Find a Psychologist Who Truly Gets Your Situation

No — you can see a psychologist without a referral. However, if you want to claim a Medicare rebate, you’ll need a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP first. We can guide you through getting one.

Book an appointment with your GP and ask for a Mental Health Care Plan (also called a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan). Once it’s in place, you’re eligible for a Medicare rebate on up to 10 psychology sessions per calendar year. Send the plan and referral to us in advance, or bring them to your first appointment. After each session, your psychologist will issue a receipt with the correct item number so you can submit your claim to Medicare quickly and easily.

Out-of-pocket cost depends on the psychologist’s fee and your rebate. Registered and clinical psychologists attract different Medicare rebates, and private health fund extras cover can reduce the gap further depending on your policy. Your Hart Centre intake specialist confirms exact fees and rebate eligibility before your first session is booked.

Your first session is mostly about your psychologist understanding your situation — what’s brought you in, your history, and what you’d like to get out of therapy. It’s also a chance for you to get a feel for their style and ask questions. Most first sessions run 50–60 minutes, and your psychologist will usually suggest a rough plan for the sessions ahead.

A psychologist provides talk-based therapy and psychological assessment but cannot prescribe medication. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can diagnose mental illness, prescribe and manage medication, and typically focuses more on the medical side of treatment. Many people see a psychologist for therapy and a psychiatrist for medication management, in consultation with their GP.

A standard psychology session runs for 50–60 minutes. Some psychologists also offer shorter follow-up sessions or extended sessions for specific therapy types (such as EMDR), which your psychologist will discuss with you directly.

Under a Mental Health Care Plan, Medicare currently rebates up to 10 individual psychology sessions per calendar year. Your GP reviews your progress along the way and can issue further referrals if ongoing sessions are recommended.

The right psychologist often comes down to their experience with your specific issue, their therapy approach, and simple rapport. Rather than scrolling through profiles guessing, tell our intake team what you’re facing and we’ll point you to a psychologist in our network with genuine experience in that area.

A directory leaves you to compare dozens of unfamiliar profiles yourself. Our intake team already knows the psychologists in our network and their areas of experience, so they can point you to the right one quickly instead of leaving you to guess.

Most people hear back within an hour during business hours, and can often get a first appointment within one to two weeks, depending on availability and your scheduling preferences.

Our HartMatch™ Guarantee means that if it isn’t a good fit after your first session, we’ll connect you with another psychologist from our network and cover the cost of your next session. See full guarantee terms →

Yes. Many of our psychologists work with both individuals and couples, so you can raise a relationship concern with the same psychologist supporting you individually, or be connected with one who specialises in couples work specifically.

Yes. Many of our psychologists offer telehealth appointments, so you can access the right specialist wherever in Australia you’re located.