From 1st January 2023, the additional 10 mental health support services available to clients under a mental health treatment plan, that were introduced by the government in response to the Covid 19 pandemic, ceased. This unfortunately means a return to clients only being able to access a total of 10 Medicare-subsidised psychological therapy sessions within a calendar year.

“But what happens if I didn’t use all of the extra 10 sessions last year, and I only saw my GP a few sessions ago?”

A client does not have to go back to their GP for a new referral/review at the beginning of 2023 if they are midway through a course of treatment under an “additional” 10 session referral.

A maximum of 6 unused sessions can be accessed on these referrals in 2023, but will count towards the maximum session allocation for the year.

If you are confused about how this change may impact you, please contact the clinic, but rest assured that your psychologist will notify you about the appropriate time to return to your referrer.