What Are The Fees?

Session Fees 

  • Room based sessions are available at a rate of $160 for a 50-60 minute session. 
  • Telehealth Sessions are $160 for a 50-60 minute session. 
  • Equine Assisted Psychology Sessions are $210 for a 50-60 minute session.
  • You may be entitled to a rebate for your session, please read below to find out more information.  

CAN I GET A Rebate? 

Medicare 

  • In order to obtain a rebate from Medicare you will need a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP). Please check with your General Practitioner to determine if you are eligible for a MHCP. A MHCP entitles you to a Medicare rebate for 10 sessions (face to face or telehealth) per calendar year with a clinical psychologist. The out of pocket session cost if you have a mental health care plan is $31.60 for room based or telehealth sessions and $81.60 for Equine Assisted Psychology sessions. Please click here or refer to the resources page for further information on MHCP’s 
  • In light of the COVID-19 pandemic an additional 10 MHCP sessions are now available to all Australians in 2021. This means once you have used your initial 10 sessions, you can access a further 10 sessions. An information sheet about the extra sessions is available on the resources page. 

Private Hospital Insurance Rebates

  • Some private hospital extras insurance will cover a proportion of the session fee, please check the details with your insurance company to determine if this available to you  

Other Funding Bodies 

  • Meredith is also able to see clients who are funded by TAC, Workcover, VOCAT and the NDIS 
  • Please refer to the resources section for further information on these funding bodies 

Financial Hardship 

  • A reduced rate can occasionally be offered to clients experiencing significant financial hardship, please contact Meredith to further discuss your situation 

WhERE ARE YOU LOCATED & WHERE DO I PARK?

  • All appointments are conducted at the therapy rooms in Macclesfield, a suburb in the outer east of Melbourne. It is a 10 min drive from the township of Emerald or 15min from the township of Monbulk. The light filled rooms offer clients a space that is supportive, confidential and comfortable.
  • You will be provided with full directions and parking details when you book in. The property has a large gate sign – you can’t miss it – and there are sign posts that will lead you to parking spaces, the onsite office and therapy room and bathroom facilities.
  • All initial Equine Assisted Psychology sessions are conducted in the therapy rooms located on the property. This allows Meredith to complete a full assessment to determine if Equine Assisted Psychology is right for you and to explore any goals you may have for therapy. Further sessions are conducted on the property with the horses.
  • There is plenty of space for parking, you do not require any special vehicle to access the property, once you enter the property there are sign posts that will lead you to parking spaces, the therapy office and bathroom facilities.
  • Given the current COVID-19 situation you are requested to wait in your car prior to the session, Meredith will let you know when she is ready for the session

DO YOU HAVE A Cancellation Policy?

Here at YVEAP we understand that sometimes things come up that are unavoidable and mean you are unable to attend your appointment.  

  • If you do need to cancel your appointment, so that it can be offered to someone else who may need it, please provide as much notice as possible. 
  • Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours notice attract a cancellation fee. The fee is 50% of the cost of the session and needs to be settled prior to your next appointment. 

do I NEED TO bring ANYTHING?

Room Based Appointments 

  • Please bring any relevant paperwork e.g. referral letter, mental health care plan 

Equine Assisted Psychology 

  • Equine Assisted Psychology is usually held outside (where the horses live) so you should dress according to weather conditions and wear sturdy covered shoes (boots or sneakers). Over winter there can be mud in some areas of the property so you are advised to bring a pair of gumboots or footwear that you do not mind getting dirty, you will also need to wear warm clothes and bring a waterproof jacket. In summer you may require a hat and sunscreen and in winter you will need to wear warm clothes and may require a waterproof jacket. 

What IF THE WEATHER IS BAD?

  • Depending on the severity of the weather some Equine Assisted Psychology sessions may need to rescheduled. Meredith will discuss this arrangements with you in your initial appointment and then if it needs to occur for any subsequent appointments. 

WHAT happens in the first session? 

  • All first sessions are room based. 
  • It is quite normal to feel a bit nervous coming to your first session and this is something Meredith is quite used to. She works with clients ease this anxiety and help them to feel more comfortable.
  • Meredith understands that sometimes there are things that clients may not feel comfortable talking about and clients are never required to talk about information they don’t wish to share. Clients are encouraged to ask questions and seek clarification on any relevant issues. 
  • A typical initial session usually includes an explanation of what to expect from the sessions with Meredith. Information about confidentiality/privacy, billing and cancellations is provided. This information can also be sent via email. The rest of the session is usually spent exploring what brings you, to see Meredith, what you want to be different about your life and collaboratively designing a plan for future sessions. 

Is Equine Assisted Psychology safe? 

  • You can be reassured that you psychological and physical safety are of the highest priority at each and every session you attend. 
  • All clients are provided with a short safety briefing at the commencement of every Equine Assisted Psychology session. 
  • All horses are carefully selected for their personality and behaviours that will keep clients safe.  
  • The YVEAP horses are cared for in and above animal welfare guidelines 
  • All the facilities and equipment at YVEAP are well maintained and remain in good repair. All sessions are conducted one to one and ridden sessions are not offered. 
  • Information from the initial sessions helps Dr. Meredith carefully matches clients with horses to ensure the clients stay safe and their needs are met by the equine co-therapists.  
  • Meredith is also trained in the provision of trauma informed/trauma sensitive care. 
  • Dr. Meredith is registered Clinical Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and is required to abide by the Australian Psychological Society’s Code of Ethics, which requires her to maintain appropriate professional indemnity and public liability insurance. Please click on the resources section for further information related to AHPRA and the Code of Ethics. 

Are The Sessions Confidential? 

  • The information you provide in the session remains confidential and cannot be released without your consent. The exception to this is if Meredith is concerned that you may be of harm to yourself or others, or if this information is subpoenaed by law. 
  • Meredith may write notes during the session, which will be stored securely.  
  • If you have a mental health care plan Meredith is required to write treatment reports to your referring GP at the commencement of your treatment, after sessions six and session 10. 
  • As a registered psychologist, Meredith is bound by the Australian Psychological Society’s Code of Ethics, which sets out strict guidelines in relation to confidentiality .  

How do I pay?

  • All appointments need to be settled on the day of the appointment
  • EFTPOS facilities are available to process card payments (either debit or credit cards are acceptable, a surcharge of 1.8% applies to credit cards) or you can make a bank transfer.
  • If you are accessing sessions with a Mental Health Care Plan you will be provided with a receipt which you can either take into a Medicare office or upload online via the my.gov website to obtain the medicare rebate. A full set of simple instructions can be provided upon request to walk you through this process.