At Courtney Brown Psychology, your therapy journey will either start off with a Free 15 minute Meet and Greet consult after contacting us directly through our email or completing our webpage contact enquiry form. Or if you do not feel that a Meet and Greet is required and you would like to dive straight in, you may jump straight to step 2, again after initial contact has been made following your enquiry.

1. Meet and Greet

A free 15 minute initial phone consultation can be booked in to discuss your needs and to ensure that you feel that Courtney Brown Psychology is the right fit for you.

2. Initial Appointment

In your initial session we will work together collaboratively to discuss your concerns, reasons for connection, hopes, worries, background and any other important information that you believe is necessary for me to know, to provide you the best support possible. We will also discuss items such as consent, our duty of care and administrative items where relevant. This is also an opportunity for you to get to know me and further determine if you feel I can support you along your journey. Together, we can establish the frequency of sessions and how I can best assist you.

3. Ongoing Sessions

Within the subsequent sessions and beyond, I will work with what areas you would like to address and at a pace you feel comfortable with. I will do this by offering regular check in's throughout our sessions to create space for continued alignment.

Initially, clients often book for weekly or fortnightly to help maintain traction in our work together. The amount of subsequent sessions is dependent on what your needs are and the level of support you are wanting. Some clients may be seeking some short term supports to help work through and address a particular issue, however, others may wish to engage in longer term ongoing supports.

4. Check In’s

As your therapist, I aim to offer you a place where you can return as needed. This might be for a brief check-in or to address any new concerns that have arisen.

Similar to annual check-ups with a general practitioner for physical health, some clients find it beneficial to schedule emotional and mental well-being check-ins. These sessions could occur bi-monthly, quarterly, or annually, providing you with a dedicated space to reflect and receive support from a therapist who is already familiar with you.

Courtney Brown Psychology currently only delivers therapeutic services through a secure online telehealth platform, 'Coviu'. Prior to your scheduled appointment you will receive an email containing your appointment link and text message reminder.

For our online support, you will need a secure internet connection (we strongly recommend a home WIFI network and connection to a high-speed internet service, such as NBN), a smart phone, laptop, desktop or tablet which offers video teleconferencing features.

At Courtney Brown Psychology, we strive to keep access to mental health care accessible to the community, as such our current fee is $195 for a 55-minute consultation. However if you have been referred by your GP, or Psychiatrist under an eligible Mental Health Care Plan, you will be eligible for a Medicare rebate of $96.65 per session. This leaving a gap fee of $98.35 outstanding per session, payable by the client.

Please note: The current APS & AAPi National Schedule of Recommended Fees 2023-2024 has the standard 46 to 60-minute consultation fee at $300. However, our philosophy is that everybody has the right to access affordable professional mental health treatment which is why we aim to offer affordable rates. 

We’re a full fee-paying practice, so unfortunately we do not bulk bill.

The psychologist will process your payment via credit/debit card with our secure online payment system, Halaxy (read more about security here). It is a requirement when engaging our services to enter your card details into our secure online system. These details are entered when you complete your intake form before attending your initial appointment.

Courtney is able to provide psychological services under the Better Access Initiative with Medicare. You may be able to access rebates for your sessions using a valid Mental Health Care Plan and referral from your GP. Clients can access up to 10 rebated sessions under their MHCP, in a calendar year. Medicare rebates with a General Psychologist are currently $96.65 per session. This leaves a gap fee of $98.35 outstanding per session, payable by the client.

Please note that a Mental Health Care Plan is not required to book an appointment with Courtney. If you are not eligible or do not wish to obtain a MHCP, you can attend appointments with Courtney paying the full fee $195 per session.

If you wish to use your Mental Health Care Plan for rebated sessions, please send this to hello@courtneybrownpsychology.com

Please seek eligibility from your private health insurer. Courtney is unable to process private health claims in the clinic, however she can provide you with an invoice that you can take to your private health insurer, to lodge an eligible claim.

Please be aware you cannot use your private health insurance if you are already accessing Medicare rebates for your session.

NDIS clients please note we are only taking self-managed NDIS clients due to administrative limitations. In this instance, the client is required to pay the amount owing and present their NDIS management with a copy of their receipt in order to be reimbursed.

Appointments that are cancelled within 24 – 48 hours of a scheduled appointment will incur a cancellation fee, which is 50% of the appointment fee. A cancellation fee is not claimable through Medicare and may not be claimable through other funding providers.

Appointments that are cancelled within 24 hours of a scheduled appointment will incur a cancellation fee, which is 100% of the appointment fee. A cancellation fee is not claimable through Medicare and may not be claimable through other funding providers.

If you do not cancel the session before your appointment you will be charged the full amount for the appointment. Please let us know if there is a genuine reason for not cancelling the appointment and we will try to reschedule your appointment.

If technical difficulties occur, please report these to Courtney Brown Psychology as soon as possible so we are able to discuss these with you and ensure a fair outcome.

If for any reason your Psychologist is unable to attend the appointment, we will notify you by email and your Psychologist will contact, you to reschedule the appointment.

We are unfortunately unable to provide services via Workcover, TAC, or DVA pathways. We are unable to provide reports for any third parties, as this is outside of our scope of practice and focus at Courtney Brown Psychology.

Courtney does not provide therapy for children, younger adolescents or couples.