WHAT IS A MENTAL HEALTH SOCIAL WORKER?

Mental Health Social Workers are social workers who have extensive postgraduate training and experience in the mental health field.

Mental Health Social Workers help individuals to resolve their presenting psychological problems, the associated social and other environmental problems, and improve their quality of life. Social workers recognise the broader implications of an individual having an illness and the impact on friends, family, work and education.

Like other allied health professionals such as Psychologists, Mental Health Social Workers use a range of interventions in helping people with mental health disorders, including the following focussed psychological strategies: cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy, relaxation strategies, psychoeducation, narrative therapy and skills training.

HOW DO I KNOW WHAT CLINICIAN IS SUITABLE FOR ME?

Our Mental Health Clinicians are highly knowledgeable and have years of experience in various areas of counselling. When booking your initial appointment, our main priority is to ensure that you are paired with a clinician that will be beneficial for you and your counselling journey. You can read more about our team here.

DO I NEED A REFERRAL TO ACCESS YOUR COUNSELLING SERVICES?

No. You are able to attend counselling without a referral. We welcome all private enquiries.

DO I NEED TO DO ANYTHING BEFORE MY INITIAL APPOINTMENT?

Our registration forms will be emailed to you at the time of booking your initial appointment. These forms can be completed online and need to be submitted at least 48 hours before the time of your appointment to secure your booking.

DOES BLACKBIRD COUNSELLING BULK BILL CLIENTS?

Unfortunately, Blackbird is not a bulk billing practice.

HOW DO I MAKE PAYMENT AND RECEIVE A REBATE FOR MY APPOINTMENT?

We use a fully encrypted and secure online payment system to take payments. We also have BPay.

The full session fee is charged to the stored card on your file at the time of your appointment. Once payment is made, we are able to submit your Medicare rebate claim for you.

If you are claiming from your private health fund instead of Medicare, we will charge you privately and provide you with the paid invoice. Unfortunately, we do not process any Private Health claims. It is up to you to determine eligibly and receive rebates from your private health fund.

Please note: You are unable to claim from Medicare and Private Health Funds for the same appointments.

DO YOU ACCEPT NDIS OR OTHER THIRD-PARTY FUNDED CLIENTS?

Yes. We regularly accept clients with third-party funding for their sessions. NDIS funding can be accepted if the client is either Self-Managed or Plan-Managed. We do not accept NDIA-managed referrals.

Any third-party funding needs to be approved by the Administration team. We are always happy to discuss your options with you.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I ATTEND COUNSELLING AND FOR HOW LONG?

The amount of sessions you attend is up to you. At your initial appointment, your therapist will make a recommendation of how frequently you should attend sessions. We recommend booking in a few consecutive appointments to ensure you don’t miss out.

DO YOU OFFER TELEHEALTH APPOINTMENTS?

Yes. Our practice offers Nationwide Telehealth. Whether you live in a different state or would simply prefer to do your session virtually on the day, we are more than happy to accommodate you. Telehealth appointments can be done via phone consultation or video consultation using Microsoft Teams. We strongly believe that location should NOT be a barrier to receiving support.

DO YOU HAVE A CANCELLATION POLICY?

Yes. We require at least 48 hours notice for cancellation of appointments. Any appointments cancelled or not attended without 48 hours notice are charged at the full session rate. Medicare rebates do not apply to non-attended appointments.

We understand that urgent matters may arise and situations can be out of our control at times. We try our best to accommodate our clients. A great alternative to cancelling appointments is utilizing Telehealth consultations. If you are unable to provide us with 48 hours notice, we greatly appreciate a courtesy message to advise us of your cancellation. We have a waitlist of individuals that are at times, in great need of an appointment.

DO YOU OFFER COUPLES OR FAMILY COUNSELLING?

Unfortunately, we do not currently offer any couples/relationship or family counselling. We can provide individual support for relationship breakdowns or issues.

CAN I BRING MY CHILDREN TO COUNSELLING?

Of course you can! One of our biggest priorities is to make sure you are heard. We want to accommodate you as best as we can. We do not have crèche, so bringing your children into your appointment means they will sit in with you.

Some clinicians don’t recommend this when receiving certain types of therapy. We are always happy to discuss your options on the phone with you.

CAN I BRING A SUPPORT PERSON TO COUNSELLING?

Yes. It isn’t uncommon to want to bring someone with you to your appointment for support. Whether they sit in with you or in the waiting room, this is absolutely fine with us. Please keep in mind that the booked appointment is for YOU as the client. Our clinicians cannot provide supportive counselling to your supportive counselling.