Terms of engagement.

These terms apply to all clients of Ivy Psychology Pty Ltd (ABN 95 667 402 128). They sit alongside our Privacy Policy. If you are an NDIS participant, our service agreement also applies and prevails where it differs.

01What we provide

Ivy Psychology provides:

• Psychological therapy for children, adolescents, and adults
• Psychological assessment (ADHD, autism, cognitive, learning, developmental)
• NDIS Positive Behaviour Support - functional behaviour assessment, behaviour support plans, implementation support, restrictive practice review
• Clinical and behaviour-support supervision
• Reports for GPs, NDIS, schools, and other clinicians as appropriate

Services are provided by AHPRA-registered psychologists (clinical, registered, or provisional) and behaviour support practitioners registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

02What we don't provide

So you know what to expect:

• Crisis or emergency mental-health response. If you are in crisis, call 000, or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or attend your nearest emergency department.
• Medico-legal assessments or court reports are not part of our standard service. Some are available on request, by separate agreement.
• Medication. Psychologists cannot prescribe. We refer to GPs and psychiatrists where medication review is needed.
• 24/7 contact between sessions. Our admin team is reachable during business hours; our clinicians answer non-urgent messages on the same or next business day.
• Forensic or correctional services.

03Fees & payment

Current fees are listed on our Fees & Funding page. Fees vary by clinician seniority (clinical psychologist, registered psychologist, provisional psychologist) and by service type.

• Payment is taken at the time of session, by card on file.
• Medicare rebates for clients with a Mental Health Treatment Plan are claimed by us at the time of session and refunded directly to your nominated bank account by Medicare, usually within 48 hours.
• Private health may rebate part of the fee - check with your fund. We provide receipts.
• NDIS - plan-managed or NDIA-managed invoicing is set up at intake. Self-managed participants are billed and pay like private clients.
• Fee increases generally take effect on 1 July. We will give you at least four weeks' notice of any change.

04Cancellation policy

If you need to cancel or reschedule, please give us as much notice as you can:

• More than 48 hours' notice: no charge.
• 24 to 48 hours' notice: 50% of the session fee.
• Less than 24 hours' notice, or no-show: 100% of the session fee.

Late cancellations and no-shows cannot be claimed against Medicare. NDIS short-notice cancellations are charged under the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements (currently 100% for less than two clear business days).

We will waive the cancellation fee in genuine emergencies - please tell us what's happening and we'll do the right thing.

05Session length & conduct

Therapy sessions are 50 minutes. Assessment and behaviour support sessions vary - your clinician will tell you. We start and finish on time so we can do the same for the next person.

We ask that you (and any family or supports attending) treat our clinicians, admin team, and other clients with respect. Aggressive, threatening, or discriminatory behaviour toward staff or other clients may result in services being terminated.

06Confidentiality & its limits

What you tell us stays between you and your clinician (and is documented in your clinical record).

The standard legal exceptions are:

• If there is a serious and imminent risk to your life or someone else's, we may break confidentiality to keep people safe.
• If a child or young person is at risk of harm, we have a legal obligation to report.
• If records are subpoenaed by a court, we are required to provide them.
• For professional supervision and peer consultation - where the supervisor or peer is bound by the same confidentiality obligations.
• Where you have given consent for us to share information (e.g. with your GP, partner, support worker, or NDIS team).

For NDIS behaviour support, some information must be shared with the NDIS Commission as a regulatory requirement (e.g. behaviour support plans, restrictive practice reporting).

07Records & reports

We keep clinical records in line with the Psychology Board of Australia's standards. You have the right to ask for a copy of your record - see our Privacy Policy. Records are kept for at least seven years from last contact (or until the client is 25, if a minor).

Reports (psychology, behaviour support, assessment) take time to prepare. Routine reports are included in the standard fee. Detailed external reports, court-related reports, or third-party-requested reports are billable at the clinician's hourly rate, by separate agreement.

08Consent & capacity

By booking a session, you consent to assessment and/or therapy as discussed with your clinician. You can withdraw consent at any time. For clients under 16, a parent or guardian usually consents on their behalf, though we work with each young person to give them age-appropriate involvement in their own care.

If you do not have capacity to consent, we will work with your nominee or appointed decision-maker as required by the relevant State legislation.

09Telehealth

Telehealth is suitable for many clients but not all. Your clinician will discuss whether it is appropriate for your situation. By attending a telehealth session, you accept that:

• Internet or audio quality issues may occasionally interrupt sessions.
• You will join from a private space where you can speak freely.
• You will be in Australia at the time of the session, unless we have agreed otherwise in advance.
• Sessions are not recorded unless you give written consent.

10Reports & intellectual property

Reports we produce for you are yours to use for the purpose they were written. They remain our intellectual property and may not be republished, edited, or used for purposes other than those agreed without our written consent. Test materials and protocols (e.g. WAIS, WISC, ADOS) are owned by their publishers and cannot be released to you in raw form.

11Limits of liability

We provide our services with reasonable care and skill in line with professional and legal standards. We cannot guarantee specific clinical outcomes - every client and situation is different.

Nothing in these terms limits your rights under the Australian Consumer Law or excludes any liability that cannot be lawfully excluded.

12Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to current clients in writing. The current version always lives at ivypsychology.com.au/terms.

Questions? Email admin@ivypsychology.com.au or call 0405 944 637.