Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. You do not need a GP referral to see a counsellor privately in Australia. Counselling is a private-pay service, so you can book directly — there is no doctor’s appointment, no Mental Health Treatment Plan, and no waiting for paperwork before you start.

Booking a session, or a free 15-minute Fit Call, takes a couple of minutes online, and you choose the counsellor you would like to work with rather than being referred to whoever is available. If you would rather book by phone, call (03) 8007 3516 — if Deborah is in a session, leave a message and she will call you back.

The main differences are in registration and Medicare eligibility, not in the value of the support. Both counsellors and psychologists provide confidential, talk-based help.

Psychologists are registered with AHPRA, the national health-practitioner regulator, and their sessions can attract a Medicare rebate when you have a GP referral and a Mental Health Treatment Plan. Counsellors are registered through a professional association rather than AHPRA — Deborah is a Registered Counsellor (Level 2) with the Australian Counselling Association — and counselling is not eligible for a Medicare rebate.

Which is the better fit depends on your needs, your preferences, and your budget. A free Fit Call is an easy way to work out whether counselling with Reflect Renew suits what you are looking for.

Private counselling fees vary between practitioners. At Reflect Renew, the first Fit Call is free and a standard 60-minute session is $90, a flat fee.

Counselling is not covered by Medicare because Medicare rebates apply only to certain AHPRA-registered practitioners, and counsellors are registered through a professional association instead. In practice that means there is no GP visit, no Mental Health Treatment Plan, and no limit set by Medicare on the number of sessions you can have — you book directly and pay a predictable fee each time.

Yes. Counselling gives family and unpaid carers a confidential place to put down some of what a caring role builds up — exhaustion, grief, guilt, and the sense of losing yourself in it.

Caring responsibilities are one of the concerns Deborah supports, alongside grief, anxiety, stress and life transitions, and she brings personal experience of more than ten years in a caring role. No referral is needed, and sessions are held online across Australia.