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Published On: Jan 19, 2009 02:43 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jan 19, 2009 02:43 PM
Medicare items available to patients of Clinical Psychologists
On November 1, a huge change to the mental health
opportunities for the Australian community to seek treatment will become
available. Please read the following information carefully to see if you may be
eligible for the rebate for clinical psychology services.
It's been a long time coming, but finally, the
Australian Government has recognised the value of evidence-based clinical
psychology services and their contribution to the reduction of mental health
issues in the community.
I have written of evidence-based treatments for fear of flying elsewhere in this blog, and continue to maintain a watchful eye on new developments which maintain my currency of thinking, based on new scholarly publications as well as contact with colleagues who are also experts in this area.
What does this mean for you?
Well, if you're a holder of a Medicare card, you are entitled to seek contact with your medical practitioner and seek assistance for your problem.
You'll be interviewed and assessed for a minimum of 20 minutes while your physician seeks your history, any other concerns (many people with fear of flying also suffer other intrusive anxieties such as heights, bridges, tunnels, elevators, etc.), and works with you to develop a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP).
This may include the offering of medication to deal with the immediate unpleasant symptoms of anxiety, but it ought to be understood that such medications will unlikely lead to a permanent halt to your problem. That is the province of evidence-based psychological interventions, such as what I practise, known as Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy. This combines understanding your thoughts and ideas about flying and your responses to it, challenging them through exposure to the very things that frighten you (in measured and manageable doses) and possibly a flight and debrief afterwards.
The average number of sessions to see patients ready to fly armed with new techniques and confidence to manage the challenge is around six sessions. This is the number of sessions you are permitted to seek from a Clinical Psychologist before any more sessions require a review by your doctor. You are permitted up to 12 sessions per calendar year for treatment this way.
My guess is that unless you seek assistance from a GP who has a background in Aviation (some do because they issue medical certificates to pilots to get and retain their aviation licenses), few will know the ins and outs of fear of flying treatment. That's OK, because I'm going to help you and them out by showing you a typical Mental Health Treatment Plan which you can print out and take with you to your medical consultation.
Now before I show you it, please be sure you understand it's a sample treatment plan, and each individual may require some variations to suit their unique circumstances. That said, the session-by-session plan is typical of those used in evidence-gathering studies to show the effectiveness of one treatment approach over another.
One more thing: Many GPs calculate an average visit at twelve minutes per patient. They are required to prepare a plan and see patients seeking referal to a clinical psychologist for twenty minutes. When you make your appointment with your medical practice's receptionist, please let them know you are wishing to have a mental health assessment undertaken, with the view to a referral to a psychologist via an item 2710 session. Expect to be bulk-billed $150, and some GPs may charge a gap also. Do enquire before you attend how your physician will bill you for this #2710 item number.
So, let's get into it. Here's the Mental Health Treatment Plan. You can download an rtf file to integrate into their medical software here: Sample Fear of Flying Mental Health Treatment Plan.rtf
And by clicking on this link, you can download a 1 MB PDF brochure I've prepared for your GP to learn of my work.
I have written of evidence-based treatments for fear of flying elsewhere in this blog, and continue to maintain a watchful eye on new developments which maintain my currency of thinking, based on new scholarly publications as well as contact with colleagues who are also experts in this area.
What does this mean for you?
Well, if you're a holder of a Medicare card, you are entitled to seek contact with your medical practitioner and seek assistance for your problem.
You'll be interviewed and assessed for a minimum of 20 minutes while your physician seeks your history, any other concerns (many people with fear of flying also suffer other intrusive anxieties such as heights, bridges, tunnels, elevators, etc.), and works with you to develop a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP).
This may include the offering of medication to deal with the immediate unpleasant symptoms of anxiety, but it ought to be understood that such medications will unlikely lead to a permanent halt to your problem. That is the province of evidence-based psychological interventions, such as what I practise, known as Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy. This combines understanding your thoughts and ideas about flying and your responses to it, challenging them through exposure to the very things that frighten you (in measured and manageable doses) and possibly a flight and debrief afterwards.
The average number of sessions to see patients ready to fly armed with new techniques and confidence to manage the challenge is around six sessions. This is the number of sessions you are permitted to seek from a Clinical Psychologist before any more sessions require a review by your doctor. You are permitted up to 12 sessions per calendar year for treatment this way.
My guess is that unless you seek assistance from a GP who has a background in Aviation (some do because they issue medical certificates to pilots to get and retain their aviation licenses), few will know the ins and outs of fear of flying treatment. That's OK, because I'm going to help you and them out by showing you a typical Mental Health Treatment Plan which you can print out and take with you to your medical consultation.
Now before I show you it, please be sure you understand it's a sample treatment plan, and each individual may require some variations to suit their unique circumstances. That said, the session-by-session plan is typical of those used in evidence-gathering studies to show the effectiveness of one treatment approach over another.
One more thing: Many GPs calculate an average visit at twelve minutes per patient. They are required to prepare a plan and see patients seeking referal to a clinical psychologist for twenty minutes. When you make your appointment with your medical practice's receptionist, please let them know you are wishing to have a mental health assessment undertaken, with the view to a referral to a psychologist via an item 2710 session. Expect to be bulk-billed $150, and some GPs may charge a gap also. Do enquire before you attend how your physician will bill you for this #2710 item number.
So, let's get into it. Here's the Mental Health Treatment Plan. You can download an rtf file to integrate into their medical software here: Sample Fear of Flying Mental Health Treatment Plan.rtf
And by clicking on this link, you can download a 1 MB PDF brochure I've prepared for your GP to learn of my work.
Posted: Tuesday - October 31, 2006 at 02:44 PM |