Telehealth psychology for GP patients: what a local service offers, who to refer and how
A Gold Coast psychologist visited the practice to introduce her telehealth service. This page pulls out the parts that matter for GPs: the service model, the patient groups she works with, who is better sent elsewhere, how to send a referral (email or Medical Objects), and how she wants to share care for eating disorders. We add a short, verified editor note on the November 2025 Better Access changes.
This was a short service introduction by a visiting psychologist at lunchtime, not a formal lecture. Everything under "what she said" is the speaker's own description of her service. Personal stories, business chat, staff names and an unrelated clinical moment at the start of the recording have been left out. No patient details are included.
- Speaker
- Renaty, psychologist (first name as spelled out in the recording, "R E N A T Y"; surname not clearly captured). Her practice was transcribed as Crossroads Therapy. She leads a small team with two part-time psychologists whom she supervises.
- Practice clinicians
- Unnamed GPs and staff from the practice asked questions and checked the Medical Objects listing during the visit.
- Session context
- Otter title Psychology Practice Introduction Meeting · id
iLyN_XwEKYm2PmqdaERm0CqTNI8· 23 min, of which about 17 minutes is the introduction. Otter split the audio across eight speaker labels.
At a glance
| Question | What the psychologist said |
|---|---|
| Format | Telehealth only at present. Sessions Monday to Friday, mornings and evenings, to suit the client. |
| Speed | Admin staff aim to contact the patient within 24 to 48 hours of the referral. She prefers to hire more staff rather than run a wait list. |
| Main groups | Parents of neurodivergent children, adolescents (about 12 or 13 and up by telehealth), adults, couples, and eating disorders with GP collaboration. |
| Not offered | Assessments. Personality disorders, which she feels are better suited to a psychiatrist. |
| Cost | Private fees with Medicare rebates on a mental health plan; some bulk-billed places for patients the GP judges eligible. |
| Referral | Mental health plan and referral by email, or through Medical Objects. |
The service model: telehealth, quick contact, no wait list
The psychologist said she was reluctant to move from face-to-face to telehealth after COVID, but found it has worked well. Her reasons:
- Access for families. Parents do not need to travel or take time off.
- Comfort. Many adults like being in their own home, in a private room with the door closed.
- Flexibility. Morning and evening times through the week.
She is asking local GPs whether they think face-to-face sessions would make a difference for their patients, so feedback is welcome.
A practice GP put it simply: in psychology the need is immediate, because people come "when they're breaking down". The psychologist agreed. Her view is that if a patient is told the wait is six weeks or two months, "we lose them". Her team's goal is to call the patient within 24 to 48 hours of receiving the referral.
She personally reads every referral with her admin staff as it comes in, to triage and match the patient to the most suitable psychologist in the team, and she supervises her two less experienced colleagues closely.
Who she works with
Parents and families of neurodivergent children
She described about 18 years of work in this area, starting with a multidisciplinary children's therapy clinic in Melbourne built as a "one-stop shop". Her main point for GPs: support for the parents can be as valuable as, or more valuable than, therapy for the child. Depending on the child's cognitive and developmental stage, parents need help with:
- managing behaviour at home,
- the strain on the couple relationship,
- the wider family dynamic, and
- the impact on siblings.
Adolescents and adults
A GP noticed her profile leans toward young people. She said she has done that work for a long time, but now does more adult work and parent work. For children she has seen for anxiety, withdrawal and social difficulties, the team gives parents printable workbooks so the child can work alongside the session.
Couples
She sees each person individually for a few sessions, then holds some joint sessions. Telehealth makes it easier for both partners to attend.
Who fits telehealth, and who to send elsewhere
- Age. By telehealth she would mainly recommend referrals from about 12 or 13 years up. Younger children are harder to keep engaged, though some do well if they can sustain attention.
- Assessments. She said she does not do assessments. The transcript does not say which kind; for ADHD or autism assessment, use another pathway.
- Personality disorders. Not offered by telehealth; she sees these as better suited to a psychiatrist.
Near the end, the psychologist and a GP spoke about how hard growing up is now, with social media and peer pressure, and about recent youth suicides reported in the news. Her message was to "nip these things in the bud" and refer early. Editor note (not from the talk): a fast-access psychology service does not replace urgent risk assessment. If a young person is at acute risk, follow your local crisis pathway (for example 000, the emergency department or the acute care team).
Eating disorders: shared care with the GP
She works with eating disorders, with one firm request: regular collaboration with the GP, and a psychiatrist if needed. Because she does not see these patients in person, she relies on the GP to manage the physical side.
For eligible patients, the MBS Eating Disorder Treatment and Management Plan items allow up to 40 psychological treatment services and 20 dietetic services in a 12-month period, with review requirements along the way. Eligibility criteria apply (check the current MBS explanatory notes). The psychologist did not discuss these items.
A listening-based program (speaker's experience)
She described a therapeutic listening program she trained in earlier this year: an app that plays filtered music through over-ear wireless headphones, aimed at the nervous system and emotional regulation. Her account:
- About five hours of listening in total, done in short daily blocks (she said five to ten minutes a day at most for children, with a parent setting it up).
- She monitors use on an online dashboard; clients log how they feel after each session (anxious, stuck, playful, relaxed), and she sends a reminder text if sessions are missed.
- She reported working with about 30 clients since February, with what she called "phenomenal" change in anxiety, executive functioning, organisation, planning and "feeling safe in their bodies". She gave the example of a child with auditory processing difficulties who copes at school with noise-blocking headphones; the aim is to reduce that need.
- Not covered by Medicare. She said the licence costs about $200 a month, usually for two or three months, with an optional maintenance program.
- She suggested it for children with sensory processing issues, or for clients who do not want to engage in talk therapy.
These outcomes are the speaker's own observations from her clients, not trial results, and the program was not named in the recording. Editor note (not from the talk): we did not identify the product, so we have not checked its evidence. If patients ask, it is reasonable to explain that this is an out-of-pocket add-on and that the benefit claims come from the provider.
How to refer
- Complete the mental health plan and referral as usual (see the Better Access note below).
- Send it by email to the practice's general "info" address (on her brochure), or through Medical Objects.
- Check the Medical Objects listing. During the visit, staff could not find her under the practice name and looked under her own name instead. She warned there is a separate Crossroads disability service in Robina, so check you have the right provider.
- Bulk billing. If you think the patient is eligible for one of her bulk-billed places, write a note such as "bulk bill please" at the top of the referral. That saves her team raising money on the first call.
- Questions can go to the team by email. Brochures were left at reception.
A practice GP added that the clinic is mixed billing, and that bulk billing a few sessions can help some adolescents get started; once they trust the psychologist, families are often happy to continue privately.
Editor note: Better Access rules since November 2025
From 1 November 2025, a Medicare rebate for Better Access psychology requires the Mental Health Treatment Plan, referral and plan review to be done by a GP at the patient's MyMedicare registered practice or by their usual medical practitioner (the practice that provided most of their care in the past 12 months, or will in the next 12). Direct referral from a psychiatrist or paediatrician is not affected. The separate GP plan review and ongoing mental health consultation items were removed; reviews now use time-based general attendance items.
Sessions run in courses: an initial course of up to 6 services, then further courses, up to a cap of 10 individual services per calendar year, with a new referral for each course. Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing "Better Access redesign from 1 November 2025" and the Better Access FAQ (May 2026).
GP takeaways
1. Here is a telehealth psychology option with quick first contact (target 24 to 48 hours), useful when a patient is ready now and a long wait would lose them.
2. Best suited to adolescents of about 12 or 13 and up, adults, parents and couples. For formal assessments or personality disorders, use another pathway.
3. For parents of neurodivergent children, consider referring the parent: the speaker sees parent work as often as valuable as child therapy.
4. For eating disorders, agree up front that the GP handles physical monitoring and keep communication regular.
5. Write "bulk bill please" on the referral if you think the patient is eligible, and double-check the Medical Objects listing.
6. Treat the listening program as an out-of-pocket add-on whose benefits are reported by the provider.
Transcript caveats
Name: the psychologist introduced herself as "Renati" and spelled "R E N A T Y" while staff searched Medical Objects; the surname was not captured clearly. The practice name was transcribed "crossroad as crossroads therapy" and is reported as Crossroads Therapy.
Left out on purpose: an unrelated clinical moment at the start of the recording, the speaker's family and personal history, staff names, fee and rebate dollar figures, a brief mention of a patient the GP might refer, lunch conversation after the visit, and the names of people in news reports.
Unclear: what kind of "assessments" she does not do; the exact name of the listening program; whether in-person sessions will be offered in future.