Psychological therapy is an individual journey that can involve discussion of current your life experiences, collaboratively exploring your concerns, and working on strategies to promote well-being. During this process you can build habits and skills and cultivate internal strengths that will remain with you for life.

What to expect for your first session.

Intake process

At Bluebird, we value taking the time to match you with a psychologist based on your needs and preferences. When you first contact us, our client care team will guide you through a brief intake conversation by phone to learn more about your support needs. They will then discuss with you which of our psychologists may be best suited to supporting you. If we are not the right service to be supporting you, we endeavor to provide alternative recommendations where possible.

Following intake, you will be booked in for your first three sessions and sent further appointment information by email.

Initial sessions

At your first appointment you can will be greeted and offered a drink as you settle in. When you meet your psychologist, they will welcome you into a therapy room and will have a discussion regarding important information about the therapy process. The psychologist will then begin to learn about your lifestyle, current struggles and past struggles. They will discuss with you your goals for the future and your priorities for your sessions.

Following your initial session, a short letter will be sent to your referring healthcare professional if you have been referred to us. Following the appointment you will be taken to front desk to process payment and confirm future bookings.

Children’s Sessions 

For Children and teens aged 17 and under, first appointments are generally conducted as a parent or guardian session without the child present. For some older teens (approximately 16 and up) they may wish to attend this initial appointment with their parent or guardian. The second appointment is conducted as predominantly child focused session with the child in attendance.

Regular parent sessions are recommended in order for the psychologist and parents or guardians to be able to collaborate around the child’s ongoing care.

A welcome video

for our Littlest clients

Frequently Asked Qustions

  • If you are unable to attend your appointment face to face for any reason, we can offer video call appointments. This may be due to not being in the local area, self isolation, illness or convenience. Please feel free to contact the practice and we will be more than happy to arrange this for you. Please note that for some services telehealth may not be appropriate, you can give us a call to discuss this further.

    Telehealth appointments are only available for clients aged 10 years and over.

    You will need to join from a quiet, private space with minimal distractions. It is important you are not driving or participating in other activities during your appointment. Your device will need to have a working camera, microphone, speakers (or headphones), and a stable internet connection.

  • Medicare: Mental Health Care plans are available from your Psychiatrist, Pediatrician or your GP. This allows you to claim a rebate for part of the session cost from Medicare for psychology sessions. If more sessions are required then we will provide you with a progress report to give to your Health Care Professional and they can provide re-referral to access rebates for further sessions. 10 rebates are now available per calendar year with eligible referrals.

    We can process your rebate onsite so Medicare can directly deposit the money into your bank account. Alternatively we can print or email your invoice for you to process the claim through Medicare yourself. Sometimes this is necessary if problems arise. 

    If your family has met the Medicare safety net threshold, Medicare will automatically provide a higher rebate. Any questions regarding your safety net should be directed to Medicare. 

    Private Insurance: Some private health insurance policies allow for rebates if you have psychology coverage, you can contact them to enquire about you eligibility for rebates. We can either email or print your invoice so that you may be able to claim your session costs through your private health insurance.  Please note that Medicare and private health funds will not allow you to claim from both sources at the same time. 

    Other Programs: For enquiries about specific rebates through any other programs, please contact us. 

  • Unfortunately we are no longer taking referrals under the workers compensation scheme. Please contact SIRA NSW for alternative referral options for workers compensation.

  • We understand that reasons arise for the need to occasionally cancel or postpone your appointment, we ask that you give at least 24hrs notice, otherwise the full session fees will be payable. A cancellation fee of the full session cost is applicable for non-attendance or cancellation within 24 hours (1 business day) of the appointment. For example a cancelation for an 11am appointment on Monday must be received by 11am on the previous Friday. Please note our email and phone is not monitored over the weekend. Please await our response to confirm any changes to your appointment.

    Please respect our staff and other clients health by rescheduling your appointment if you have a cold, influenza or gastro illness or other contagious illness. We will likewise contact you with as much notice as possible if your psychologist is unwell and needs to reschedule. 

  • There can be benefits to bringing a support person along to your session on a one off or occasional basis. Please discuss this with your psychologist prior to your appointment. Please note that this does not constitute couples or family therapy.

  • In general it is advisable for only one person in a family unit to see an individual psychologist in order to ensure ethical and unbiased service provision for each client and for clients comfort and trust in confidentiality of sessions to be prioritised. There are some circumstances where it may be appropriate for immediate family members to see the same psychologist, please discuss this further with your psychologist. 

  • Psychologists do not prescribe medications. You can speak with a Psychiatrist, General Practitioner or Pediatrician regarding prescription medications. 

  • On average, clients attend sessions every 2-4 weeks, however, the time between appointments is generally dependent on each client’s current symptoms and difficulties.  

  • Taking a break from treatment is not recommended if your symptoms or difficulties are still having a significant impact on your daily functioning. However, taking a break for a holiday or special event is sometimes necessary and these breaks can be beneficial for you wellbeing. If your daily functioning is no longer significantly impacted by your symptoms or difficulties, taking breaks from treatment can be beneficial to implement the strategies you have learnt and to strengthen independence in these skills. You can discuss this further with your psychologist. 

  • Most clients find benefit in attending 6-12 sessions, however this is dependent on the difficulties they are facing. Many clients continue to attend sessions long term. 

  • Yes, you are always welcome to book in further sessions in the future to check in and refresh skills or to continue treatment. Although we cannot guarantee that your previous psychologist will have availability, we will attempt to prioritise this where possible.