Do I need a referral to see a Lakeside practitioner?

Psychiatrist: Yes, you need a specialist referral from your GP, it is asked that this referral is sent to Lakeside Rooms prior to making appointment to ensure you have been referred to the right psychiatrist.

Psychologist: No, you do not need a doctor’s referral to see a psychologist but if you are expecting a Medicare rebate you will need a specific referral from your Doctor. This referral is called a Mental Health Care Plan and the Doctor decides whether you fulfil the criteria for this type of referral. (See FAQ below for more information).

Can I cancel my appointment?

You may cancel (or re-schedule) your appointment at any time.  However, we have the following cancellation and non-attendance policy:

1. If you do not attend or provide less than 24 hours notice of cancellation – 100% of the appointment fee applies.
2. If you provide less than 48 hours notice of cancellation – 50% of the appointment fee applies.

Please note:

The above costs are for therapy sessions only.

Non-attendance/late cancellation fees for assessments will be the costs of the clinician’s time per hour, for the time scheduled.

Late cancellation or non-attendance fees are not rebatable from Medicare or Health Funds.

If you fail to cancel or attend our appointments, future appointments may also be cancelled.

Why is there a cancellation Fee?

To help us ensure that we can continue to provide our service and supports to as many people as possible it is important for us to be able to utilise all of our appointment availabilities in our schedules. As such, we need people to contact us if they are not able to attend an appointment this is why we now send a reminder text 72 hours before your appointment.

We understand that there are many things that may get in the way of being able to attend and unexpected events can happen. However, when we are notified that someone cannot attend an appointment we do our best to offer that opportunity to someone else. The more notice we are given about a cancellation the greater the opportunity that the appointment can be filled by someone else who may be seeking prompt or immediate support. 

As such we have the following cancellation and non-attendance policy:

• If you do not attend or provide less than 24 hours notice of cancellation – 100% of the appointment fee applies.
• If you provide less than 48 hours notice of cancellation – 50% of the appointment fee applies.

Please note:

• The above costs are for therapy sessions only (Medicare will not rebate on a late cancel fee).
• Non-attendance/late cancellation fees for assessments will be the costs of the clinician’s time per hour for the time scheduled.
• The decision to apply or waive the late cancellation fee is made by your treating practitioner. This decision is not made by the administrative staff, and you are welcome to discuss the cancellation fee with your practitioner.

​We thank you for your understanding and for assisting us in ensuring our services are available for as many people as possible. 

Practitioners working from Lakeside Rooms are “Independent Practitioners” – What does this mean for me?

Each Practitioner operates their practice independently, from within the Lakeside Rooms space.   

Lakeside Rooms provide administrative support and consulting rooms only; they cannot monitor or manage any areas of clinical practice or complaints and do not have access to your clinical records. 

All complaints/feedback will be passed on to your Practitioner.

As an independent Health Practitioner your Psychologist or Psychiatrist is responsible for;

• Your clinical care and their clinical practice;
• Managing their own feedback/complaints (further information can be found at; https://www.ahpra.gov.au/);
• Storage and management of your health records;
• Managing client referrals and liaising with their associated stakeholders;
• Recommending and actioning any appropriate referrals
• Authorising and issuing medication prescriptions (Psychiatrists ONLY)

Telehealth Consultations

To provide continued access to essential primary health services, the Australian Government has expanded Medicare-subsidised telehealth services for all Australians.

Who is eligible?

The MBS telehealth items are available to all Medicare eligible Australians and are a permanent item.  To be eligible you must have a Mental Health Care Plan.

Telehealth – Is it the best therapeutic solution for me?

Whilst we applaud the government on the implementation of Telehealth services for mental health, and it is extremely valuable and convenient in times of physical illness and potential COVID  outbreaks, we ask that you consider whether it is clinically appropriate for you or your child on all occasions.

Not all clients and clinicians are comfortable with Telehealth, and in some situations, it is not considered clinically appropriate to provide psychological services via telehealth.  We suggest that you talk to your treating clinician about Telehealth to determine whether it is right for your/your child.

Whilst Telehealth may be convenient, it may not always be best for you/your child.  Sometimes your clinician may need to see you in person to complete testing, provide feedback, discuss reports, or other valid reasons. 

Some clinicians consider it is not best practice for themselves to use Telehealth and do not always feel they can give you the best therapeutic service when not seeing you in person.

What to consider for your Telehealth Appointment.

If you have discussed with your clinician and they are happy for you to attend via Telehealth, we encourage you to think about how to best prepare for those sessions, things to consider; 

• Where you will be when attending your session, find a space where you have privacy and feel secure.
• Consider the lighting, background and potential distractions, set up a comfy space, free from distractions and noise.
• It can also be helpful to have a glass of water or warm drink and tissues nearby.
• Telehealth is not to be conducted whilst driving to ensure your safety

Medical Records – Who “owns” my medical records?

Australian law says that an individual does not own his/her medical records. A private practitioner, e.g. your Doctor or Psychologist, owns the medical record.  However, Australian Federal law considers ownership and access as separate – so although you don’t own the medical record, you can request access to it.

How do I get access to my medical records?
Only you or another person that you have authorised, such as a legal guardian or authorised representative, can make the request.

You will be asked to put your request in writing and will need to identify yourself. In your written request, you should generally include:

·         your name and address;

·         the health information you want;

·         how you’d like to access the health information (e.g., by email, paper copies or if you just want to look at the information);

·         if you authorise a person or organisation to access the health information on your behalf.

Access isn’t automatically granted as each practitioner may have their own process by which they consider best practice in the provision of medical records, i.e. you may be asked to attend an appointment to discuss the information and the considerations taken when making such information available.

Will I receive a rebate back from Medicare for my visit?

Psychology: for Clinical Psychologists, clients will receive a $141.85 Medicare rebate for a 50-60 minute session. Clients seeing an approved Registered Psychologist will receive a $96.65 Medicare rebate for a 50-60 minute session.

Psychiatry: As long as your referral is up to date you will receive a rebate back from Medicare for services provided.

Clients are required to pay our full fee upfront on the day of consultation. Clients can then either claim the Medicare rebate using our online service or take their invoice to Medicare to claim the rebate. To use online services your bank details are required to be registered with Medicare prior to service.

Can I claim rebates through my Private Health Insurance?

Your Private Health Insurance may cover some psychological services. Please contact your health insurer for further information. You cannot claim both a Medicare rebate and a private health rebate on the same service.

What are my rights and responsibilities?

Lakeside Rooms flyer of consumer rights and responsibilities: Click here Consumer Rights & Responsibilities document

What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

Psychiatrists have a medical degree, which involves six years of studying general medicine, followed by further study to specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness and emotional problems. Psychiatrists treat the effects of emotional disturbances on the body and the effects of physical conditions on the mind and can also prescribe medication. Some combine medication with other forms of therapy.

Psychologists have undergone extensive university training in the area of human behaviour. They are qualified to help clients manage the emotions, behaviours and issues that are causing them difficulties in their lives.

What is the difference between a Registered Psychologist and a Clinical Psychologist?

Psychologists are expert in human behaviour and assist people to find ways of functioning more efficiently and get more out of every day life. They are able to assess, diagnose and treat people with a wide range of emotional and behavioural problems and help them cope more effectively with everyday stressors. Psychologists study human behaviour in their undergraduate psychology degree before undertaking a further two years of supervised clinical experience and gaining registration.

Clinical Psychologists in addition to fulfilling the requirements of a registered psychologist, have also completed two years of formal, post-graduate (Masters level) clinical training in an accredited, university based program. Further, a clinical psychologist is required to complete two more years supervised clinical training. There are also clinical psychologists who use the title “Doctor”, and these highly qualified clinicians have also completed a PhD in psychology or a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology (PsyD).

What to expect at the first appointment?

If you are an adult the first session will usually entail gathering relevant information and history. The practitioner will probably discuss the proposed treatment plan with you including the number of sessions before the first review and talk about providing feedback to the referring party if they are a GP or specialist. If the appointment is regarding a child only the parent(s) are to come to the first session unless you’re advised otherwise. At that session the process will be much like that just described for an adult. Usually, the child will attend the second session for assessment and then the third session is often for the practitioner to meet again with the parent(s) again for discussion about what the issue is and a discussion of the proposed treatment plan.

How often will I need to come?

At Lakeside Rooms we are committed to ensuring that the intervention provided is specifically tailored to your needs. This means that there are no hard and fast rules regarding length of treatment, and will largely be determined by the nature of the difficulty. Your practitioner will discuss the estimated length of treatment with you following your initial assessment session and review this with you regularly as treatment progresses.

What do I bring to the first appointment?

If you have a Doctor’s referral or any relevant paperwork please bring it with you to your first appointment. Please bring any previous reports or assessments you think might be relevant. For children attending please being any copies of school reports, other assessment reports or Doctors letters you have.

Court related issues and psychologists

A treating psychologist has a therapeutic role in which the focus of the service is on the client’s interests. This is different from the preparation of a report for a court which centres on the task of the court rather than the interests of the client. For this reason we recommend that court reports are obtained from psychologists that focus on report writing for court. A quick internet search will provide a list of organisations that offer this service.

Do I need to pay for written reports?

Written reports require the practitioner’s time to prepare and write. The cost of written reports is in addition to your consultation fees and is not rebatable from Medicare. If you believe your private health fund or insurer will pay for the report you need to confirm with them. If you require a written report in relation to your consultation it must be paid for before the report is released to you. Please keep this in mind if you require the report for an appointment with another professional. More detailed information regarding Children’s assessments can be found under the Child, Adolescent & Families tab on this website.

A cost may be incurred for tasks that occur out of your consultation session like; filling in of forms, writing of letters or reports, reading of a significant amount of documentation, reading and response to emails from you or on your behalf; and may be charged at a pro-rata rate. These charges are not rebatable from Medicare. However, the filling in of government forms by a psychiatrist during a consultation is rebatable by Medicare.

Please see our Schedule of Fees

Is there car parking available?

Free parking is usually available in the open-air carpark at the business complex, as well as outside the Complex on Glenferrie Drive.

How do I get to Lakeside Rooms Robina?

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Bus Information

Take Bus Route 750 from Mudgeeraba via Robina Town Centre or Seaworld via Pacific Fair.