Terms Of Service

Psychology services vary depending on the personalities of the psychologist and client as well as the reasons you choose to see a psychologist.  Your psychologist may use different approaches when working with you towards the objectives you have come to therapy to fulfill.  Psychology requires active effort on your part.  For therapy to be most successful, you will have to work on things discussed, both during sessions and at home.

The first few sessions will involve evaluating your needs.  By the end of the evaluation, your psychologist will be able to offer you some first impressions of what future work could include and collaboratively discuss a plan.  If you have questions about the plan, you and your psychologist should discuss them when they arise.  You can cease therapy with your psychologist at any time.  If you feel uncomfortable with what is happening in a session, you may request that the session cease at any time.

Synthesis Psychology is committed to respecting and incorporating cultural safety into practice.  Please inform your psychologist about any cultural considerations that are important to you in the way that services are provided and who you would like involved in your care.  Please also inform your psychologist if you have specific access support needs, communication support needs (e.g. interpreting, use of assistive technology, resources provided in different languages) in order to assist your participation.  Unfortunately; however, our physical location is located on the first floor of a building with stairs as our only access.

 As part of providing a psychological service to you, Synthesis Psychology needs to collect and record personal information, such as your name, contact information, medical history and other relevant information as part of providing psychological services to you.  This collection of personal information is a necessary part of the therapy and/or psychological assessment that is conducted.

Your information will be stored in a secure location.  Psychologists are required to keep your file for a minimum of 7 years or, if you are under the age of 18 at the time of service, until you are 25 years of age.

The vast majority of client files are held on Synthesis Psychology’s practice management software, Halaxy, with a very limited number of files held either on a secure cloud-based storage system (OneDrive Business) or in a locked filing cabinet located at 5/16 Barker Street, Griffith ACT 2603.

You may access the information in your file on request, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988.

Please note that your psychologist will not engage with you in public or online in a way that will identify you as a client.  This is to protect your privacy and due to the requirements to uphold professional boundaries.  Please contact your psychologist through Synthesis Psychology official channels to engage with them rather than approach them on social media or in public forums.

If information about you is required from another person, this will be discussed with you beforehand, and your permission will be sought.  All personal information gathered by your psychologist during the provision of psychological services will remain confidential and secure except when:

• A court subpoena or other disclosure is required or authorised by law
• Your consent cannot be gained due to a requirement to obtain you emergency services (including Ambulance) during a medical crisis
• If there is unauthorised access to data held by the clinic, some limited information may need to be shared with the Office of the Information Ombudsman
• Failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at risk of harm (including historical acts of abuse)
• Given your prior approval or consent of a parent or guardian who is legally authorised to act on your behalf to provide a written report to another professional or agency or discuss information with another person, e.g., parent or employer
• You have provided your consent to share your information for a specific reason and purpose.
• You would reasonably expect your personal information to be disclosed to another professional or agency, and disclosure is directly related to the primary purpose for which it was collected, such as to inform your GP of treatment and progress, to claim Medicare rebates on your behalf etc.
• Clinical consultation with another professional is required to provide enhanced services.  If this occurs, identifying details will remain confidential.

If, during your therapy, your psychologist becomes aware of a risk to someone’s life, health, or wellbeing, they are legally required to report the matter to the appropriate agencies. 

 Your psychologist will not record any component of your therapy or assessment session/s (except through the notes they are bound to legally) without your explicit permission.  Your psychologist expects that recording of any component of your therapy or assessment session/s will not occur without their explicit consent. Examples of recording include, but are not limited to:

• audio recordings
• video recordings
• photographs
• having other parties listen-in to and/or watch the therapy session/s

Telehealth is the provision of psychological services through secure videoconferencing, rather than meeting in-person.  Although the setting changes, your psychologist continues to follow the same professional standards and confidentiality rules that apply to traditional in-person care.

Although your psychologist chooses Coviu video conferencing software, which has high-security standards, there is still a small risk of hacking or others tapping into the video connection.

Your psychologist will ensure that the privacy of telehealth sessions are upheld in the same way in-person sessions would be, by choosing a private location, using headphones and not allowing any voice or video recording of the session.  Your psychologist expects that you take the same precautions to ensure confidentiality.

Payment is required by card at the end of the session by providing your debit/credit card number, card expiry date and CVV number.  If you are entitled to a Medicare rebate, it will be processed after your payment.  You are encouraged to ask questions about telehealth sessions at any time.  Please note that telehealth sessions are not compulsory, and if technical difficulties interfere with the session to the point where it cannot continue, a phone consultation will be offered as an alternative.

Your psychologist’s standard consultation fee for a 60-minute in-person or telehealth therapy consultation is published on the Synthesis Psychology website (https://synthesispsychology.com.au/therapy) and is reviewed in July of every year. Clients will be notified at least six weeks prior to any changes to the fee schedule being introduced.

Therapy consultation fees will be charged at the time of the appointment and will not be charged prior to an appointment without consent.

Administrative fees will be charged for time expended on the preparation of reports, letters and other documentation (excluding GP letters) requested by the client.  Clients will be advised of any administrative charges prior to services being undertaken.

Assessment payment structures may be found on the Synthesis Psychology website (https://synthesispsychology.com.au/cost-and-payment).  Cancellations made within less than two weeks’ notice of the assessment date are liable for 10% of the assessment fee.

Medicare

Medicare rebates may apply if there the client has a current referral from a medical practitioner such as a GP or Psychiatrist. The holder of the referral must be present at the consultation to claim services from Medicare. 

Our practice software, Halaxy, has the capacity to process Medicare rebates if the client has a valid referral.  We will try our best to automatically process your Medicare rebate; however, we cannot guarantee this service.

Cancellation fees are unable to be claimed from Medicare.

Health Insurance

Some health insurance policies cover psychology services.  Please check with your insurance company regarding what you are eligible for.  We cannot process health insurance claims at this practice. 

Cancellation fees are unable to be claimed from health insurance funds.

NDIS

Please see your NDIS Service Agreement.

Employer Provided Services

Your employer will automatically be charged for your appointment/s and there is no further action for you to take.  Your employer will be charged any applicable Cancellation Fees and will be advised the reason/s for the Cancellation Fee/s.

Running a private psychology clinic involves fixed costs like staff salaries and rent, regardless of whether a therapy session occurs.  Since we do not receive external funding, every booked appointment contributes to our salary.  When a slot opens up at the last minute, we cannot recover that lost income. Cancellation fees help recover the cost of the time that was reserved but not used. 

Changing an appointment at the last-minute impacts your psychologist, who has set aside the mental energy and preparation time to meet with you, as well as the people on the cancellation list who may not have been given the opportunity for an appointment that day. 

In the spirit of justice, we apply the below cancellation fees impartially, regardless of reason / situation. 

Cancellation Timeframe / Cancellation Fee

More than 48 hours notice = No fee

Between 48 - 24 hours notice = 50% of published consultation fee + 10% GST

Less than 24 hours notice = 100% of published consultation fee + 10% GST

Non-attendance / No show = 100% of published consultation fee + 10% GST

Synthesis Psychology will attempt to send reminder text messages and emails prior to your scheduled appointment; however, this is a courtesy, and it is your responsibility to ensure you attend your scheduled appointment/s. To cancel an appointment, you are required to do one of the following:

• reply to the SMS reminder/s (if received)
• send an email to hello@synthesispsychology.com.au or 
• call the practice (02 8044 1445).

Synthesis Psychology will contact you via your nominated email address to follow up on overdue payments.  If Synthesis Psychology is unable to contact you over a reasonable period of time, we may restrict your future services.  This may also result in:

• additional administrative fees being charged
• referral to a debt collection agency

In an emergency, please go to the nearest hospital's emergency department or call 000.

Otherwise, there is counselling support available at any time of the day or night:  Lifeline (24/7) on 13 11 14 or text 0477 131 114 or chat;  Beyond Blue (24/7) on 1300 224 636 or chat;  Suicide Call Back Service (24/7) on 1300 659 467 or chat/video;  or QLife (3pm - midnight) on 1800 184 527 or chat.