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The low cost counselling program (LCCP) is a service that supports clients with day-to-day challenges that may affect their wellbeing. It provides prompt, affordable, and accessible counselling services. There is usually no waitlist for the LCCP, and counselling may be delivered face to face or via telehealth. A GP referral is not required to access the LCCP service.

Please be aware: Redefine Life counsellors do not diagnose or provide interventions for mental illnesses and disorders. If you suspect you or a loved one may be affected by a mental illness or disorder (ie. Bipolar, major depression, ADHD, ASD, etc.), it is best to seek a psychologist who can diagnose the issue. Redefine Life's service may however be a suitable place to address less serious needs while clients wait for more specialised or diagnostic care.

The LCCP is delivered by a team of qualified provisional counsellors and volunteer counsellors.

A provisional counsellor is a person who has completed the academic component of their Bachelors or Masters degree in counselling, and needs to complete a large number of hours working with clients before graduating. They are just like a fully registered counsellor with less client time under their belt, and some of them even have years of experience but still need to work without pay to meet their course requirements.

A volunteer counsellor is one that has completed all training criteria and generously gives some of their client time to members of the community at a low rate.

The Low Cost Counselling Program includes:

• Individual counselling sessions.

• Information and referral services for crisis support.

• Short, medium and long-term mental-health support.

Please be aware: Provisional counsellors are generally with the LCCP for a fixed timeframe. If a transition to another counsellor is imminent, your counsellor will discuss this with you in advance and arrange for both current and new counsellor to attend a transitional appointment. If your counsellor plans to move into private practice, you may choose to move to their service at an agreed designated rate.

Our areas of expertise include but are not limited to:

• Personal or workplace relationship issues.

• Interpersonal and emotional development.

• Anxiety-related challenges.

• Grief and loss.

• Exploring crossroads in life.

• Feeling lost or stuck in the present.

• Stress management.

• Adjusting to life's changes and challenges.

• Anger and frustration management.

• Distressing life events and their impact.

• Changes in mood, energy and motivation.

• Issues concentrating on work/study.

If you wish to seek mental health support and assistance through the Low Cost Counselling Program, you can book directly using the book now button or you can submit an enquiry form on our Contact page.

A provisional counsellor will contact you directly to schedule an agreed session time. Initially, the counsellor will work with you to clarify your goals for counselling and talk with you about what you can expect from working with them. You will work directly with your counsellor to organise further sessions if you wish to continue with them.

Your counsellor is a person just like you, only with learned skills in supporting your needs. It is common to feel a bit nervous or to take a while to warm up to the processes of counselling. The more honest you can be, the better, but please be patient with yourself as you lean in to the counselling experience. You can always share any missing bits of information later.

No, you will not require a mental health care plan for the low cost counselling program. A mental health care plan is a support plan intended for individuals with mental illnesses who require further access to psychological and psychiatric services. Counsellors in our low cost counselling program are trained professionals that assist clients in navigating and overcoming day-to-day challenges and personal challenges related to work, relationships, motivation, general anxiety, social issues and many more.

The low cost counselling service costs $45 per session. Payment is requested prior to each session in order to access the service.

Our low cost counselling service is offered at a $45 flat rate per session. This is substantially lower than the Australian Psychology Society's recommended fee of $267 per 40-60 minute session and reflects Redefine Life's strong commitment to providing high-quality, affordable counselling services throughout Australia. A general counsellor without specialisation often charges between $85-$135 per session. Mental health care plans may provide access to services with a gap fee within the $45 range, but unlike Redefine Life's low cost counselling service, this is only available for a limited number of sessions after which a full fee is payable.

No, Medicare and private health insurance rebate claims are currently not available for Redefine Life's services. The Low Cost Counselling Program's fees are significantly lower than standard counselling practice fees, which are commonly between $80-$150 per session, depending on the rate of your chosen professional.

No, a GP referral is only needed if you want to access the Medicare rebate scheme. We currently do not offer Medicare rebate claims at Redefine Life, however we do offer a low cost counselling service, staffed by provisional counsellors with fees that are significantly lower than standard counselling rates.

No, GP referrals are not necessary for the low cost counselling service.

However, it is a good idea to keep the referral so you can use it at the practice that it is allocated for, should you explore other options. If your GP writes you a referral for Redefine Life's Low Cost Counselling Program, even though it is not required, it will still be a welcomed addition to the notes of the counsellor you are seeing.

We understand and appreciate how daily life events may cause you to miss your appointment, however please take the time to read the Redefine Life cancellation and appointment rescheduling policy:

• A minimum of 24-hours notice is required for cancelled or rescheduled appointments (excluding Monday appointments), otherwise a fee of $20 will be payable.
  

• A minimum of 48-hours notice is required for cancelled or rescheduled appointments that have been booked for Mondays, otherwise the cancellation fee of $20 will be payable.
  

• A fee of $20 will be payable for clients who fail to attend appointments without notification.

Each low cost counselling session is usually 60 minutes in duration.

The number of sessions required will depend on the nature and extent of the issues which you are seeking assistance for. Most people attend counselling sessions weekly, however after a while, fortnightly sessions might feel more appropriate so that you have time for new ideas and concepts to be integrated and practiced between sessions. Counsellors and clients will decide together what best meets individual needs and this will be discussed during your first session as well as plans to review progress after a set number of sessions.

Counselling sessions are offered via modes that suit both counsellor and client including telehealth, phone calls or face-to-face meetings at one of our two Melbourne offices.

There is disability access at our Rosanna site. However unfortunately, not at Boronia where the rooms are up a flight of stairs.

The Low Cost Counselling Program is frequently delivered online if you are open to meeting with one of our friendly counsellors from around Australia.

Redefine Life is located at 86 Boronia Rd, Boronia VIC 3155. Redefine Life services are also offered online or by telephone delivered by counsellors who are located around Australia.

Boronia Site Address: 86 Boronia Road, Boronia, VIC 3155