Service Agreement

This Service Agreement contains important information about the professional services and business policies relevant to MindKnit Counselling. It is important you read, understand and agree with this Service Agreement before seeing MindKnit Counselling therapist.

Confidentiality

In the event you are determined to be a risk of harm to yourself or others, have committed or intend to commit a serious crime, or where required by law, the client-counsellor confidentiality and terms of the privacy policy may be breached. This is in order to ensure the safety of you, and others around you, and to comply with any legal requirements (such as court orders). Otherwise, your Information is confidential and can only be shared with your permission.

In your first consultation, we will provide you with an information sheet on our privacy policy. We will also provide a consent form for you to sign to ensure our mutual understanding of confidentiality.

Pricing Policy

Mindknit Counselling is concerned about the financial well-being of our local community and is committed to providing our clients with exceptional service at competitive rates.

Why we don’t typically bulk-bill

We don’t typically bulk bill as we find that a free service can sometimes mean that it is viewed as lower quality and may impact motivation to attend. When we pay for things we tend to value more. Our therapist is highly trained with many years of experience and the service they provide is highly regarded.

If you are in financial hardship, please talk to our therapist during your appointment. Our therapist sometimes take on new clients in difficult circumstances at a lower cost.

Fees and payments

Medicare

Medicare Rebate rate for Accredited Mental Health Social Worker is $85.20 per session. This rate will slightly increase each year. This means Medicare will cover $85.20 per session if you have a current Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) from your doctor. Please speak to your GP/psychiatrist/paediatrician to obtain a MHTP before your first consultation.

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Lili is a registered mental health provider with Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) services. If you hold a White/Gold card, please speak to your GP to obtain a DVA referral for counselling before your first consultation. Please note: if you are holding a White card, please check your eligibility for mental health support before you see the therapist. Gold card holders are eligible for counselling with a DVA rebate. Please obtain a referral from your GP for accessing counselling with Mindknit Counselling.

NDIS

Mindknit Counselling is not registered with NDIS. However, self-managed NDIS participants or participants with NDIS plans are welcome to access counselling. There will be no out-of-pocket fees for NDIS participants.

Private Health Insurance/Funds

Many private health insurance policies with extra covers provide a rebate for mental health support whereas the Medicare rebate is not being claimed. However, the amount you receive will vary by health fund. You can check with your health fund provider to see if you’re eligible and how much they’ll refund. You do not require a referral to see Mindknit Counselling therapist. The following private insurers recognise AMHSW as providers of mental health services under their ancillary/extras cover. 

  • HCF
  • Bupa
  • Teacher’s health (including UniHealth and Nurses and Midwives Health)
  • Doctor’s health
  • St. Luke’s health insurance
  • Phoenix health fund

Please Note: you can claim from either your private insurance fund or Medicare, but NOT both at the same time. Private insurance will not bridge the ‘gap’ between the Medicare rebate and the consultation fees.

Payment security and Rebate process

Mindknit Counselling is using Halaxy system to process your payment and Medicare rebates. Mindknit Counselling will charge you in full and Medicare will refund you the rebate amount back to your account provided on the card authorisation form.

We understand providing your card details to a third party could be scary, we want to ensure you that your payment and card details are secured and safe with us. We appreciate your trust.

Secure Payment

Mindknit Counselling will send a SMS payment authorisation to allow you to confirm payments. An email with an invoice will be sent to you once the payment processed.

Card security

Halaxy uses tokenisation to store and protect card details. This means that card details are not visible to anyone within the clinic or at Halaxy.

Session Payment

Face-to-face consultations can be paid for by the end of each session.

All online or phone consultations (ZOOM/Telehealth) must be paid for in advance via Halaxy system.

If you’d like to know more about the schedule of fees, please email [email protected] for details.

Length of a session

The duration of a session is 50 minutes. Time is required at the end of each session to prepare for the next client. If you arrive late, the consultation will still end at the scheduled time to ensure other clients receive their allotted time allowance.

Cancellation

Mindknit Counselling requires a minimum of 24 hours’ notice of any need to change or cancel a consultation. A fee will be charged for non-attendance or cancellation with less than 24 hours’ notice. By engaging the services of MindKnit Counselling you agree to the strict terms of this cancellation policy. If you do not show up for your scheduled consultation, you will be charged for non-attendance.

MindKnit Counselling reserves the right to reschedule consultations at any time without compensation if it is deemed necessary due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances.

Boundaries

Sessions will NOT take place if the client is under the influence of alcohol or prohibited substances.

The client-therapist contact should be limited to the counselling room.

If the therapist happens to meet the client outside of counselling, the therapist may acknowledge the client. However, the nature of the relationship will remain confidential.

What’s excluded from my session payment?

Medicare Rebate and Mindknit Counselling service do not subsidise the following services, additional support will be billed directly to the client.

  • No show/late cancellation of your appointment
  • Report writing
  • Detailed letters and emails
  • Parent consultation
  • Third-party consultation
  • Court attendance and/or support
  • Care Team Meetings (face-to-face/video conference) and more

Please email [email protected] for more details.