Welcome to The Intersektion – Counselling and Psychotherapy with Dan Hales, based at Human.Kind Studios.

Our terms of service and your rights in relation to confidentiality and information security as well as information regarding fees, cancellations and rebates are provided below. An abridged version of this information will be presented to you when you arrive for your first appointment and you will be asked to provide your Informed Consent prior to this first session. I will walk through the main points of the form during this first appointment.

You will also receive a separate Intake Form emailed to you upon booking your first appointment. This is not mandatory to complete, but offers you the opportunity to share your story and your reasons for seeking counselling prior to your first session. It will also help me determine whether The Intersektion is the best and most appropriate support available to you.

WHAT IS THE INTERSEKTION?

I created The Intersektion in 2024 as a way to encapsulate not only the work I do in the private therapy and counselling space, but also my other roles as a creative (performer, writer), teacher (yoga, mindfulness, fitness), and group facilitator, and the many ways in which these roles meet and intersect. The Intersektion also refers to the many, varied intersecting identities, life experiences and roles that my clients and colleagues bring to the counselling and work space.

I am currently in my twenty-first year as a practicing social worker and more recently I have qualified as an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW). I also have a Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy through the Australian College of Applied Psychology, and I am a qualified yoga and mindfulness teacher with training in movement, dance, theatre and performance.

I have worked across multiple sectors including youth services, HIV / STI prevention as well as numerous roles in the SA arts sector, and with diverse communities including LGBTIQA+ folks, migrants and refugees and Aboriginal / First Nations communities. Much of my early career was project and community development based, including a 6-year stint in Northern

Thailand working with various marginalised communities.

I recommenced clinical work in 2021 with the headspace Early Psychosis program until I transferred in 2023 across to their general counselling team, where I continue to work today. I am highly passionate about working with my own queer community, including gender diverse and HIV positive folk, as well as all people from diverse and intersecting cultural backgrounds.

WHAT IS PSYCHOTHERAPY?

There are many interpretations of the meaning of psychotherapy, depending on who you ask. Traditionally, psychotherapy is what psychologists do with clients seeking therapy (as opposed to a research psychologist). However, psychotherapy has now emerged as a profession in and of itself, with master’s degrees now offered across Australia. Psychotherapy training essentially provides the clinical knowledge needed to capably deliver focused psychological strategies and skills to clients, generally offered via various evidence based therapeutic modalities, without deep-diving in to the nitty gritty of diagnosis – psychotherapists generally do not diagnose.

At The Intersektion I offer an approach to counselling and therapy that emphasizes the quality of the relationship with my clients first and foremost. I believe that the use of any specific therapy ideally happens in the context of a healing relationship. I aim to promote safety, choice and empowerment in my work with you.

Whilst Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and nervous system-oriented mindfulness strategies drive my therapeutic practice, I am also a qualified EMDR practitioner (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) and I have also undertaken training in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Person-Centred Therapy. I have a keen interest in somatic and creative arts-based therapeutic approaches. My practice remains rooted in my social work values (see below).

I take a trauma informed approach in all the work that I do – by this I mean that I take into account current accepted understandings of the impacts of trauma on individuals (within their relationships and communities), and use evidence based and informed approaches support healing and growth post trauma. Ultimately, I take an evidence-based approach to therapy – matching the therapy I use to the presentation of the person while also seeking to prioritize each person’s feedback, values and concerns.

WHAT IS AN ACCREDITED MENTAL HEALTH SOCIAL WORKER (AMHSW)?

An AMHSW is a registered Medicare Australia provider, who has been assessed by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) as having specialist mental health expertise. As a Medicare provider, AMHSW’s can offer Medicare rebates for sessions for clients who obtain a Mental Health Care Plan from their GP. AMHSW’s are bound to adhere to the professional and ethical standards as set out in the AASW’s Code of Ethics, which you can view here.

Social workers have a focus on building people’s strengths. They specialize in understanding the contextual, interpersonal and socio-environmental factors that impact on an individual’s mental health, not just the symptoms they present with. They provide practical support by helping to develop and enhance a client’s strengths alongside the psychological aspects of wellbeing. I believe the profession of social work is largely defined by its set of values, which include:

• Client self-determination and empowerment.
• A non-judgemental approach.
• Systems theory.
• A strengths perspective.
• Human rights and social justice.

FEES

Full fee:

Refer to the website or discuss with the Human.Kind admin team.

With a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from your GP:

If you obtain an MHCP from your GP, you are entitled to ten sessions of counselling per calendar year from a registered mental health professional with a Medicare provider number, via the government’s Better Access to Mental Health initiative. You will also require a referral letter from your GP addressed to myself, The Intersektion or Human.Kind Studios. MHCP’s can be used with different mental health professionals, so it is your responsibility (and a good idea) to track how many sessions you have used on your plan each calendar year. You can read more about the Better Access to Mental Health initiative online. You can read more about the Better Access to Mental Health initiative here.

As an AMHSW and registered mental health professional, I can offer rebates of $85.20 (2024/25 financial year) through this scheme.

Private health funds:

If you have health insurance you may be eligible for a rebate for your sessions. Please contact your health fund to confirm rebate amounts as it may depend on the fund and your level of cover. Please explain to your health fund that you are seeking rebates for counselling with an AMHSW and qualified psychotherapist.

Reports and forms:

If you require support letters, reports or forms, these can be completed with time charged at $90.00 per hour. Brief ‘Notice of Attendance’ letters can be provided at no cost.

PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Sessions are private and confidential and I am bound by the Australian Association of Social Worker’s code of ethics, the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles 2014. The few exceptions to confidentiality are:

• If a client is at risk of harm to themselves or others;
• If a court subpoenas a client’s notes kept on file;
• Where clients have provided their consent to share client information with a specific nominated individual, profession or organisation (see bottom of this form).

In the course of our time together, personal information about you is collected to enable me to best support you. All notes taken and all communications relating to supporting you become a part of your clinical records. Your clinical records are stored electronically in your client file on Cliniko, which you consent to as a client of this service. Cliniko is a professional, web-based client data management system specifically designed to manage client information according to strict privacy legislation and controls. You can find out more about Cliniko here.

Reporting children at risk:

As an allied health professional I am also a mandated notifier, which means that I need to report the abuse (including sexual, physical, verbal and emotional abuse as well as neglect) of any child under the age of 18 if I have the necessary details. Such reports are submitted to the Department of Child Protection.

Clients under 16:

If a client is under the age of 16, I will endeavour to involve family members of the young person where appropriate as per best practice principles. Legal guardians are generally required to cosign this ‘Informed Consent’ document prior to commencement of the first appointment and will generally be required to attend the first session. What information can

and will be shared with guardians in relation to their ‘child’ will be discussed during this initial session.

Other Human.Kind Staff:

As a multi-disciplinary service, the Cliniko platform is shared across the team of various allied health professionals and service providers. All staff follow the same confidentiality guidelines that I do as governed by their various professional bodies. Service providers are forbidden from accessing the data of clients that they do not directly service, and Cliniko allows for the tracking of any staff access to client files. I also enjoy the support of Human.Kind Studio’s fantastic admin staff who may see your basic details, MHCPs and any letters sent between myself and your care team (such as your GP). They may contact you to follow up admin related matters and may also occasionally need to contact Medicare regarding billing.

My Responsibilities Under Medicare:

MHCPs – I am obligated by Medicare, under the Better Access to Mental Health initiative, to provide progress reports to your referring GP after sessions 1, 6 and 10. Information is kept to a minimum and largely refers to the treatment strategies and interventions offered, and any progress made.

CANCELLATION POLICY AND PUNCTUALITY

If you need to cancel or change your appointment time, 24 hours notice is required (or by COB Friday for following Monday appointments). For cancellations within 24 hours, clients will be charged half the session fee and the full fee will be charged for non-attendance without notice. An invoice will be sent to you requesting immediate payment. For emergencies or extenuating circumstances please contact the studio. Such fees cannot be claimed through Medicare.

A consultation will usually last 50 minutes. If you are late, your consultation will usually still finish at the scheduled time to be fair to clients with appointments after yours.

CONTACT

You can generally contact me via email at heal@humankindstudios or by calling the Human.Kind admin staff – 08 8231 0596. They will pass on your message as soon as possible, though please be aware that I am part-time at Human.Kind and often in session. I will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible.

Outside of sessions, if I see you in public spaces, you can decide if you want to acknowledge me – otherwise I will not initiate contact.

ASSESSMENTS AND EVALUATION

In the course of supporting you I will request that you complete occasional self-report assessments such as the Wellbeing Tracker and K10 to track your mood and progress, generally before your first appt, and after sessions six and ten in line with reporting back to your GP (if using a MHCP). I may also discuss the use of other specific assessments that may help to determine the potential cause of your concerns. Whilst I cannot provide a diagnosis, self-report assessments can help us to decide whether a more formal assessment is advised, and I can then help you to obtain such assessments elsewhere.

COMPLAINTS AND FEEDBACK

I am always open to feedback in order to improve my practice, and will be happy to talk with you privately in session or at an organised time. The Wellbeing Tracker also offers the opportunity for you to report on your experience throughout your episode of care. You are also welcome to contact the friendly Human.Kind admin staff.

If you are unhappy with the service provided to you, or ever find that you need to make a formal complaint about health services provided to you, you can do so through the Health and Community Services Complaints Commission (HCSCC) on 1800 232 007.

CRISIS

Please note that I am not able to provide a crisis service. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call:

Mental Health Triage – 13 14 65

OR

Emergency services – 000

You can also access the following:

Urgent Mental Health Care Centre

Open 24/7, walk-in at any time

215 Grenfell Street, Adelaide

08 8448 9100

https://umhcc.org.au/ 

Suicide Callback Service

Available 24/7

1300 659 467

https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/

Lifeline

Available 24/7

131114

https://www.lifeline.org.au/