Increasingly people appreciate that Mental Health and Physical Health are intrinsically linked. It can therefore be helpful to consider that in the same way that there are multiple ways to move, exercise and take care of your body, there are also many different approaches to creating a stable, regulated and resilient mental state. It is for this reason that Human.Kind has elected to gather a team of highly skilled mental health clinicians who have diverse backgrounds and training, so they can address the growing and varied needs of our community. But if you have never sought support for mental health before, where do you start and what is important to know?
What is the difference between Counselling, Psychotherapy, Mental Health Occupational Therapy, Mental Health Social Work, and Psychology?
The answer here is that they can be quite different, or barely at all, depending on your practitioners training, their professional and personal inclinations, and the types of modalities/ frameworks they might implement as part of their therapeutic approach. There is a more in depth write up on our website (view HERE), but essentially they are all forms of talk therapy that can also utilise a range of methods that are tailored to a clients issue or personality, and can incorporate a number of physical, reflective, creative or narrative elements.
Psychology & Psychotherapy tends to lend itself to more acute presentations, ‘disorders’, or diagnosis, where the other occupations will often centre on areas of expertise (think Grief Counselling, Career Counselling, creating meaning and purpose, colloabrating on stragagies around loneliness etc). The most important thing is reading up about a therapists background, their personality and the approaches they use to see if they will be a good fit, then either booking in or arranging a free 10min phone call to ask any detailed questions before committing.
Can I come without a GP referral?
You can see all of the above practitioners without a GP referral. However if you wish to use a Mental Health Care Plan or Eating Disorder Plan to see a therapist, you will need to see a GP/ Psychiatrist first for them to recommend you for one of these plans via Medicare.
Medicare vs Private Health?
As mentioned above, if you have referral plan from your specialist or GP then up to 10 appointments (or more on Eating Disorder Plans) can be booked each calendar year that will attract a medicare rebate. This reduces the gap that you end up paying. At Human.Kind, Psychology appointments are $237.05, and our other Mental Health Services are $152.30, but you get a rebate of $141.85, or $85.20 respectively back from medicare (2024-2025 FY), and more if you reach the safety net. If you don’t have a referral plan, then you may be eligible for rebates from your private health fund – worth contacting them to ask what this might amount to.
Are appointments confidential?
Absolutely. We go to rigorous lengths to keep your information private and safe. Our therapists even keep session notes on protected external databases so that administration staff and other practitioners can’t access them (unless explicit written consent is granted). Greater information around confidentiality is explained in our intake forms and at your first appointment.
What else should I expect?
Appointments are 50-55mins total and are held either in-person at our Adelaide City Studio, or via Telehealth. You can always expect a warm welcome and a beautifully decorated and sensorially considered consulting room, with water and tea provided. We have access via a rear lift should you need this. If you bring your physical cards with you we can process all medicare and private health rebates for you immediately.
The most important thing is to feel clear and secure when making your first booking, so if there are any concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out. The rapport you can build with your therapist is one of the leading contributors to beneficial outcomes in therapy, and we want to support you in this process.
Read more about our mental health services here.