Thank you for considering an ASD assessment with clinical psychologist Karen Richens,

who has lived experience of neurodivergence.

Eligibility

  • Karen offers assessments to adults aged 18+ who are verbally fluent.

Referral

  • Please have your GP send a referral letter addressed to Karen Richens for assessment of ASD.

Attendance

  • Assessment sessions are not offered via telehealth and are conducted in-person only.

Pre-Assessment

  • You complete several online screening questionnaires and an online intake form outlining some of the experiences which have lead you to investigate the possibility of ASD.

Session 1 – $480

  • You attend a 75-90 minute intake assessment. Questions will gather information about your psychiatric, medical, developmental and family history.
  • This will determine the suitability of continuing with the next step in the process.

Session 2 – $450

  • You attend a 1.5 hour diagnostic assessment. This will explore in-depth examples of your experience of ASD symptoms across childhood and adulthood.
  • This appointment will occur approximately two weeks after session 1.

Session 3 – $225

  • You attend a 30 minute feedback session to discuss your results.
  • A brief one-page letter will be provided which states the diagnostic outcome with any recommendations. This document can be used to communicate your diagnosis to health professionals, educational institutions, or other organisations.
  • An in-depth report is usually not necessary. However, if you do require this (for NDIS or other purposes), this will incur additional fees and can be discussed with your psychologist.
  • This appointment will occur approximately two weeks after session 2.

Important Things to Note

  • Payments are broken down into the portions as outlined above, payable at the time of each session. Deposits and pre-payment in full are not required. Cancellation and non-attendance fees apply.
  • Medicare rebates are not available and fees will need to be paid privately.
  • There is no guarantee that you will receive a diagnosis of ASD.
  • There is no guarantee that you will receive funding from NDIS or other support services.

This is a photo of the room in which Karen does your ASD assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need a GP referral?

It is helpful for the psychologist to be provided with some relevant background information prior to your assessment with them. This will include any history of past psychological conditions, current medications, and some of the things you are struggling with which have lead you to investigate the possibility of ASD.

Your psychologist will also obtain your consent to provide a copy of the outcome letter to your GP, so that they can best help inform your treatment planning as part of your treating team.

Are there Medicare rebates available?

Unfortunately, rebates under a Mental Health Care Plan are not applicable for the assessment of ASD.

Why are there non-attendance and cancellation fees?

Mind Health Care is a private business and psychologists do not get paid when clients do not attend appointments. It is also difficult to fill any cancellations with short notice.

The non-attendance and cancellation fees are:

$240 for Sessions 1 & 2

$120 for Session 3

It is your responsibility to provide more than 24 hours notice of cancellation. We have a phone answering service to leave a message outside of reception hours.

What do the session fees cover?

Fees cover not only the face-to-face time that you spend with the psychologist, but also the behind-the-scenes work involved in interpreting test scores, writing up assessment results, and preparation of letters and/or reports.

What is the difference between a letter and a report?

In-depth reports are usually not required and can be an additional unnecessary expense.

A feedback letter is a brief one-page document which states the diagnostic outcome and treatment recommendations.  This doesn’t detail any of your personal clinical history, so is more appropriate to share with educational institutions, employers, or other organisations, if required. This fee is included in costs listed on the website for session 3.

A report is approximately four pages in length and takes several hours to prepare. In addition to including the diagnosis and treatment recommendations, it also outlines your personal clinical history, observations, list of evaluation procedures used, interpretation of results, and a measure of disability and impact on functioning. This is more likely to be needed if applying for NDIS funding (but it is not a guarantee that this will be approved). This fee is not included as standard and will incur an additional $495 (including GST) which can be discussed with your psychologist.

Do I need to attend all three sessions?

The pre-screening questionnaires and intake assessment at Session 1 will determine if there is enough information to proceed with the diagnostic assessment for a diagnosis of ASD.

Neurodevelopmental disorders require the comprehensive assessment in Session 2 to establish the presence of symptoms across both childhood and adulthood.

Session 3 is a valuable feedback session to provide you with the opportunity to ask as many questions as you need to help understand your diagnosis.

After diagnosis, will you still help me?

Yes! Karen is passionate about helping clients to understand what their diagnosis means for them, to use compassion for self-acceptance, and to find practical strategies to improve their quality of life and functioning.

Please speak with your GP about your eligibility to access a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP). Treatment is also accepted under funding from NDIS or Private Health Insurance.

Alternatively, you can choose to attend for assessment only and a copy of the outcome letter can be sent to your GP.

Can I use my NDIS funding to pay for my assessment?

No. Unfortunately, the NDIS does not pay for the assessment of mental health conditions.

Do you offer payment plans?

We have tried to make the assessment package as affordable as possible, balancing costs for the psychologist’s time and minimising the expense of report writing where relevant. Deposits or pre-payment in full are not required.

Payments are due in the three portions listed above, payable at the time of each session. The frequency of sessions can be stretched out slightly further than two weeks, to allow additional time to save.

If financial accommodations are required beyond this, please reach out to discuss this with reception.