Referring to Illawarra Clinical Psychology Under the Better Access Initiative
Clinical Workshop programs like Unhook & Rewire are a great fit for clients needing support with anxiety, stress, and emotional regulation in a skills-based and supportive setting. No prior experience is needed. Just include the group referral on the Mental Health Treatment Plan, and we’ll take care of the rest.
What You Need to Know
Your clients can access both individual and group sessions in the same calendar year —
potentially up to 20 Medicare-rebated sessions total (10 individual + 10 group)
Under the Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative, you can refer patients for up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year with a registered psychologist.
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Initial Referral: Start by referring for up to 6 sessions. This is the maximum allowed on a first referral.
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Review Referral: Once those sessions are used, the patient returns to you for a mental health treatment plan review. At this point, you can refer for up to 4 more sessions.
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This gives a total of 10 rebated sessions per year.
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If your patient needs more than 10 sessions, they can continue therapy, but Medicare rebates won’t apply beyond the 10 — they’ll need to pay privately after that.
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What About Group Sessions?
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Patients can access up to 10 group sessions per year, in addition to their 10 individual sessions.
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Unlike individual therapy, group therapy doesn’t require a review after the first six — clients can use all 10 group sessions without coming back for a plan review.
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