Psychology · Illawarra & Shellharbour
Bulk Billed Psychology in the Illawarra — With a Mental Health Treatment Plan and GP Referral
HealthPlex is bringing psychology to the Centre Health Complex on Captain Cook Drive, Barrack Heights. Sessions are bulk billed when you have a Mental Health Treatment Plan and a valid referral from your GP. If your care is funded by a workers compensation or CTP insurer, there is no out-of-pocket cost to you.
Psychology is a new addition at this address — no standalone psychology service is currently listed at the complex. It is a medical complex, not a shopping centre: a GP practice, pharmacy, dental, pathology and radiology share the building, so the plan and the appointment can happen in one place. HealthPlex also provides physiotherapy here.
Psychology at HealthPlex
Barrack Heights
Centre Health Complex
9–25 Captain Cook Drive
Barrack Heights NSW 2528
Hours: Mon–Fri 9:00am–5:00pm
Bulk-billed psychology under Medicare needs a plan and a referral
Medicare does not pay a benefit for psychology simply because you have booked. Two things must be in place first — separate documents, though your GP produces both in one visit.
The first is a Mental Health Treatment Plan — a structured assessment your GP writes with you, setting out what you are dealing with and what you want to work on. The second is a valid referral. Since 1 November 2025 that referral must come from a GP at the practice where you are registered through MyMedicare, or from your usual medical practitioner if you are not registered.
With both in place, Medicare covers up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year. Your first referral usually covers up to 6 sessions; after those your psychologist writes back to your GP, and a review decides whether a further referral is appropriate. The count resets on 1 January and does not roll over.
These sessions are separate from the up to 5 allied health services per calendar year a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan covers — and those 5 are shared across every allied health discipline. Physiotherapy visits do not reduce your psychology sessions.
Ask for a long appointment to discuss a Mental Health Treatment Plan.
If appropriate, your GP prepares the plan and writes the referral.
Call 02 9072 9921. Bring the referral and your Medicare card.
Your psychologist reports back to your GP, who decides on a further referral.
Psychological injury under WorkCover and CTP
If your psychological injury arose out of your work, or a motor accident, Medicare is usually not the pathway at all. Treatment is funded by the insurer under your claim and there is no out-of-pocket cost to you — and no Mental Health Treatment Plan is needed, because the funding sits with the workers compensation scheme (icare / SIRA) or the CTP Green Slip insurer.
Psychological injury claims behave differently from physical ones: they run longer, involve more people — case manager, employer, treating GP — and treatment is documented against the claim. We handle approvals and progress reporting.
Psychology under a NSW workers compensation claim — the insurer is billed, not you.
Treatment under a CTP Green Slip claim, including the anxiety that can follow a crash. No out-of-pocket cost.
Refer a worker through refer to us. Treatment is coordinated with the return-to-work plan.
The return-to-work angle is underestimated. A psychological injury claim is not only about how you feel on a Tuesday afternoon — it is also about the conversation with your supervisor, the first shift back, and the tasks that trigger the worst of it. Treatment that ignores the workplace tends to stall at the point of going back, so plans are written with the job in view, alongside the treating GP and the employer where you are comfortable. Our detail on return to work for psychological injury covers how graduated plans are structured, and psychological injury claims in Australia explains the process. Where a claim also involves a physical injury, see WorkCover physiotherapy in the Illawarra.
What a first psychology session involves
Most people arrive with no idea what to expect. A first session is largely a conversation: what brought you in, how long it has been going on, and what has already helped. Expect questions about sleep, work, family and health — those threads run through whatever you came in for. Toward the end you agree what to focus on.
You do not need your story organised before you walk in, and you are not obliged to talk about anything you are not ready to. Starting with the practical parts — sleep, routines, getting through a shift — is legitimate.
What you discuss stays confidential, with narrow limits your psychologist explains at the outset: serious risk to someone, a court order, or the reporting a scheme insurer requires on a claim. Under a Mental Health Treatment Plan your psychologist also reports back to your referring GP.
What psychologists work with
Psychologists use structured, evidence-based approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy. People commonly seek support for:
Persistent worry, panic, and work stress that has stopped being manageable.
Lost motivation, withdrawal from people and activity, flat stretches that will not lift.
Reactions after a serious incident, an assault, a crash, or distressing events at work.
A changed body, a changed role, an uncertain claim, or persistent pain.
Disrupted sleep, bereavement, separation and other transitions.
Rehearsing the steps back into a workplace after an injury.
People respond differently and at different speeds, and your psychologist will discuss what is reasonable to expect rather than promising an outcome. More is on our psychology service page.
Serving Shellharbour and the wider Illawarra
The clinic is in the Centre Health Complex at 9–25 Captain Cook Drive, Barrack Heights, with a bus stop about 150 metres away on Lake Entrance Road. It is a short drive from Warilla, Mount Warrigal, Lake Illawarra, Shellharbour village, Windang, Oak Flats, Shell Cove and Albion Park. See the Barrack Heights physiotherapy and psychology clinic page, or browse all HealthPlex locations.
This clinic is not a crisis service. If you are in immediate danger, call 000. For 24-hour support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
Frequently asked questions
Is psychology bulk billed if I have a Mental Health Treatment Plan?
Yes — sessions are bulk billed when you have a Mental Health Treatment Plan and a valid referral from your GP. Medicare has no psychology item to pay without an eligible referral, so without one the appointment is private.
How many sessions does Medicare cover, and how does the review work?
Up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year. Your first referral usually covers up to 6; after those your psychologist reports back to your GP and a review decides whether a further referral is appropriate. The count resets on 1 January.
Who is allowed to write my referral?
Since 1 November 2025 the referral must come from a GP at the practice where you are registered through MyMedicare, or from your usual medical practitioner if you are not registered. A one-off referral from a doctor who does not know you will not meet the requirement.
I have a psychological injury claim through WorkCover — what will it cost me?
Nothing out of pocket. Treatment under an accepted NSW workers compensation claim is funded by the insurer and billed to them directly, and no Mental Health Treatment Plan is needed. The same applies to CTP Green Slip claims.
What if I do not have a plan or a referral yet?
Book a longer appointment with your usual GP and ask about a Mental Health Treatment Plan. There is a GP practice in the same building as our clinic at 9–25 Captain Cook Drive, Barrack Heights, though the referral must come from your MyMedicare-registered or usual GP. You can also book as a private patient; call 02 9072 9921 for the fee.
This page is general information about psychology services at HealthPlex, not individual clinical advice. Services are delivered by psychologists registered with AHPRA. Medicare bulk billing for psychology requires a Mental Health Treatment Plan and a valid referral from your GP, and eligibility criteria apply. Workers compensation and CTP treatment is subject to that scheme’s approval requirements.