These three terms describe psychologists at different stages in their training. Provisional psychologists have completed a four-year Honours degree in psychology and are in the final two years of their training. They are already very skilled and are closely supervised by a Clinical Psychologist. At FLOW, they sometimes co-work or observe sessions with other clinicians to further their skills. Registered psychologists have completed all six years of their psychology training, have full registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and are eligible to provide services under Medicare. Clinical Psychologists have undergone a further two-year program of training and supervision (that’s eight years total!) to attain a specialist title and often supervise provisional and registered psychologists. Psychologists at all stages of their career engage in regular supervision and ongoing professional development to ensure they are providing the best possible service to their clients.

Whilst we aim to keep our fees below the recommended rates set by our professional bodies, FLOW is not a bulk billing practice. This means that there is a gap or co-payment. Individuals with a valid care plan will be eligible for a rebate through Medicare for a limited number of sessions. Private health rebates may also be available for some services.

Yes. We work with self-managed and third-party/plan-managed NDIS funds.

Yes, we do! In many cases, FLOW clinicians can connect with you and your child through telehealth (video) sessions and achieve the same results as face-to-face appointments. Telehealth may be a preferred option for clients who don’t live locally, who prefer to connect from the comfort of their home or simply need flexible appointment options. There are some instances where telehealth may not be suitable and we will discuss alternative options with you.

The first step at FLOW involves attending an intake appointment. This is an opportunity to meet with a clinician who will take the time to hear your story, the concerns or difficulties you or your child are experiencing and set some goals for what you would like to get out of attending therapy. After the intake appointment, you will receive personalised recommendations about which FLOW service or clinician is the best fit for your needs, online resources that may be of help and/or other services that you may like to explore. Our goal is to connect you to the right kind of assessment or support from the beginning, so that you can start getting the help you need. If FLOW is not the right service for you, we will do our best to link you to one that is.

There is currently a very high demand for mental health support across Australia and this is resulting in wait times for most services. Rather than have you sitting on a waitlist, we will book you into the next available intake appointment. There may be a wait for certain clinicians or services after this, which will be detailed in your intake outcome letter. If we know of a service that could support you sooner, we will always let you know.

As parents/carers you know your child best and have the most opportunity to support them in their daily lives. As such, we encourage parents/carers to play an active role in the therapeutic process and attend appointments with their children where possible. We require a parent/carer to attend the intake appointment so that a thorough history can be obtained. Young people aged 16 and over can choose to access support independently and attend without their parents knowledge or involvement.

FLOW has a special partnership with Trinity College and provides some services on Trinity School sites. If your child attends a school other than Trinity, they will be offered appointments at the FLOW clinic. Occasional school-observations or care-team meetings may be arranged at other schools/kindys if your clinician thinks it’s needed.

We understand that unexpected things happen and sometimes you can’t make it to your scheduled appointment. Our services are in constant high demand and our clinicians are paid for time spent directly with clients. When a session is cancelled with short-notice or not-attended, it creates a gap in the clinician’s diary that is unable to be offered to another client who is waiting for our services and results in loss of income for the clinician. Much like booking and paying for a seat on an aeroplane or buying a ticket to a show, that space is held for you, whether you arrive or not. Similarly, space in a clinician’s diary is held for you/your child when an appointment is booked, the clinician has prepared for your session and is often unable to offer that space to someone else if you don’t arrive. A late-cancellation fee/non-attendance fee compensates the clinician for the appointment time and time spent preparing for the session, along with the administrative and running costs that are covered, in part, by session fees.