North Lakes Psychology

 

Please note as a sole practitioner I do not have full time administration support. To arrange an appointment please phone or text 0488 832739 or email northlakespsych@bigpond.com and leave your name and contact phone number. We will contact you to discuss and schedule your appointment as soon as possible.

 

If you need to change or cancel your appointment please give sufficient notice to allow us to fill the hour that has been set aside for your. Cancellation fees may be charged according to APS recommendations: 0-24 hours notice may be charged the full fee, 24-48 hours 50% fee. This is weekday hours, not weekends. Medicare does not provide a rebate for cancelled or missed appointments.

 

You do not need a referral to see a Psychologist, however it is important to discuss your concerns with your GP, as you may be eligible for a referral under Medicare and a rebate for your sessions. This will also enable us to work as a team with your GP to support you. Referrals are also welcome from Workcover and the Department of Veteran's Affairs.

 

Covid safe plan 2023

We look forward to continuing to support you in 2023!

In order to continue keeping our clients, staff and the broader community safe, we will implement Covid Safe Practices based on guidelines from the Queensland Government. Our fully vaccinated staff will continue to provide Psychology services through Telehealth (videoconference), telephone or in the clinic.

 

Clinic appointments

These processes will be regularly reviewed and changed to reflect the level of risk over time.

 

Telehealth Appointments

I will continue to provide Psychology services in the clinic or through Telehealth (videoconference) or telephone. While it is different to sitting together in the clinic, Telehealth has been shown to be very effective mode of support. I am very experienced using both of these methods and to support your engagement in this way. I understand that this change may be difficult or uncomfortable for some, and I encourage you to work through this with me.

 

What do we need to do?

1.When you receive your appointment confirmation email, please

respond by indicating if you will be attending in clinic or prefer a telehealth appointment.

2.Telehealth: This practice now uses Coviu, as recommended by the Australian Psychological Society. Anne-Louise Easey at North

Lakes Psychology will be responsible for the cost of the call to you and the cost associated with the platform used to conduct telehealth services. You are responsible for the costs associated with setting up the technology needed so you can access telehealth services, which means providing your own device and internet connection. If you are unable to use Coviu we can also use Facetime if you have an Apple device. If there are any difficulties with connecting we can use my mobile for problem solving or to continue the appointment by telephone.

3.Telephone: If you have requested a telephone appointment, Anne-Louise will phone you at our scheduled time.

 

Things to consider for telehealth appointments:

1. Privacy

To access telehealth consultations you will need access to a quiet, private space; and the appropriate device, i.e. smartphone, laptop, iPad, computer, with a camera, microphone and speakers; and a reliable broadband internet connection. Coviu prefers to use the

latest version of the Google Chrome, but you could also use Mozilla Firefox or Apple Safari web browser.

The privacy of any form of communication via the internet is potentially vulnerable and limited by the security of the technology used. To support the security of your personal information this practice uses Coviu which is compliant with the Australian standards for

online security and encryption. I will be providing telehealth services either from the Clinic room at North Lakes or from my home office, which is private.

2. Safety

At the beginning of our appointment I will confirm where you are and details of your next of kin, so that if I need to access extra support for you I can advise your current location.

3. Quality

While face to face is the preferred method for therapy, telehealth has been found to be effective also. A telehealth consultation may be subject to limitations such as an unstable network connection which may affect the quality of the psychology session. In addition, there may be some services for which telehealth is not appropriate or effective. Your psychologist will consider and discuss with you the appropriateness of ongoing telehealth sessions. Please consider the device you use and access to internet to support good connection. We will have telephone as backup. Please ensure you have good lighting and a comfortable position for our session.

As usual we will review each session and discuss ways we may improve this experience for you.