How the service works:
The In-School Psychology counselling service is a free service provided on-site at the child or adolescents school for clients who are unable to attend at our clinic rooms. A psychologist will be assigned to your school and will work in a collaborative manner with the wellbeing co-ordinator, teachers and parents to ensure the best outcome for the child/adolescent. Our psychologist will regularly meet with the school’s contact person to discuss current and potential referrals.
In-School Psychology’s service is bulk billed to Medicare through the Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative or through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). A child or adolescent is able to access the free counselling service when a Health Care Plan is filled out by the child/adolescent’s General Practitioner or Paediatrician. Each Health Care Plan entitles the child/adolescent to a maximum of 10 individual sessions and 10 group sessions each calendar year. Children under the age of 13 with a diagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder are entitled to a maximum of 20 sessions bulk billed to Medicare. Children/adolescents eligible under the NDIS are eligible to a specific number of sessions dependent on their individual plan. There is no out of pocket cost to the school or the parents for In-School Psychology’s service provided onsite at schools.
Why use our service?
The Australian Psychological Society reports that research indicates approximately 14% of 4-12 year olds and 20% of 13-17 year olds will suffer from mental health difficulties. Despite this less than one third of children or adolescents who experience mental health difficulties receive professional services. Counselling is a very effective way of helping children and adolescents who are struggling with some aspect of their lives, for example feeling anxious or depressed, struggling with bullying or having difficulties controlling their anger. Counselling can not only help the child/adolescent recover, but can also help prevent reoccurrence.
Counselling helps children and adolescents to:
- Learn practical ways to cope with different difficult or distressing situations
- Learn to regulate their feelings and emotions
- Learn to think more rationally and optimistically
- Learn to control their behaviour
- Learn relaxation strategies to feel more in control of their thoughts and feelings
- Build resilience
Our Psychologists:
The psychologists at In-School Psychology are passionate and experienced in working with children, adolescents and their families. All psychologists at In-School Psychology are fully registered psychologists who have current police checks, working with child checks (VIC only), responding to abuse and neglect (RAN) certificate (SA only), and private indemnity insurance.
The psychologists at In-School Psychology use a range of different evidenced based psychological techniques. Our psychologists will tailor counselling for each child and adolescent so that the most useful and effective treatments are implemented, which are in line with the Health Care Plan from the referring medical practitioner.
Our psychologists use focused psychological strategies:
- Psych-education (including motivational interviewing)
- Evidenced based therapy (e.g. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
- Relaxation strategies (including progressive muscle relaxation and controlled breathing)
- Skill development training (including problem-solving skills and training, anger management, social skills training, communications training, stress management, and parent management)
- Interpersonal Therapy
Benefits for Children and Adolescents:
Our psychologists see children and adolescents with a range of difficulties, from simple problems such as difficulty making friends to more complex mental health issues. Below is a list of mental health problems which can be treated under the Better Access initiative:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Selective Mutism
- Attention deficit disorders
- Conduct Disorder
- Bereavement/grief/loss
- Adjustment disorders
- Eating disorders
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Panic disorders
- Phobias
- Drug/Alcohol use
- Posttraumatic stress disorder
- Sleep problems
- Schizophrenia
- Psychotic Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Sexual Disorder
- Gaming Addictions
Please contact us if your school would like more detailed information about In-School Psychology’s services sent to the school, or if you would like to organise a face to face meeting.
In-School Psychology 