If you have a Doctor’s referral or any other relevant paperwork, please bring it with you to your first appointment.

Please bring any previous reports or assessments you think may be relevant.

For children attending, please bring any copies of Doctor’s letters (e.g., from GP’s, Paediatricians, Psychiatrists) letters, school reports, or other assessment reports you have.

Child Sessions

If you are bringing your child in for therapy, the first session will typically run for 1 – 1.5 hours. It will involve only the caregiver(s) (e.g., parents, grandparents, foster carers, kinship carers), and be focused on gathering information about your child’s family history, health and development, education, behaviour, and any concerns you may have. Discussion may also occur around goals for therapy. 

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 caregiver(s) again for discussion about what the issue is and a discussion of the proposed treatment plan.

Adult Sessions

If this session is for you, it will usually entail gathering relevant background 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. 

We see plan-managed and self-managed NDIS clients. If you are an NDIS client, please contact our reception on 0423 402 610. 

No, we do not see WorkCover clients. 

Yes, we take a very limited number of DVA clients. DVA clients need a referral for psychological services from a GP and to provide contact details of their case advisor.

Yes, a cancellation fee of the full consultation fee will be charged for private fee paying, mental health care plan, and NDIS clients, if you give less than 24 hours notice.

A non-attendance fee of $220 will be charged if you don’t attend your appointment and don’t give us any notice that you won’t be attending your appointment. This is because if you miss an appointment, another client may miss out on a session.

Late cancellation or non-attendance fees are not rebatable from Medicare or health funds

School counselors or guidance officers, Parents, general practitioners (GPs), child psychiatrists and paediatricians commonly refer young clients to child psychologists for a cognitive or learning assessment if the child is experiencing learning problems at school.  These assessments can determine whether they have any learning problems that may be causative or contributing to a clinical presentation and to aid in accurate clinical formulation and treatment planning.

1. Initially, you will need to attend an interview with a psychologist which will last for approximately one hour in which you provided a background history. It is
   helpful if you can bring along copies of your child’s school reports and any other reports you may have relating to your child’s difficulties from other professionals. This interview is usually held at our offices but can be held via tele-health (if circumstances require or if due to COVID-19 lockdown) or at school if special arrangements are made. After discussion with you in this initial appointment the psychologist can advise and plan with you the best assessment process based on the needs of your child.
2. Following the initial interview session, your child will have a one hour introductory appointment with the psychologist. This will be helpful for your child, particularly if they experience anxiety, as this will increase the likelihood of your child being comfortable, whilst also allowing for valuable clinical observation of your child.
3. A standard cognitive and learning assessment usually involves three to five hours of testing on standardised cognitive and learning assessment tools such as the Wechsler Intelligence Scales and the Wechsler Individual Achievement tests. At times it may be necessary to complete other specific tests like behavioural questionnaires or specific memory testing which may require more assessment time.
4. Once testing is completed, the assessment results will be complied by the psychologist into a detailed psychological report with a summary of relevant background information and history, clinical observations, and test results prepared and analysed. The substantial report also includes recommendations for parents, GPs, teachers in
   relation to academic, social, behavioural and emotional functioning. This analysis and preparation of the report usually requires between three to four hours of the psychologist’s time, depending on how many tests are administered. The report is charged at the psychologist’s hourly rate, plus GST.
5. A one-hour feedback session will then be arranged for you and sometimes your child to discuss the results, clinical implications and recommendations. At this appointment you will be provided with a copy of the report, however payment for the feedback session and report will be required first.
6. An optional attendance at a meeting of your child’s school may be arranged to discuss the results with educational personnel if this is something you require. This may take approximately one hour of the psychologist’s time depending on travel time.

The costs of the assessment depend on the time taken to complete the full assessment, report and feedback session and the hourly rate of the psychologist you are consulting. The standard number of hours with the initial interview, testing, report and feedback is approximately 9 hours, however in complex cases when more assessments are needed and the introductory session with your child and a school visit are necessary, then it may take up to 11 hours of the psychologists time that you will be
charged for. The costs vary, but usually fall between $1500-$2500.

Cognitive and learning assessments are not able to be claimed through Private Health Funds or Medicare.

The initial interviews and feedback sessions may attract a Medicare rebate with a valid Mental Health Care Plans or with private health funds.

Diagnostic / Clinical Assessment:

Cognitive and Achievement Assessments (age 5 and over):  assesses a child, adolescents, or adults cognitive capacity, and their level of academic achievement. These assessments will highlight if an individual is performing academically in line with their ability, as well as providing insight into the child, adolescent, or adult’s unique strengths and weaknesses both cognitively, and academically. These assessments are utilised to identify learning disorders and will assist in ruling out behavioural barriers. 

The information gained from these assessments will also support recommendations in how best to support each individual. This is completed through a comprehensive initial consultation to gather important background information and the administration of standardised tests and self-report measures, with results provided in a formal report and discussed in a feedback session to explain findings, provide recommendations and opportunities to clarify any information.

ADHD assessment (age 6 and over): assesses symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder through comprehensive evaluation of direct observation in various settings and from information gathered from various sources, including parents/carers and teachers.  This is completed through a comprehensive initial consultation to gather important background information and the administration of standardised tests and self-report questionnaires, with results provided in a formal report and discussed in a feedback session to explain findings, provide recommendations and opportunities to clarify any information.

Autism Spectrum Disorder assessment (age 4 and over): assesses symptoms of autism spectrum disorder through comprehensive evaluation of direct observation in various settings and from information gathered from various sources, including parents/carers and teachers.  This is completed through a comprehensive initial consultation to gather important background information, the administration of standardised tests (i.e., cognitive testing and structured interview protocols for autism spectrum disorder, self-report questionnaires, and school observations, with results provided in a formal report and discussed in a feedback session to explain findings, provide recommendations and opportunities to clarify any information. 

Learning Assessment

• Helps to identify the child’s potential for learning (intelligence) and whether the child is in fact meeting their potential academically (reading skills, writing, spelling and mathematics);
• Provides information as to how the child is performing compared with peers and grade expectations;
• Identifies how the child learns best;
• Helps provide teachers with valuable information about how children differ in order to match the classroom teaching to the specific needs of the children;

COVID plan 

Minds in Bloom Psychology Services is a private practice for clinical psychologists in Sherwood in Brisbane’s South-West, established in 2021. We are a confidential, client-focused, and professional service. We offer services for individuals seeking psychological intervention.   

COVID Vaccinations and Access to Services 

 Dear valued Minds in Bloom Clients,

Mitigating Exposure to COVID-19

1. We ask that you wear your mask at all times whilst in rooms (unless a Medical Exemption is held or are a child is under 12 years of age).  

Limiting Reception Contact:

For the safety of all we are minimising the amount of time clients need to be in the shared waiting area for  so are asking clients to only sit in the waiting area if there are no other clients there. 
If there are clients / other individuals sitting in the waiting area, please wait downstairs until your appointment time and then come up to the waiting area.

New Consent Forms:

As indicated by email earlier in the year, all clients (who have not already signed a COVID-19 consent form) will be asked to sign an updated consent form confirming they acknowledge and accept the risk of potential exposure to the virus, by returning to in-person services in a shared office environment at Minds in Bloom Psychology Services. 

Covid Exposure & Subsequent Quarantine:

Should one of our Practitioners have to quarantine due to exposure, service delivery can continue to be offered via Telehealth, if clinically appropriate.  This decision is at the discretion and based on the clinical judgment of each individual Practitioner. If this impacts any of your scheduled appointments you will be advised of this prior to your appointment. 

If you need to quarantine and cannot attend your appointment in-person, please inform the practitioner as soon as possible so they can be informed and alternative options such as Telehealth may be considered if clinically appropriate.

The current QLD health directives for Testing and Quarantining are:

https://www.health.qld.gov.au/system-governance/legislation/cho-public-health-directions-under-expanded-public-health-act-powers/isolation-for-diagnosed-cases-and-management-of-close-contacts

Cleaning Post Exposure:

Minds in Bloom Psychology has again increased our cleaning protocols to ensure the safety of our clients and staff in line with the current Queensland Health Department guidelines.

If we should have a COVID exposure at the Minds in Bloom Psychology Services;

Safe Work Australia cleaning protocols will be followed.

https://covid19.swa.gov.au/covid-19-information-workplaces/industry-information/general-industry-information/cleaning

https://www.health.qld.gov.au/public-health/industry-environment/disease-prevention-control/covid19-industry

Minds in Bloom Psychology note that all of the above information is being updated regularly and we are adjusting our protocols accordingly and will keep you informed of significant changes to service.

We thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation as we navigate through this difficult time together.

Kind Regards

Minds in Bloom Psychology Team