Psychology

About the Clinic

James Cook University Psychology Clinic was established in 1995 with the objective of providing practical supervision to students undertaking postgraduate psychology training. Decades later, the JCU Psychology Clinic continues to provide a range of services to the community of North Queensland and supports the clinical research endeavours of staff and postgraduate students.

The JCU Psychology Clinic is a training clinic for provisionally registered psychologists (through AHPRA) who have completed four years of undergraduate study and are undertaking their postgraduate training in clinical psychology. Members of the community are invited to access our therapy and assessment services with provisional psychologists who are under the supervision of highly experienced clinical psychologists. Staff involved in clinical supervision of postgraduate students are registered with the Psychology Board of Australia and are members (or eligible to be members) of the Australian Psychological Society’s College of Clinical Psychologists.

Services Offered

We offer high quality and affordable therapy services to promote health and wellbeing, including clinical assessments for a range of difficulties. For example:

• Individual therapy interventions for mood, anxiety and emotional regulation difficulties, health concerns, parenting support and interpersonal relationships.
• Assessments for childhood developmental disorders, learning difficulties, cognitive impairment, behaviour, traumatic brain injury and dementia.
• Groups Programs - Befriending Fears  and Befriending Emotions. For more information see the Fee Structure section on this page.

In addition to therapy and assessments provided by provisional psychologists, we are pleased to accept a small number of Mental Health Treatment Plans (MHTP) for clients to work with one of the clinical psychologists on staff in the clinic.

Please note, the current therapy waitlist is approximately 5 months and the assessment waitlist is 12- 18 months from the time of referral.

Services Not Offered

As this is a training facility, we are unable to accept clients who are likely to need more intensive support. It is important to note that we do not accept referrals for the following issues:

• Medico/legal, worker’s compensation, family court, or other legal matters
• Walk-in, crisis, or emergency services
• Criminal-related behaviours or concerns
• High risk of suicidality or self-harm / high risk of violence to self or others
• Current psychotic behaviours

We encourage you to see your local doctor or other suitable health professional for more appropriate referral options for your needs. In cases where the clinic is unable to accept a referral, we will endeavour to identify appropriate services that might be able to meet these needs. If you require immediate assistance, please contact one of the following services:

• Acute Care Team (ACT) Townsville: 1300 MH CALL (1300 64 2255)
• Mental Health Helpline: 1800 332 388
• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
• Emergency Services: 000

How to Refer

For individual therapy and assessment referrals, you can self-refer, or have a medical, health or educational professional refer on your behalf. The referral form can be found online here. Otherwise referral letters can be faxed to (07) 4779 2739 or emailed to [email protected]. Once your referral is received, the Clinic Manager will review the referral for suitability. You will be contacted if your referral is not suitable for the JCU Psychology Clinic. If your referral is accepted, you will be placed on our waiting list. Please contact JCU Psychology Clinic for updates around your waiting time.

For group program referrals, there are three options to choose from:

• Self -referral
• Connect to Wellbeing (no out-of-pocket costs associated if eligible) see referral form here.
• Mental Health Treatment Plan only, that specifies group from your GP

For more information on group referral processes, please see the fee structure section below, or contact us at the clinic on (07) 4781 4706.

Please note, due to the nature of the clinic being student-led, not all referrals may be appropriate for provisional psychologists who are undergoing training. The clinic manager is responsible for reviewing all referrals to determine suitability for the clinic.

Fee Structure

Being a training facility, Medicare and Private Health Insurance rebates are not accessible for services provided by students through the JCU Psychology Clinic. Medicare rebates through MHTP’s are accepted for sessions with a clinical psychologist. Please contact the Clinic for further inquiries, otherwise see table below for prices as of January 2022:

Individual Therapy (for various presenting issues)

• Psychological therapy (with provisional Psychologist) $40 per session (Full price) / $20 per session (Concession*)
• Psychological therapy (with fully registered/ clinical Psychologist) $190 per session (Full price) or Bulk-Billed for Concession*
  • Please note, Mental Health Treatment Plans from a referring GP allow clients access to Medicare rebates for between 10-20 sessions per calendar year. 

Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP)

• Psychological therapy provided by Registered or Clinical Psychologist -full fee =$190. Concession session = Bulk Billed. Under a MHCP, Medicare rebates are available (Registered Psychologist $88.25, Clinical Psychologist $129.55) 

Assessments

• Various psychological assessments including cognitive, learning difficulties, neurodevelopmental, attention and memory: 

  • Completed by provisional Psychologists: $400-$700 (Full Price)/ $250-$450 (Concession*)
  • Completed by fully registered/ clinical psychologist: $700-$1200 (Full Price) / $400- $800 (Concession*)
  • Prices are on a sliding scale depending on assessments required. Exact amount will be confirmed and agreed to prior to each assessment. 

Therapy Groups

• Befriending Emotions – Based on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), this program focuses on learning skills to increase the ability to recognise, name, change, survive, and accept emotions. Understanding and managing emotions require skills that anyone can learn, and this skills training group program is focused on understanding functions of emotions and components that are part of an emotional response, and on learning practical strategies to manage emotions.
• Befriending Fears – Based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), this group focuses on understanding how our thoughts and behaviour affect our wellbeing. It provides strategies about how to address the thoughts, and assist in learning ways to relax.

  Eligibility criteria:

  • Age 18+
  • Ability to commit to the 12-week program as each week builds upon the previous week.

   Cost:

  • No cost is involved if you are referred through Connect to Wellbeing. To access Connect to Wellbeing referral, you will need a concession, current Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP), and a referral to Connect to Wellbeing made by your GP.
  • For those ineligible to access Connect to Wellbeing, but with MHTP with group referral, Medicare rebate applies for 10 sessions leaving you with an out-of-pocket fee of $19.50 per session. Please be mindful that group sessions are separate from your individual sessions eligibility and therefore do not limit the number of your available individual sessions.
  • $60 per session for self-referred clients - no GP referral required.

   Please contact our Clinic for further information or if you need assistance with making a referral.

* Concession includes current JCU Students and/or individuals with a valid Health Care Card or Senior/Pension concession card. *

Privacy, Confidentiality & Request of Information

All psychologists (including provisional) have a legal and an ethical responsibility to maintain confidentiality and privacy of all material including all written records, electronic records, recordings and verbal material. The practice of all psychologists is guided by the Australian Psychological Society (APS) Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines.

Further information about privacy, records, requests for information, confidentiality and exceptions to confidentiality are clearly outlined on the consent form signed by individuals accessing the clinic for services. All requests of information relating to psychology services need to be provided in writing to the JCU Psychology Clinic Manager via [email protected], and must include the client’s name, date of birth, address, proof of identity and what information is being requested. Signed consent is required for external agencies. Please allow 30 days to process any requests for information as per current policies. If you would like further information about this, do not hesitate to contact the JCU Psychology Clinic Manager via [email protected] or on (07) 4781 4706.

JCU Psychology Clinic Staff