A Mental Health Treatment Plan is a short document your GP prepares, and it is what makes a Medicare rebate available on a set number of individual psychology sessions each calendar year. You do not need one to book at Even Keel; you can book an initial consultation directly, without seeing a GP first. But if a rebate matters to you, it is worth arranging before that first appointment where you reasonably can, because a plan cannot be applied to a session that already happened.

What to actually say to your GP

You do not need a diagnosis in hand or a rehearsed explanation. Booking a standard GP appointment and saying plainly that you would like a Mental Health Treatment Plan and a referral to a psychologist is enough to start the conversation. Most GPs are familiar with the process and will ask a few questions to understand what is going on before preparing the plan and referral letter.

Some GPs can turn this around in the one appointment; others prefer a short follow-up visit once they have had time to prepare the paperwork properly. Either way, ask for a copy of both the plan and the referral letter to bring to your first session, along with your Medicare card.

What it changes at Even Keel

With a valid plan and referral, the Medicare rebate is claimed on the spot at reception, straight after your session, so you pay the gap between our fee and the rebate rather than the full fee up front and a wait for reimbursement later. Ben, our practice manager, handles this and can talk you through exactly how it works before your first visit if you would rather know in advance.

Nothing about the session itself changes whether or not you have a plan. The same fifty minutes, the same psychologist, the same plain-language approach. A plan only affects the Medicare side of the appointment, not the therapy.

What it does not cover

A Mental Health Treatment Plan applies to individual sessions with a registered psychologist; we do not offer couples counselling at Even Keel, so if that is what you are after, it will not apply here regardless of the referral. It is also not unlimited: the plan covers a set number of sessions within the calendar year, after which your GP will usually review how things are going before deciding whether to extend it. We will remind you as you approach that point rather than let it come as a surprise mid-course.

If you would rather skip it

Plenty of clients book without ever arranging a referral, either because they would rather not involve their GP, or because they want to start sooner than a GP appointment allows. That is a perfectly reasonable choice, and Tessa in particular, as a provisional psychologist under supervision, offers a lower fee that makes the gap smaller regardless. The referral is a Medicare mechanism, not a precondition for good care.