Do I need a referral from my GP to attend appointments?
You don't need a referral from your GP to attend an appointment with Lumina Psychology, however if you obtain a referral with a treatment plan (MHTP or similar) from your GP, you will be eligible for rebated sessions through Medicare. This means that you will receive money (a rebate) from Medicare to cover part of the cost of each session.
There are several plans that GPs can complete for you, depending on your circumstances, which will entitle you to a Medicare rebate. These include; - Better Access to Mental Health Program (MHTP) - Eating Disorder Plan (EDP) - Chronic Disease Management Plan (CDM)
Please discuss your circumstances with your GP who can advise if you are entitled to a plan for rebated psychological services.
Can I bring someone with me to my appointments?
Individual psychotherapy is usually just between an individual and their therapist, however you can choose to bring a person with you into the appointment for support if you wish. Please let your therapist know if you wish to have someone attend your appointment/s with you.
Can I attend my child's therapy appointments or share information with their therapists?
Psychologists have guidelines to follow and legal requirements with regards to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of their patients. This extends to all patients - adults, teens and children.
In the case of our patients who are considered to be "mature minors", it may also mean that privacy and confidentiality is protected to the extent that information cannot be released to or received from parents. Mature minors are patients under 18 years of age, who are sufficiently mature and intelligent enough to make health care decisions on their own behalf.
It is up to the discretion of the therapist to determine on a case by case basis if their patient is a mature minor. This determination is not necessarily static and may change depending on the specific circumstances.
If you believe it is important to attend your young person's therapy sessions or share information about them with their therapist, please speak to their therapist about this first. It may be a simple case of confirming with the young person that it is ok by them to share information with specific others such as parents or guardians, before any contact occurs about otherwise confidential matters.
