​Online Meetings
You can browse Laurie's schedule and reserve a time for an online meeting by clicking this button:
​
​
If no appointments are visible, it means that Laurie is fully booked and has temporarily closed the booking system. If so, you can send an email and ask to go on the waiting list. There are no evening or weekend appointment times.
​
Online Meetings
With modern equipment and a stable internet connection, online meetings provide an excellent experience. Laurie utilizes an iPad Pro with a high-resolution camera for superior video quality.
For the best audio-video quality on your end:
· Use your smartphone or iPad and not a computer. Laptops' webcams often underperform, and they compromise the eye contact experience.
· To prevent me from hearing an echo, please use a headset speaker/microphone. The earbuds that come with your phone are perfect for this.
· Please don’t hold your device in your hand. Instead, use a stand made for that purpose.
For a secure conversation, we can use either FaceTime or Google Meet, which offer end-to-end encryption.
· If you own an Apple device, we'll use FaceTime, with Google Meet as a backup.
· If you own an Android device, we'll use Google Meet. If you don't have the Google Meet app, you can download it from the Apple App Store or the Google Playstore.
Session Fees
· Couple and Family Sessions: Each 70-minute session costs $360, inclusive of 60 minutes of therapy and 10 minutes for administration (logging in, payment, and scheduling the next appointment).
· Individual Sessions: Each 60-minute session costs $320, with 50 minutes for therapy and 10 minutes for administration.
· A minimum of 48 hours' notice is required for changes or cancellations. Otherwise, the full fee applies. You'll receive an email reminder three days before your session and an invoice a few days before each session.
· Payment is at the start of the session by credit or debit card, or by cash (for in-person appointments).
· Please note that credit or debit card transactions incur a 1.75% plus 30 cents transaction fee. If you pay via bank transfer the day before your session, you can avoid paying the credit card fees.
· Please note that we do not send invoices to, write reports for, or receive payments from third parties (for example, Victims Services or Workers Compensation).
Claiming a Medicare Rebate
· There are no Medicare rebates for couple or family therapy.
· Individual therapy qualifies for a Medicare rebate of $81.90. The rebate increases significantly when you have reached the Medicare safety net – 80% of the out-of-pocket expenses.
You don't need a doctor's referral to Laurie unless you are claiming the Medicare rebate. If a GP or psychiatrist refers you for individual therapy, as part of a mental health case management plan. you can claim the Medicare rebate for up to 10 sessions per calendar year. When scheduling a referral appointment with your GP, request a long consultation as it typically takes about half an hour. Inform your doctor that Laurie is a "Mental Health Social Worker," not a psychologist.
For you to claim a rebate for your first session, you must send a referral letter from your doctor and a copy of your Mental Health Plan either before or on the day of your first session. Your doctor can fax these two documents directly to 02 8583 6521, or you can send them yourself.
Claiming a Private Health Rebate
Some private health insurers offer a rebate for individual, couple or family therapy provided by Accredited Mental Health Social Workers. These include: Bupa, Teachers Health (including UniHealth and Nurses and Midwives Health), and HCF.
If you have a current Mental Health Treatment Plan, most insurers require that you first use up your Medicare rebates, which cover 10 sessions in a calendar year.
Reports
For you to claim a Medicare rebate, Laurie is required to write to your doctor. Otherwise, she does not provide reports to anyone at any time, under any circumstances. If you might require a report for legal or compensation reasons, now or in the future, you should find another professional who regularly provides such reports.
Confidentiality
The information you provide is confidential, with a few exceptions:
· If you give written consent to communicate with your doctor or other professionals. To claim a Medicare rebate, you must consent to your doctor sending and receiving information.
· If Laurie is concerned about the safety of you or a family member. She is legally required to report when a child is at risk, and she has a duty of care to all family members.
· If you attend couple or family sessions, and as part of that, one or more family members attend individual sessions. In these instances, information may be shared with other family members.
Please note that email is not a confidential form of communication. Please use it only for arranging or confirming appointments.
Laurie MacKinnon, MSW, PhD
Individual, Couple, and Family therapy
Ph 0452 072 772 Fax 02 8583 6521
Insite Therapy and Consulting ABN 75 078 349 863