Therapy FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about Therapy

Therapy at Athelas is designed for deep, sustained healing—especially for people with complex trauma, long-term emotional patterns, or parts that have never felt fully safe in relationship. It is not crisis management or short-term advice. It is structured, relational, and rhythm-based work.

10 sessions a year is insufficient for intensive therapy. That number is the nominal amount that the government has provided for psychologists and allied health under the Better Access scheme, and provides a time-limited brief therapy intervention. This is part of your government-provided insurance for your healthcare. Psychiatrist-led therapy (if referred) attracts rebates for every appointment, making it accessible for regular in-depth work.

What’s the Goal of Therapy Here?

The goal of therapy at Athelas is to help you feel more calm, clear and strong on the inside—to restore leadership to the part of you that can guide and care for the rest of you.

We all have different “parts” inside—some anxious, some angry, some shut down. In therapy, we help you understand these parts with compassion, and strengthen your connection to your Self—the calm, wise part of you that can soothe, decide, and lead.

Over time, you become your own strong point of support—without needing constant reassurance, homework, or looking to others to understand yourself. Therapy helps you build internal trust so that your system can work together with more confidence and care.

How Often Do Appointments Happen?

We strongly recommend weekly therapy as the default rhythm. Fortnightly may be suitable later, but less frequent than that usually leads to loss of trust, pace, or connection.

Think of it like learning an instrument or training for a sport—you need regular rhythm for your system to feel safe and open. That’s especially true if your nervous system has learned not to expect safety from others.

We suggest committing to weekly therapy for at least 3 months to begin with. That’s enough time for your internal system to start trusting the process, and for us to build a foundation together.

When Will My Appointment Be Scheduled?

A consistent appointment time creates predictability and emotional safety. Many parts may feel unsure, anxious, or guilty about taking up space. A regular slot helps reduce that stress. A client will have an initial block of appointments planned and then we will meet and discuss the therapeutic framework for very regular work. Having the same appointment time booked every week or fortnight and held for you is incredibly helpful. It also comes with the additional responsibility of attending that appointment every time it has been booked, as this appointment will be unable to be utilised by another person.

When your appointment is reliably held—like a rehearsal or training session, you don’t need to “earn” it each week. It’s your space. Please discuss the practical meaning of this when in session.

If you cannot guarantee that you will attend every appointment that is booked, therapy can still be booked however it will be booked ad-hoc.

How Long Will I Be in Therapy?

That’s different for everyone. Some people come for several months; others find they find it helpful for years.

We work toward deeper integration and internal leadership, rather than just symptom reduction. At regular intervals, we check in together to ensure that therapy continues to meet your goals and remains clinically beneficial. This is part of our commitment to purposeful, effective, and ethically grounded care.

How Can I Afford This?

We understand therapy is an investment. Psychiatric therapy—because it qualifies for the Medicare Safety Net—is actually one of the most cost-effective ways to access long-term intensive therapy under Medicare.

Once the Safety Net is reached, Medicare covers 80% of the out-of-pocket gap for the rest of the calendar year. This means:

You can attend therapy weekly or even twice weekly, and still receive a rebate (as long as you have a valid referral)
Many patients reach the Safety Net within the first 7–10 sessions
Once reached, your per-session gap drops dramatically (often under $70)

Unfortunately, NDIS does not cover psychiatric therapy, even for psychosocial disability. But for eligible Medicare patients, this model is designed to be both sustainable and impactful.

If cost is a concern, let us know early—we can help you understand rebates and plan for the Safety Net threshold.

What If I Start Cancelling or Disengaging?

If you begin missing sessions or drifting away from the rhythm, we’ll check in kindly. Often, this means a part of you is unsure or protecting. That’s not a problem—we can talk about it.

Therapy works best with consistency. If the rhythm fades and regular contact isn’t possible, we may suggest changing to ad-hoc bookings, or bookings with less regularity, or even taking a break. You are always welcome to discuss returning when it feels right again. The door stays gently open.