Fees & Frequently Asked Questions

Currently, the appointment option for people across Australia is Telehealth (phone and online video via Zoom). If you live in Melbourne and prefer taking your therapy outdoors, walk-and-talk appointments are provided in the northeast suburbs of Melbourne (Heidelberg area). Clients experiencing grief and loss and chronic disorganisation may like home visits. Home visits are recommended for initial assessments regarding clutter and hoarding.

I don’t offer face-to-face counselling services at the moment other than walk-and-talk and home visits. The website will be updated if these services are resumed.

Current business hours (March 2023)

Thursday 8 am – 8 pm 

Friday 8 am – 11 am

Current after-hours (March 2023)

Monday 6 pm – 8 pm

Wednesday 6 pm – 8 pm

Saturday 8 am – 12 pm 

At the moment, there are no waiting lists and I am usually able to accommodate requests for the following:

Tuesday – Friday (after hours between 5:30 pm and 9:00 pm)

Thursday (8:00 am – 8:00 pm)

Saturday (by arrangement)

Initial assessments and single session counselling appointments are 90 minutes (recommended). Subsequent appointments are 60 minutes. Home visits are longer – between 90 and 120 minutes. Walk and Talk appointments may be booked for 60-120 minutes. Brief therapy appointments are 30 – 45 minutes and may be suitable after establishing a relationship.

I can provide services to most countries and services are paid through PAYPAL. The exceptions are the USA and Canada due to strict licensing laws and insurance exclusions.

The brief enquiry call is a free no-obligation service. It offers the opportunity to briefly explain what you are seeking help for, to ascertain if I am the right person, with the right skills, and whether we agree we are the right fit. I recommend that you look through the list of Frequently Asked Questions before making a booking. For instance, I cannot diagnose mental health issues or offer Medicare rebates.

To book an appointment press the “book a call button.”

No. If you seek a mental health diagnosis, you will need to consult your GP for a referral to a psychiatrist or psychologist. I can work with people who have had a mental health diagnosis. If we have started working together, and you require more specialised assistance, I recommend seeing your GP.

No. Counsellors and psychotherapists in Australia cannot offer Medicare. If you have a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) and wish to access rebates through Medicare, you need to be referred to a psychologist by your GP. While some providers can bulk bill clients, in most instances, there will be out-of-pocket expenses. Not all service providers will offer home visits and walk-and-talk therapy through a MHCP.

Most clients choose to work with me because of my extensive experience and specialisation in grief and loss counselling, clutter and hoarding counselling and support, and the coaching services I offer.

If you have private health with extras, counselling may be included.

I have provider numbers for the following funds:

• Medibank Private
• BUPA
• AHM Health Insurance
• Australian Regional Health Group – ARHG (administers on behalf of St Luke’s Health, Police Health, GMHBA, Westfund, Emergency Services Health, Phoenix Health and CUA Health).

If your private health provider is listed above, please contact them to ascertain if your policy covers counselling. Let me know, as I need to include my provider number for that private health fund on your invoice and receipt.

Unfortunately, I don’t offer reduced fees.

In situations where you are experiencing financial stress, you may find free or low-cost government-funded counselling services through agencies in your community.

Yes, for coaching and consulting, packages are available at a reduced cost for payment in advance and within a set time. These may be suitable for coaching about a single issue or for virtual professional organising. Please discuss if you are interested.

Payment is required to secure your booking. You may pay via direct transfer.

OSKO payments are made within a minute through most banks and there is no additional cost. If you would like to pay via credit card there is an additional cost to cover the charges incurred.

No. I’m unable to work with people who are experiencing a crisis from serious mental health issues that may be leading to thoughts of self-harm or suicide. Please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 if you are in a crisis.

I don’t work with families currently experiencing any form of domestic violence. Please contact 1800 RESPECT if this applies to you.

If you are an existing client, not in a crisis, and want to have an urgent appointment I can usually accommodate appointments at short notice.

To cancel/reschedule your appointment, you will need to provide 48 hours notice. No shows or very late cancellations (within 24 hours) will incur a cancellation fee of the full amount.

Counselling appointments: The number of sessions you choose may depend on your specific needs and issues.

Sometimes, only a single session may be required, or you may require several sessions for a single point. For example, clutter and hoarding counselling and support may require weekly or fortnightly appointments with regular reviews. If you are seeking grief counselling, you may only need a few sessions at a time.

Coaching appointments: Weekly or fortnightly sometimes work well in a package format of three or six sessions within a defined period.

Consulting appointments: For organising and productivity consulting, a single project or at most 2-3 projects for 1-2 sessions a week over six weeks and reassessing.

Yes. Your confidentiality is of paramount importance. I am a clinical member of PACFA (Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia) and adhere to their code of ethics. I will explain the limits to confidentiality in the client consent form and during the first appointment.

Records, including notes of our counselling sessions, are kept under the Privacy Act 1988 (Amended 2000) in a HIPAA-compliant encrypted database password-protected with two-factor authentication (2FA). Please read the Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions, at the bottom of the home page

Viewing my website is a good start. I encouage you to read my about page. It summarises why I created Changes in Between. I am committed to continuous learning to provide you with the best quality service. I have my own therapy, coaching, mentoring, and clinical supervision because this helps to keep me at my professional best. My services page outlines the counselling, coaching and consulting that I offer. How I work provides the variety of ways that I work with clients.

I invite you to book a brief telephone enquiry call so we can speak together about your needs and how I may be able to help. I’ll ask you to give me a brief description of the issues you might like to address. I’ll let you know how I may be able to help you. You may then have a good sense if you feel that I am the right person for you.

If it feels like a good fit for both of us, we’ll book your first appointment. Once you decide to start working with me, I will issue an invoice and payment is required to secure the appointment. If I don’t think I’m able to help, I’ll refer you to someone who may be better suited to helping you with your issue.

Please note that for counselling services. I am unable to offer medicare rebates through mental health care plans. You may be able to access private health fund – check with your provider.  

Yes. I provide general counselling for anxiety, depression, addictions, and other mental health conditions.

I encourage you to book a free enquiry call so that we may discuss this further.  

Counselling, coaching, and consulting are all applicable to over-commitment and overwhelm. Occasionally, you may find yourself with too many things on your plate. Overcommitment can happen for many reasons due to a significant change or a long-standing situation. Examples include brain-based conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, and depression; life transitions such as starting a new job or retirement, having a baby, caring for a loved one; starting or completing university; changes in relationships (including bereavement, separation and divorce), and adult children leaving home to name a few. I have extensive education, training, and experience working with the issues that often getting in the way of feeling less overwhelmed and more where you might like to be. 

No. I work with you in three ways – counselling to get to the core of the issue therapeutically, coaching to partner with you on goals you might want to work on, and consulting through virtual organising over the internet, providing more of a specialised role with you on your organising projects. I have specialist qualifications and experience working with people who may feel overwhelmed, over-committed, chronic or situationally disorganised. I can also work with you as your counsellor if you have decided to engage with a professional organiser to do the hands-on work. However, professional organisers are not generally trained to provide therapeutic support (unless they have credentials). 

Yes. I can provide services to participants who are plan-managed or self-managed under Improved Daily Living. I am happy to initially speak with you and/or your support coordinator, or support worker. You can learn more on the NDIS page or contact me for free telephone enquiry. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, I am following these protocols:

• I am fully vaccinated (two vaccinations and two boosters)
• I am trained in hand hygiene and carry hand sanitser
• I wear a face mask while working with my clients indoors
• I conduct a Rapid Antigen Test on the day of a home visit
• I will not attend home visits if I am unwell, or a household contact
• I will provide as much notice as I can to either reschedule the appointment or with agreement and if appropriate to change the appointment to telehealth.

No. Appointments can only be made by the person wanting counselling, coaching, and consulting. If you cannot find the information you need on the website, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email. The brief enquiry call is unsuitable for going into detail about concerns you may have for somebody else. I can offer appointments for you if you are concerned about another person and this may be helpful to go into greater detail, express your concerns, and develop strategies.

If you have any further questions, please use the get in touch button to send me an email.