Because we aim to preserve our high treatment success rates, the policy outlined below aims to facilitate patient involvement in the treatment process and ensure patient satisfaction with the treatment outcome

We offer two forms of treatment:

1. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (requires consistency and involves attendance of regular weekly sessions, at least).

2. Psychodynamic Counselling (involves irregular frequency of sessions)

Cancelling a session

• Patients (for either counselling or psychotherapy) are expected to notify the therapist one calendar week before the session is due

• When the patient provides one week’s notice, the therapist will offer them an alternative time to replace that session within the same week. If the patient chooses not to use the proposed time, they will be charged the session fee (the proposed session time will remain available for them to use)

• If there is less than a week's notice, the patient will be charged the session fee, but the session time will remain available for them to use.

• When the patient did not manage to attend their initial session, and they want to book another session, they would need to book it online here 

Holidays for psychotherapy patients

• The Practice does not operate during public holidays

• The therapist takes his vacation in the summer (starting with Christmas Day). Patients are not charged if they have their holidays up to the end of January

• If the patient chooses to travel (interstate or overseas) beyond holiday or summer vacation times, they will be offered the alternative of an online Zoom session. If the patient decides not to use the proposed session, they will be charged the session fee (while the session will remain available for them to use)

Online/ Telehealth sessions

• The Zoom software is employed to ensure confidentiality - data encryption. A Zoom weblink and a password (both of which are always the same) are emailed/ smsed in advance, allowing the patient to connect online at the scheduled session time. To avoid connectivity issues, it is proposed that the patient’s video-conferencing device is ideally connected to the modem through a network cable

• The therapist assesses and approves when an online Zoom session can be used as an alternative to the face-to-face session. The request for an online session needs to be submitted at least 24 hours before the session is due

• The online session requires the patient to (1) use headphones/ earphones, (2) place their device on a stable place, i.e., a table, (3) video-capture the upper half of their body, and (4) be in a space that ensures privacy and confidentiality [i.e. ensure that there is no possibility for distraction or interruption during the session time]

• Patients using exclusively online sessions are expected to pay for them in advance

Fees

• The HICAPS terminal is used to facilitate payments. For psychotherapy patients, the therapist emails the patient an invoice at the end of the month, allowing two weeks for the payment of the fees

• When the patient encounters financial strain, they are welcome to discuss this in advance, for a solution to be explored and agreed upon

• Because Medicare does not provide rebates for missed or cancelled sessions, the patient pays the full session fee for any missed or cancelled sessions, which is partly funded by Medicare.

Your agreement to engage in psychotherapy or counselling with this Practice implies your consent to the Policy described above.

Dr George Karpetis 

Psychotherapist & Counsellor

 Renewed 2 June 2024