Therapy Fees:

Principal Psychologist: $275
Senior Psychologist: $265
Psychologist: $255

*Please note that these are subject to change at any time

Medicare Rebates:

Clinical Psychologists: $141.85
General Psychologists: $96.65

Please note these rebates are only available for therapy sessions, and not assessments.

Information for NDIS Clients:

We welcome NDIS self-managed and plan-managed clients (rates as per above). For NDIS plan-managed clients, please note there will be a gap payment of the difference between the NDIS rate for your state and our fee.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accept NDIA managed plans as we are not an NDIS registered provider.

Assessment Fees:

ADHD* with letter: $1,000
ADHD* with report: $1,500

Autism with letter: $1,250
Autism with report: $2,000

Autism & ADHD* with letter: $1,500
Autism & ADHD* with report: $2,500

There are no Medicare rebates for autism assessments for those aged 21 years old or more. However, for those under 21 years of age Medicare may entitle you to a small rebate for the assessment, between $186.70-$374.40 if you get a referral from a psychiatrist or paediatrician (not eligible from a GP unfortunately). You can find more information about it on the Medicare website. There are no Medicare rebates available for ADHD assessments with a psychologist regardless of age, however you may be able to receive a rebate if you have an ADHD assessment with a psychiatrist.

Our cancellation policy is:

• 2 business days notice or more: No fee.

• 1 business day’s notice: 50% fee.

• Same-day cancellation or non-attendance: Full fee.

Prior to your session you will receive information about our service, as well as a consent form and questionnaires to complete.

A few days prior to your initial session you will receive an automated appointment reminder via email, which will contain a Zoom meeting link.

In your initial session, your psychologist will discuss your concerns, history, and goals. From there, we'll collaboratively devise a treatment plan tailored specifically to address your needs.

After your initial session, you will be able to book in regular appointments via your psychologist, our admin team, or online booking portal.

Once you have booked in for your assessment, you will receive an information pack containing a consent form and questionnaires to complete.

Your assessment will be conducted over multiple sessions, usually booked a few weeks apart. The number and duration of sessions depends on the type of assessment:

- ADHD: One 2 hour session, plus a 1 hour feedback session (3 hours in total)
- Autism: Two 1.5 hour sessions, plus a 1 hour feedback session (4 hours in total)
- Autism & ADHD: Two 2 hour sessions, plus a 1 hour feedback session (5 hours in total)

If possible, for each session we encourage you to schedule some additional time after your session (such as 15 to 30 minutes), just in case your session runs over time (e.g., if breaks are required, or if your psychologist needs to gather further information).

Assessment sessions are conducted via Zoom, and you'll receive a session link a few days before your appointment. Feedback sessions are via phone and your clinician will call you at your booking time.

During the session, your psychologist will ask a range of questions about your experience based on several psychometric tools and the DSM-5-TR criteria. Your psychologist may ask you questions about topics such as: childhood milestones, social behaviours, communication, emotional regulation, routine, attention and concentration, stimming, interests and hobbies, and sensory processing.

Your psychologist will arrange a feedback session after all of your assessment sessions are complete. For assessments with a report, this will be around 3-4 weeks after your final assessment session. If you have requested a letter, your feedback session can be arranged sooner after your final assessment session (e.g., 1 week).

Psychologists provide comprehensive and skilled assessments, and are able to diagnose ADHD; however, they cannot prescribe medication.

Once you have a diagnosis of ADHD, a psychiatrist can assist you in exploring medication options. However, please be aware that some psychiatrists may not accept a psychologist's diagnosis and may require their own assessment before prescribing stimulant medication. While some psychiatrists do accept a diagnosis from a psychologist, we cannot guarantee this will be the case.

It is also important to note that GPs cannot prescribe stimulant medications without you first seeing a psychiatrist. Your GP can then apply for a permit to manage your medications ongoing, and require a letter/report from your psychiatrist outlining the recommended medication(s) in order to do so.

If you don’t have an existing psychiatrist who you can check with, and are considering stimulant medication, it may be more efficient to see a psychiatrist directly to avoid duplicating the assessment process and incurring additional costs.

The benefits of an ADHD assessment with a psychologist include a more detailed exploration and evaluation, which is particularly valuable for women and AFAB individuals, and those with more internalised presentations, as these groups are often under- or mis-diagnosed. At Comfort Psychology, our assessments are also unique in that we have the capability to consider the interaction between ADHD and chronic illnesses (e.g., differentiating brain fog between ADHD vs ME/CFS, long-COVID, or POTS), offering a holistic view of your symptoms and their impact on your daily life.

It’s completely normal to feel uncertain. Deciding whether to pursue an autism and/or ADHD assessment can be a big step - especially when there’s a significant time, energy, and financial investment involved.

In our experience, neurotypical people very rarely find themselves questioning whether they might be autistic and/or ADHD. In our experience, when someone reaches the point of thinking about an assessment, there’s usually a good reason - even if they can’t always articulate it clearly.

Some people have asked whether we offer pre-assessment screening appointments to help decide whether an assessment is right for them. At this time, we are unable to offer this for a few reasons:

• Even a one-off appointment where we discuss your experiences/traits would ethically and clinically be considered the start of the assessment process.

• A conversation about your experience would require the same level of care and clinical judgment as a formal assessment, and without the full picture, it can risk creating confusion or misinterpretation.

• We also want to ensure our process is consistent, structured, and meaningful for every client from the very beginning.

If you’re still feeling unsure, we recommend checking out the following websites:

• Embrace Autism

• Neurodivergent Insights

These sites offer tools, checklists, and insights that can help you better understand your own experiences and decide whether a formal assessment is right for you.

Additionally - some people already strongly identify with autistic and/or ADHD traits and may be comfortable self-identifying. This is a completely valid choice, and you do not need a formal assessment with a psychologist to say you are autistic and/or ADHD.

If you do decide to go ahead with an assessment, we’re here to support you every step of the way. And if you have questions about how the process works, feel free to get in touch, we’re always happy to help!

Psychologists primarily provide therapy and assessment, employing their training and expertise in counseling and diagnosis to address mental health related concerns and work towards specific goals. They are not able to prescribe medication. Psychology sessions typically occur anywhere between weekly to monthly, for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

In contrast, psychiatrists, as medical doctors working in mental health, primarily prescribe medication. They often conduct shorter and less frequent appointments, mainly focused on medication management and review.

Both professionals often collaborate closely in a multidisciplinary team to provide comprehensive care.

Neurodiversity affirming practice stems from the neurodiversity affirming (NDA) movement, a social justice movement advocating for the rights and acceptance of neurodivergent individuals. The NDA movement promotes a shift in perspective from deficit-based thinking to one that recognises neurodiversity as a natural variation of human cognition. In doing so, it seeks to challenge societal norms that pathologise neurodivergence and promote inclusive environments that support diverse neurological experiences.

Neurodiversity affirming practice rejects the medical model of disability, neuronormativity, and pathological paradigm, instead looking at the social model of disability to understand neurodivergent experiences. It rejects the notion that neurodivergence (e.g., Autism, ADHD) needs "fixing", whilst acknowledging how these are disabling, and advocates for access to accommodations and practical tools to meet individual needs.

In therapy, neurodiversity affirming practice involves recognising the individual's unique strengths and challenges, while providing tailored support relevant to their neurotype, rather than aiming to "fix" or pathologise it.

Comfort Psychology is a telehealth practice, as such we do not provide in person/face to face appointments.

Privacy Policy: www.comfortpsychology.com/privacy

AI-Assisted Note Taking Policy: www.comfortpsychology.com/ai-note

APS & AAPi Client Charters: www.comfortpsychology.com/charters

If you meet the Medicare eligibility criteria for an eating disorder, you may be entitled to up to 40 rebated psychological therapy sessions per year under an EDP. These are to be used instead of a Mental Health Treatment Plan. 

Please note not all of our team are able to accept EDPs as specialised training is required - you can check our team page, or contact us via email, to find out who is currently able to accept an EDP.

Key Information:

• An EDP can be prepared by a GP, psychiatrist, or paediatrician.

• The EDP is valid for 12 months from the date it is created, and all referrals/reviews made under that plan, regardless of when they are written, expire at the same time.

  • For example, if your EDTP is created on 1 August 2024, all referrals issued under that plan (for sessions 1–10, 11–20, 21–30, and 31–40) will expire on 1 August 2025, even if the later referrals are written months later.

Referrals required for EDP Sessions:

• Sessions 1–10 require a referral from a GP, psychiatrist, or paediatrician.

• Sessions 11–20 also require a referral, which may be provided by a the original referrer aka "managing practitioner" (i.e., GP, psychiatrist, or paediatrician).

• Sessions 21–40 require:

  • A review by a psychiatrist to determine clinical eligibility, plus

  • A new GP referral for each additional block of 10 sessions.

  • Importantly, the psychiatrist review can occur at any time from the beginning of the EDP, but must occur before any sessions beyond 20 can be accessed.

We recommend arranging the psychiatrist review well before reaching session 20 to avoid disruption to your sessions.