We are really excited to let you know that provisional psychologists will be a part of the Melbourne Wellbeing Group team again really soon. Provisional psychologists have almost always been a part of the MWG team because we feel very passionate about supporting, teaching, and investing in the next generation of registered psychologists. There are a lot of great reasons to see a provisional psychologist, and here are some of our favourite reasons.
Our Provisional Psychologists have completed at least 5 years of training
Our provisional psychologists have completed 5 years of training at university and are in the final stage of their training before they register as a psychologist. This is the time when they take everything that they have learned and put it into action under the guidance of senior psychologists.
Current knowledge
Having just completed their university training, provisional psychologists are very up to date on current research and clinical information. This is wonderful for clients and for the team, because they connect us all the most exciting and evidence-based practice.
Passionate about therapy
Provisional psychologists have spent 5 years working hard to reach this point in their training and have a drive for their work that is hard to replicate. Provisional psychologists dedicate themselves to fine tuning their therapeutic skills using the most up to date information and bring excitement and joy to their work.
MWG provides lots of supervision
Provisional psychologists are extremely well supported by the senior psychology team at MWG and are mentored by all psychologists in our team. This means they have access to a broad range of thinking and clinical methodologies which in turn is great for clients. Provisional psychologists also have supervision requirements they must adhere to which includes supervision at MWG and supervision with an external supervisor they meet with every one to two weeks. Provisional psychologists talk about all their clients in depth, which means clients can feel confident knowing that not only will they have a passionate practitioner but a practitioner who is thinking carefully about their work with very experienced psychologists.
Clinician experience isn’t a great indicator of client outcomes
We often assume that psychologists with more experience will achieve better outcomes for their clients, but this is not supported by research. Scott Miller and his team (who study therapeutic effectiveness extensively) found that even though there are therapists who improve over time, there are also therapists who show very little improvement in their performance over 10 years of practice and even some who get worse. This is a complicated area of clinical research because there are a lot of contributing factors, but there are a couple of important things to know: 1) years of experience does not automatically equate to better outcomes; and 2) one of the best predictors of outcomes is the quality of the relationship (the working alliance) between the therapist and the client, regardless of years of clinician experience.
They spend more time on each client
Our provisional psychologists won’t be seeing as many clients each day as our senior clinicians do. This means that they have more time to plan sessions, to reflect on your work together, to chat to supervisors, and to research new ideas.
Shorter wait times
At this stage, our provisional psychologist will have shorter wait times. This means that you will often be able to get an appointment within a few weeks, which can be very hard to find.
FAQs
Do I need a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) or a GP referral?
No, you don’t. Because provisional psychologists can’t offer Medicare rebates you do not need a referral from your GP or Psychiatrist. If you are working with your GP or another specialist on your mental health however, we would be very glad to receive a letter of introduction to inform you practitioner’s work.
Can I use my NDIS funding?
Yes! If you have funding for therapeutic supports under ‘Improved Daily Living’, our provisional psychologists will be able to bill under item 15_043_0128_1_3 Counselling, currently $156.16. Once your therapist is fully registered, they will bill under item 15_054_0128_1_3 Assessment Recommendation Therapy and/or Training (Incl. AT) –Psychology, currently $214.41.
What are the fees if I’m paying privately?
Since sessions with a provisional psychologist are not eligible for Medicare or private health insurance rebates, we offer them at a substantially reduced fee of $150 per 50-minute session. Once your provisional psychologist is generally registered their fee will increase to our standard fee and you will be eligible for a Medicare rebate.
If you would like to be linked in with our provisional psychologist, visit our profiles here or call our administration team on 9882 8874. We’d love to hear from you.