Frequently Asked Questions
Counselling and Psychotherapy is becoming an increasingly more accepted method of helping people work through life’s challenges.
Even so, it can still be somewhat daunting at first to share your thoughts and feelings with someone previously unknown to you.
We understand.
Rest assured that at Norwest Counselling we are trained to ‘meet you where you are at’. We take special care in the first session to engage with you and to put you at ease.
Here are some common questions people ask when thinking about embarking on the counselling process:
Why do people seek counselling
The reasons people come to counselling or psychotherapy are as varied as people themselves.
These might include present circumstances of bereavement, separation, or other major life transitions. It may even be experiences from the past, that are impacting in the present.
Some people seek counselling to help them explore a general feeling that their lives are not quite right, or to cope with feelings of depression or anxiety.
Still others look to counselling as part of their effort to discover or create meaning in their lives.
Many people are attracted to counselling as an opportunity to undertake personal development in a safe and supportive environment: it is not at all necessary to have a ‘problem’ to find counselling useful.
People seeking general development as well as difficulties ranging from ‘minor niggles’ to profound distress impacting all areas of life have benefited from counselling and psychotherapy.
What is the difference between Counselling & Psychotherapy?
Counselling is a relatively short-term process (6-12 weeks) and is when a person engages with the Counsellor for the purpose of dealing with a present life situation. For example the following are examples of situations that may require counselling: a bereavement, a relationship breakdown, work stress, anxiety attacks, accident or illness, a depressive episode.
Psychotherapy is a more long-term process whereby the client chooses to deal with issues that have occurred in childhood that have come to significantly impact on their relationships & emotional wellbeing in adulthood.
Who Seeks Counselling or Psychotherapy?
They may be senior executives, students, homemakers, tradespersons or unemployed.
Clients may be young, elderly, or anywhere in between. They may be physically healthy, or they may be suffering from a debilitating or even terminal illness.
At Norwest Counselling we see men and women from a wide range of cultures and age groups.
Fees & Can I Claim a Medicare Rebate?
Individual Counselling: $160.00 per session. Couples Sessions: $170.00 per session.
We do not offer Medicare Rebates. These rebates are reserved for clients who are assessed by a GP to have a Mental Health condition and are referred to either a Clinical or Registered Psychologist.
However, clients can claim a rebate if they have private health insurance with:
Medibank Private
Medibank Private rebates for counselling are available to Medibank Private members with appropriate policies. To make a claim, members must have a policy with the package bonus or membership bonus feature. The following Medibank Private products include package bonuses that can be used for counselling:
• PremierPlus, AdvantagePlus, Smartplus, HealthyPlus or their VIP corporate equivalents. These policies are no longer available for purchase but approximately 1.6 million existing policy holders still have these policies.
The following Medibank Private products include the “membership bonus” are currently available:
• Everyday Comprehensive
• Settled Families Essentials
• Settled Families Comprehensive
• Security Comprehensive
The following products include the “membership bonus” but are no longer available to new members
• New Families Essentials
• New Families Comprehensive
Members will need to check that they have not already used their package bonus for other services. This can be done by asking Medibank Private for a printout of the member’s claim history.
BUPA
As of July 1, 2018, Bupa began offering rebates for counselling. I have had many clients claim their sessions through Bupa and all report that this has been helpful and that the process has been effortless.
AHM & ARHG
As of March 24, 2021, Norwest Counselling has Provider Numbers for both AHM and ARHG (Police Health, St Luke’s Health, Phoenix Health, Emergency Services Health).
What Is The Difference Between a Counsellor & a Psychologist?
A counsellor assists people: “to develop understanding about themselves and to make changes in their lives”. It is expected that they ”work within a clearly contracted principled relationship that enables individuals to explore and resolve issues of an interpersonal or intra-personal nature.”
Source: Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia
Psychologists are experts in human behaviour. Clinical psychologists help with the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. Most psychologists also help mentally healthy people to find ways of functioning better.
Source: Adapted from Australian Psychological Society
Do you have questions or would you like to enquire about an appointment? Please leave your details below and I will be on contact with you soon.
We are situated in Lexington Drive, Bella Vista. Please feel free to contact Deborah Sanasi on 0416 166 501 to arrange an initial consultation.
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