Fees, Rebates and Sliding Scale
How our fees work
At Unison, fees are structured to balance accessibility with sustainability. We offer an income‑based sliding scale for sessions with counsellors and psychotherapists, standard fees for our clinical psychologists and accredited mental health social worker, and Medicare rebates where eligible. This structure is designed so that people with different financial circumstances can still access high‑quality therapy, whether in person in Melbourne or via telehealth across Australia.
Clinical psychologists – fees and Medicare rebates
Services with our clinical psychologists are billed according to a variety of sources, including published rates from ADF, Open Arms, BUPA, and other related organisations’ annual fee schedules and requirements. For private pay clients, the rate is $265 per 50-minute session. Medicare rebates are available with a valid referral and Mental Health Care Plan, please let our admin team know if this applies. The current Medicare rebate for an eligible session with a clinical psychologist is $145.25, resulting in an out-of-pocket fee of $119.75 after rebate.
Accredited mental health social worker – fees and rebates
Our accredited mental health social worker offers individual therapy with a focus on both mental health and the broader systems you are part of (work, family, community, services). Services billed according to a variety of sources, including published rates from ADF, Open Arms, BUPA, NDIS, and other related organisations’ annual fee schedules and requirements. For private pay clients, the rate is $240 per 50-minute session. Medicare rebates are available with a valid referral and Mental Health Care Plan, please let our admin team know if this applies. The current Medicare rebate for an eligible session with an accredited mental health social worker is $87.25, resulting in an out-of-pocket fee of $152.75 after rebate.
Sliding‑scale fees for counsellors and psychotherapists
A sliding scale system tailored to your needs
Counsellor and psychotherapist sessions at Unison use an income‑based sliding scale. This allows people on different incomes to access the same quality of care at fees that are more closely aligned to their financial situation. We trust clients to choose the tier that best reflects their current combined income (for relationship work) or personal income (for individual work), and you are welcome to move between tiers if your circumstances change, without needing to provide proof of income.
Sliding‑scale fees apply to:
- Individual sessions with counsellors/psychotherapists.
- Dyad relationship sessions (two participants).
- Sessions with three or more participants (e.g. multi‑partner constellations or family‑of‑choice).
| Tier: Based on Annual Income | Individual Session (50-minutes) | Two Attendees (65-minutes) | 3+ Attendees (75-minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tier 1: Less than $55k |
$176 |
$215 |
$292 |
|
Tier 2: $55k – $120k |
$220 |
$275 |
$385 |
|
Tier 3: $120k – $180k |
$264 |
$363 |
$462 |
|
Tier 4: More than $180k |
$298 |
$440 |
$660 |
Please note: An additional charge of $20 applies to all in-person sessions
Sessions lasting longer than the standard time noted above are subject to a prorated fee.
Concession Rates: Limited concession rates are available for healthcare cardholders and full-time students, subject to a waiting list. The concession rate for individual sessions is $140 per session.
Invoicing: Payments are due within 7 days of invoicing and before your next scheduled therapy appointment. Please reach out to our admin team if you are struggling with payments or require special consideration, we are happy to help.
Cancellation Policy: To help us keep appointments available and reduce wait times, we are also changing the way we charge our cancellation fees from 2026:
- If you are able to let us know via email, SMS or phone more than 2 days before your appointment, there will be no charge for any changes or cancellations.
- If you need to cancel or reschedule between 48 and 24 hours before your appointment time, half of your session fee will be charged.
- If you cancel, reschedule or do not attend less than 24 hours before your appointment time, the full session fee will be charged.
Please reach us at contact@unisonmentalhealth.com or 0480706922 (SMS OK)