COVID Update at Hill Street Counselling
Hill Street Counselling is committed to remaining open and providing essential counselling services to our community during this unsettling time (COVID-19).
We are equally committed to protecting the wellbeing of our community and have established protective measures and a mixed service delivery model to meet clients’ individual needs as safely and flexibly as possible.
This means our clients have the option of safely attending:
- In-person sessions at Hill Street Counselling, if no coronavirus risk factors are present, or
- Telehealth sessions via secure video or phone, if clinically appropriate, or a
- Combination of in-person and telehealth sessions, if/as needs change.
Rebates are available for both in-person and telehealth sessions, with a valid referral.
Our approach is consistent with advice from the Australian Psychological Society:
“The Government has deemed that psychology is an essential service and must continue. Telehealth item numbers have been provided for psychologists to be able to undertake their work by telehealth but it has been made clear that this should occur only when clinically appropriate. There is an understanding that some psychology services do not transfer to telehealth and there may also be situations when it is not appropriate to provide a service via telehealth. In such circumstances, services may be able to be postponed but for essential services it is expected that face-to-face services continue to be provided with social distancing and appropriate hygiene practices in place”. (APS)