Brisbane Psychologists for Families and Kids

This is a just a general fact sheet about Brisbane Psychologists for Families and Kids and should not replace medical advice. 

Where to find a psychologist in Brisbane 

1. Check the Brisbane Kids list of local Brisbane Psychologists for kids
2. Ask your GP
3. Talk with friends
4. Check on local suburban Facebook groups. If you use the search function and type in the word “psychologist” you will likely find someone has asked this question many times before
5. Get a shortlist together 
6. Ring them all to find out availability- as this may be a crucial determining factor in your decision. 

What a child psychologist can help with

• Mental health
• Anxiety
• Substance abuse
• Post traumatic stress disorder
• Eating disorders
• low self esteem
• Phobias
• A range of other issues. (If you arent sure, but you are worried about your child, then rely on the psychologist or your GP to guide you into whether a psychologist may be able to help) 

How to pay for a psychologist 

A mental health plan

If you or your child is troubled by a mental condition, your doctor is able to implement a mental health plan under a program called Better Access. A mental health plan provides you with access to health professionals who can help, ranging from psychologists to occupational therapists and even social workers. Your condition, or that of your child might be a short term or long term condition and a mental health plan is relevent to both. Being covered under a mental health plan means medicare may cover up to 10 sessions. To find out more about the mental health plan and possible eligibility, read this fact sheet from the Australian Goverment here.

Private psychology sessions

You can access a psychologist privately and pay the entire fee to have sessions. If you have private health cover, they will sometimes cover a portion of a certain amount of sessions per year depending on what level of cover you have. 

NDIS and psychology 

Psychology is commonly covered under NDIS funding and depending on whether you are planned or self managed might determine the psychologist you can choose. The NDIS may have providers they recommend and you should speak to your local support coordinator.  

What to Expect During a Psychology Session

Every single psychologist and psychology session will be different. They can take an hour or as little as 30 minutes. If you are attending with your child, then your child may attend separately (depending on the age of the child, you might attend with them, or they might attend by themselves and you can/might be invited in at the end to discuss or reflect with your child on discussions that took place (you should read the privacy link below for more information on this). 

Psychology and privacy 

Everything spoken about during a session with a psychologist is private and this includes the privacy of your child around the information they share. 

For more information on information privacy there is a fact sheet here which outlines what you can expect around information sharing. 

Making a psychologist appointment

Once you find a psychologist for your child it can be helpful to check availability from the get go. Some psychologists will require you to book a fair distance in advance while others may not.  This can also be a helpful question to ask while you are trying to find a psychologist. 

For more information on Mental Health in Australia, refer to your GP or the Australian Goverment Department of Health.