- How do I know it will help?
- Research suggests that psychotherapy is an incredibly effective treatment (Ref.). The impact of psychotherapy varies from one person to the next. Most people show improvement quite quickly, while for some it makes longer for improvements to occur, whereas others don’t find much benefit. Generally their is a ‘dose- response’ function with psychological treatments. This means the more treatment sessions you receive the greater benefit, although the additional benefit of each session decreases as the number of sessions increases.
A small percentage of people do get worse. For individuals who show limited benefits or get worse, changing treatment approaches or therapists can often be very helpful. I will discuss all the options with you if this happens.
In order to make sure that the treatment you receive is effective and most suited to you, I get specific feedback about progress from the people I see in every session so that early problems or difficulties can be resolved quickly. This approach is called ‘Outcome Orientated Practice’ developed by Scott Miller &. This approach has been shown to help improve outcomes of psychotherapy by up to 50%. Many psychologists unfortunately do not use this ‘Outcome Orientated Practice’ approach. A summary of my outcomes can be found in the Outcomes section of this website.
- What days and times does Dr Evans work?
- Matthew’s hours and clinic locations are as follows:
Mondays and Tuesdays: 143 Sylvan Rd, Toowong 4066 (Cnr Sylvan Rd, Instant Consult Building) 12:30pm – 7:30pm.
Wednesdays: Centenary Medical Centre, Shop 12B, 34 Goggs Rd, Jindalee (Jindalee Homemaker Centre). 10am – 5pm.
Thursdays and Fridays: 8 Bejimba St, Kenmore 4069. Available 8am to 3pm.
Car-parking is readily available at each of the locations.
- How much does it cost?
- Your first session (55 minutes) is $210. Subsequent sessions are $195.
Rebates – for clients with a GP referral under Medicare “Better Access To Mental Health”, a rebate of $124.50 per session is available for up to 10 sessions per calendar year. The out-of-pocket cost therefore is $85.50 for the initial consultation and $70.50 for subsequent consultations.
NDIS – Matt sees self-managed and plan managed clients.
At Revival Psychology we understand that for some clients it may be financially difficult to access sessions, and we aim to assist everyone who asks for help. If you have genuine financial hardship which is a barrier to you accessing treatment, please call and discuss your situation with our kind administrator as reduced gap fees can be made available to some clients.
- Can I be bulk billed?
- We do not usually offer bulk billing sessions. At Revival Psychology we understand that for some clients it may be financially difficult to access sessions, and we aim to assist everyone who asks for help. If you have genuine financial hardship which is a barrier to you accessing treatment, please call and discuss your situation with our kind administrator as reduced gap fees can be made available to some clients.
Is there any way I can recover some of the costs?
Most commonly people receive a rebate from Medicare under the ‘Better Access to Mental Health’ initiative. This is available for people who are suffering from a large variety of emotional difficulties including anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders, bereavement, sleep problems and unexplained somatic conditions to name a few. In order to get the Medicare rebates you need to discuss seeing a psychologist with a GP first in order to be eligible.
Several private health funds provide rebates for psychological services as part of their extras cover. Health funds vary, so you will need to enquire from your specific fund.
Any out-of-pocket expenses count towards the Medicare Safety Net for that client, and once over the threshold, further rebates are made available.
- What is the process of payment?
- Payment is required at the time of your session. Payments can be made via cash, EFTPOS, credit card or direct debit. If you are accessing a medicare rebate, your rebate can be processed electronically at the time of booking, if Medicare have your bank account details. Rebates take 1-3 working days for Medicare to process.
- What is your cancellation policy?
- A minimum of 2 working days notice are required to cancel or reschedule your session. This will enable us enough time to rebook this session for another client and manage our waiting list. Missed appointments without any notice will be charged at the full session rate. Cancellations on the day will be charged at 50% of the full session fee.
Cancellations are not accepted via SMS. You must call and speak with our admin, or leave a voice message.
Please be aware that when you book a session with Dr Evans this session is reserved especially for you, and other client’s are unable to book in to this session. In addition, Dr Evans prepares in advance for seeing you for this session. We understand that at times appointments need to be cancelled or rescheduled. If there is an emergency on the day of your session, please call and speak with our friendly admin.
Our software sends text message reminders of sessions, but these are a courtesy only. Clients are still responsible for missed appointments.
- Does Matthew see workers compensation clients or other insured clients?
- Yes. Written approval specifying the number of sessions approved is required to be emailed or faxed over to us prior to your first session, with your case manager’s details and your claim number. Invoices will be emailed directly over to the company following your sessions.
- How many sessions will I need?
- Many people report improvements even after the initial session, but typically between six to ten sessions gives people the best benefit to cost ratio. If they have improved with therapy, more sessions beyond ten will normally provide further improvement but at a slower rate than for the first ten.
How many sessions can I have under Mental Health Care Plan?
Initially, a Mental Health Care Plan, allows you to have six sessions. After those six sessions, you can request a further four session from your GP. You can have a maximum of ten sessions per calendar year under the “Better Access to Mental Health” scheme. Your sessions do not expire, i.e. you do not have to use all 10 sessions by the end of the calendar year.
- What do I need to bring to my appointment?
- For your first appointment you should bring your Mental Health Plan (if you have one), your Medicare card, a signed consent form which will be e-mailed to you when you book your appointment and some method of payment. Consent forms can be obtained on arrival if required.
- Do I need a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) prior to starting sessions?
- A Mental Health Care Plan allows you to access Medicare Rebates under the “Better Access to Mental Health Scheme, currently $124.50, and the ATAPS scheme. Rebates can only be given for sessions provided after the Mental Health Care Plan is completed, so for people intending to use these schemes, it is recommended that complete a MHCP prior to starting treatment.
If you do not intend to use these schemes then there is no need to have a Mental Health Plan Care completed, although a medical assessment of possible physical causes of any emotional issues is recommended.
- What does treatment involve?
- On the first session, Matthew will complete an assessment of your needs. This will normally involve talking to you about any problems you are currently facing, gathering some information about who you are and your life so far, as well as your aims for treatment. He might also ask you to complete some questionnaires to aid with assessment.
After the assessment is complete you will discuss with Matthew a plan for dealing with your difficulties. Normally treatment will involve between six to ten sessions in total. In each session we will review progress and discuss strategies for helping with any remaining difficulties. Normally you will try out strategies between sessions and then discuss successes and difficulties with me in the next session.
- What is Matthew’s experience and ability?
- Matthew is a fully registered clinical psychologist, and is registered with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA). This means he is fully trained and competent to practice and abides by a strict code of conduct. Not all counselors or therapists are registered psychologists. Seeing someone who is registered ensures you receive high quality ethical treatment. Matthew also routinely collects data on his outcomes. On average about 3/4 people he sees make a reliable improvement.
Training and experience are other important factors to consider when choosing a psychologist. Matthew was awarded a Clinical Psychology Postgraduate Doctorate from the University of Oxford. Prior to this he completed an undergraduate honours degree at the University of Birmingham (UK). Not all psychologists complete post graduate qualifications. Matthew has worked in the field of psychology since the year 2000.
Matthew has experience treating adults with a broad range of conditions such as depression, anxiety and adjustment disorders. He also has specialist skills and experience in helping people adjust to and manage chronic health conditions. In addition, he has experience in working with parents, adolescents and children. He has also supervised intern and extern students for Griffith University and the University of Queensland (UQ). He has been a tutor for medical students from University of Queensland and provided tutorials in their ‘Clinical Communication Skills’ modules. He is a trained Emotion Focused Therapy Practitioner for couples counseling.
He has a strong focus on building therapeutic rapport as research has shown that how well you get on with your psychologist and agree with your treatment plan is an important predictor of how successful your treatment will be. In order to make sure that your ‘therapeutic relationship’ with Matthew is the best it can be, he routinely asks everyone for specific feedback on your experience of the session so that he can change what he does to best suit your way of working.
- How do I book an appointment?
- You can call our mobile administrator on 0431 697 852. You can email at admin@revivalpsychology.com.au. Your GP or other health professional can fax or email a referral over. You can SMS to arrange a phone call to book an appointment. You are also able to easily and simply book online using the tab at the top of this website. If you have booked online, our friendly admin will call you at some stage to discuss the session.
- If my GP/Psychiatrist/Insurer wants to contact Matt, what should they do?
- For confidentiality reasons, Matthew will only discuss issues with other parties after having received your permission, so please let him know if another health professional or agency wants to contact him in the first instance.
