists and other Health Professionals providing services to those referred by a GP under a Mental Health Care Plan or a Chronic Disease Management Plan or have a referral from a Psychiatrist or a Paediatrician may be eligible for a rebate for up to 20 treatment sessions in each calendar year.
Your private health insurer may cover part or all of your appointment if you have a policy and can be processed at the time of consultation. Gap payments are available for services provided by all psychologists and allied health specialists. Please check your policy entitlements with your Private Health Fund.
There are a number of other funding bodies that may be available to you. Practitioners at Providence House can treat clients with referrals from the following agencies:
- Dept of Veteran Affairs
- WorkCover
- Employee Assistance Programs
- Medicare Better Access for Children with Disabilities
Medicare Rebates are available with the appropriate referral from a GP or Medical Specialist and can be processed at the time of consultation. Psychologists, Clinical Psychologists and other Health Professionals providing services to those referred by a GP under a Mental Health Care Plan or a Chronic Disease Management Plan or have a referral from a Psychiatrist or a Paediatrician may be eligible for a rebate for up to 20 treatment sessions in each calendar year.
Private Clients may access Telehealth Services and claim from their Private Health Insurer
Providence House understands life can be unpredictable however cancellation at late notice or non-attendance means
- We are unable to offer this appointment to another client who may be on a cancellation or waiting list for an appointment.
- Your therapy progress is delayed.
- The administration cost to the business and the psychologist who spent time preparing for your session is not recovered. This will inevitably impact the schedule of fees we need to charge in the future (increasing your future costs)
Providence House Practitioners require 1 full business days’ notice if you are unable to attend your appointment.
For example: if your appointment is
- 9am Monday you must notify before 9am Friday
- 9am Tuesday to Saturday you must notify by 9am the previous day
If the required notice is not given, a Cancellation / Non-Attendance fee equal to 100% of your consultation fee will be charged. The Cancellation / Non-Attendance fee is not covered by Medicare
Please Note: Payment of Cancellation fee will be required prior to booking your next appointment.
Services For Professionals
Professional Supervision
Individual and group supervision is now provided at Providence House on a regular basis.
Providence House prides itself in providing a place with an open and collegial approach to supporting the professional development of mental health and allied health professionals, at whatever point they may be in their career.
To discuss further please book an initial appointment by emailing enquiry@providencehouse.com.au and outlining your individual requirements.
No charges will apply for this initial appointment
Christina Hully
Christina holds AHPRA endorsement and APS college membership in 3 areas: Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, and Educational & Developmental Psychology.
She has been supervising both provisional and registered psychologists since 2005. She has provided guidance and supervision to students undertaking studies in a number of academic institutions including University of Queensland, Griffith University, Australian Catholic University, Monash University, and Charles Sturt University.
She has also trained Provisional Psychologists to successfully complete the requirements of AHPRA for full registration through both the 4+2 and 5+1 Supervised Practice Pathways; And Registrars to complete Psychology Board of Psychology Areas of Endorsement in Clinical Psychology; Counselling Psychology; Educational & Developmental Psychology.
Further information about the requirements and supervision for these programs is available at www.psychologyboard.gov.au
Wendy Taylor
Wendy holds as AHPRA endorsement and APS college membership in Counselling Psychology. She recently completed the requirements to be a registered supervisor.
She can now provide supervision to:
- Counselling Psychology Registrar Program (Secondary Supervisor)
- Registrar Programs for other Areas of Endorsement (Secondary Supervisor)
- Higher Degree Programs
- Supervised Practice Programs for Provisionally Registered Psychologists (4+2 & 5+1)
- Work in Addition to Higher Degree Programs
- Master of Counselling Programs
- Counsellors
Fees
Fees have been set in a considered manner, based on the recommended fees for psychological services by both APS and Dept of Human Services; the considerable cost of supervision programs for supervisees; and providing opportunity for a just income and expenses for both supervisor and supervisee.
Fees may be covered through a variety of sources, e.g. a university may cover the cost for supervision of a student undertaking a placement as part of the requirements forming Masters level education; some employers may be prepared to contribute towards the fee; otherwise the supervisee is responsible for covering the cost of supervision.
Please discuss current fees with your preferred supervisor
Consulting Rooms & Services
Providence House has 6 consulting rooms available. Each room has an individualised appearance and are suitable for a variety of purposes including standardised assessment, consultation and therapy for adults and couples, child therapy and art therapy, and small group programs, as well as ground level consulting room suitable for those with limited mobility.
Providence House also offers a quiet and welcoming waiting room, library, kitchen facilities and amenities on both levels.
Providence House is within the inner-city precinct. Free on-street parking is available for 2 hours within easy walking distance, and low-cost metered parking is available close by. Bus service stops at the entrance to the property.
Full Service includes room rental and reception services with some administrative support (taking messages, arranging appointments, collection of fees), and access to 1hr/month individual supervision as well as in-house group supervision free of charge if required by practitioner. Opportunities exist for practitioners to secure these services for a minimal daily service fee plus room rental costs. Detailed information is available by contacting Providence House Business Manager nickhully@providencehouse.com.au
Registrar Rental Fully registered psychologists who are currently enrolled in a Registrar Program and receiving individual supervision at Providence House can access room and reception services on a casual hourly basis at a reduced rate. Detailed information is available by contacting Clinical Director chrishully@providencehouse.com.au
Casual Room Rental is available to approved practitioners on an hourly basis. Terms and conditions are available at counsellingrooms.com.au