Frequently Asked Questions

What are 'no-gap' psychology sessions?

nib are offering members 3 x 20 min fully covered psychology sessions with different psychologists to help you find your best match before you move into further therapy. With this in mind these 3 sessions are not able to be used with the same psychologist. 

These sessions have no gap payment to be made as nib is covering the full amount hence the name 'no-gap session'. 

How do I claim my session? 

You don’t need to claim directly. You’ll only be charged the portion of the payment not covered by nib. After your session, you’ll receive an SMS requesting your payment details. If you don’t finalise payment on the day, you’ll need to claim back via the nib App. We’ll also send you an invoice with all the required details. 

How much do I need to pay? 

If your benefits coverage is sufficient (which we’ll confirm at checkout), your introductory no gap consultation(s) will be free. Standard sessions will be reduced depending on your nib benefits coverage and/or any other rebates you've applied. 

How do I transition to Medicare? 

You may be eligible for up to 10 Medicare-funded sessions per year. To access this, you’ll need a Mental Health Treatment Plan, which you can obtain from a GP. Once you have uploaded these documents to your account you can then continue booking sessions with your current psychologist. 

Why can't I have my 3 x 20 min sessions with the same psychologist?

The 3 x 20 min fully covered psychology sessions are funded by nib to make sure that you have the time to find a psychologist who is a good match before you move into longer therapy sessions. This means these 3 no-gap sessions are not able to be used with the same psychologist as that is not their purpose. 

If you are happy with the match of your psychologist after your first 20 min session, you will have the option to book in with this psychologist for a standard 50 min consultation for your next session. 

What do I pay if I use Medicare? 

After Medicare rebates, short consultations cost $26.85, and standard consultations cost $129.05. 

Learn how to make your Medicare claim

How do I use a Mental Health Treatment Plan?

To start with, your doctor will refer you for 6 sessions. They don’t approve all 10 at the start because they will want to check in with you and see how you are progressing as you commence your help-seeking journey.

After session 6, your psychologist will need to write a brief letter to your doctor to share your progress and share their recommendations as to whether you need any additional sessions.

After session 6 if you do want to access more sessions you will need to make another appointment with your doctor to review the letter your psychologist has sent them, and they will likely ask some similar questions as in your first appointment. They will want to see how you are travelling, how well the counselling and current treatment plan is working and whether to adjust or tweak the plan based on how you are going.

Once your doctor has approved more sessions, they will send a letter (or give one to you) letting the psychologist know they have been approved to offer you up to 4 more sessions. As with your original Mental Health Treatment Plan, this will also need to include a referral letter.