For immediate assistance, please contact an emergency service on 000 or attend your local Emergency Department.

We’re unable to provide crisis support as a private practice. Here are some helplines you can reach out to:

RuralLink: 1800 552 002

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800

MensLine: 1300 78 99 78

Sexual Assault Crisis Line: 1800 806 292

Family Violence: 1800 015 188

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Suicide Line: 1300 651 251

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732

We are based in Northam, Toodyay and Perth. When travelling to provide services throughout the Wheatbelt or Perth areas, sessions often take place at suitable places convenient for the client such as their home, school, or a office space in the community.

Update December 2023: Due to current leave arrangements, we are not travelling through the Wheatbelt. Areas currently serviced are: Northam, Toodyay, Perth hills and Perth metro. Services are also available by telehealth.

You can refer yourself or a child directly to Wheatbelt Psychology.  However, without a Mental Health Care Plan from your doctor you will not receive a Medicare rebate.

A Mental Health Treatment Plan (also known as a Mental Health Care Plan) is completed by your GP. A complete referral will include a referral letter and a copy of the Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP). By itself, the MHTP is not a referral so Wheatbelt Psychology cannot provide services upon receiving a MHTP alone. A valid referral must contain:

• the date of referral

• the patient’s name, date of birth and address

• the referring practitioner’s name and Medicare Provider Number

• a request for services under Better Access

• the practitioner’s signature.

When a referral is received directly from a GP, Psychiatrist, or Paediatrician, your details are added to the secure Halaxy record keeping system.  You will receive a text message from Wheatbelt Psychology advising receipt of the referral with details on how to book your appointment. If we don’t hear back from you after we send this text message, we will phone you the following week to check in.

You can also provide your referral paperwork directly to Wheatbelt Psychology.

We cannot offer support via email or between sessions for various reasons, including:

• Time Constraints: Our workdays are occupied by client sessions, travel, documentation, and coordination with other healthcare professionals. This leaves very limited time to monitor and respond to emails.

• Misinterpretation Risk: Written communication, such as emails, is susceptible to misinterpretation, which can lead to misunderstandings or miscommunication of crucial information.

• Lack of Context: Emails typically lack the context and information necessary to assess the writer's mental state accurately and provide appropriate psychological support. To offer effective support, we require a comprehensive understanding of the individual's situation and well-being, which is best achieved during scheduled sessions.

If you cancel your session with less than 2 business days notice, the full session fee may be charged. This cancellation fee is required to be paid before further sessions can be booked. If you advise us that you can’t attend your session more than 2 business days in advance, no fee will be charged.

For privately paying clients, sessions are paid on the day, or in advance via direct deposit. Credit card payments are processed using the built-in payment system in Halaxy.

For NDIS clients, invoices can be sent directly to your nominated Plan Manager or submitted to the NDIA.

Anything you say to a psychologist is confidential, and there are strict penalties for psychologists found to have breached this duty. However, psychologists are required to disclose confidential information obtained in the course of their provision of psychological services only under any one or more of the following circumstances:

• with the consent of the relevant client (or a person with legal authority to act on behalf of the client);

• where there is a legal obligation to do so (e.g., court subpoena);

• if there is an immediate and specified risk of harm to an identifiable person or persons that can be averted only by disclosing information.

Therapy is a collaborative process where you work with a trained professional to explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It can help you gain insight, develop coping strategies, and improve your mental and emotional well-being.

How do I know if I need therapy?

Therapy can be beneficial for individuals facing various challenges, such as anxiety, depression, stress, relationship issues, grief, and more.

Therapy is not a ‘kiss and drop’ support.

We involve parents in therapy because you are the most important people in your young person's life. As their primary caregivers, you have a significant impact on their well-being. The level of involvement depends on the child’s age and capacity.

Confidentiality

While therapy sessions are confidential, there are exceptions. If a young person is at risk or involved in a court case, certain information may need to be shared. Confidentiality is vital to build trust and comfort.

Parent-Only Sessions

Parent-only sessions are suggested in some cases. These sessions offer a chance to discuss concerns in detail, receive support, and provide a thorough history. We will inform the young person and provide a summary of the discussion.

Communicating with the Therapist

If parents want to share information without the young person's knowledge, it's essential to have open communication. Sharing information directly in therapy can strengthen the parent-child relationship and ensure that the therapist can address concerns effectively.

Young Person's Communication

If a young person is reluctant to share certain issues in therapy, gently asking if they've discussed them with the therapist is a helpful approach. It's important to respect their pace and comfort.

Wheatbelt Psychology uses Halaxy which is a global platform for clinical software utilised by many different types of health practitioners, including psychologists.

Halaxy is protected by 256-bit bank grade security and encryption, which means records, notes and payment information (if relevant) is protected to the same level used in banks. All information is encrypted and stored in a securely protected data centre in Australia with multiple backups in place.  Your data is hosted on servers with state-of-the-art security and are located within Australia. 

Telehealth refers to a videoconference consultation involving communication between you and your clinician using both a video and audio connection. This is similar to connecting with family, friends or business contacts using programs such as FaceTime or Zoom.

The use of telehealth service delivery is the same as you would expect in a face-to-face session, except we would be remotely connecting via telecommunications.