Written for GPs and other referrers in Ballarat and across the Grampians region. In a system where every psychologist has a waitlist, the question is rarely whether to refer. It is who to, and with what expectation. This is intended to make that decision quicker.

General registration versus clinical endorsement

Both are AHPRA-registered and both can accept Better Access referrals. The clinical endorsement reflects postgraduate training and a registrar programme weighted towards assessment, formulation and structured treatment of mental disorders, and it attracts a higher Medicare rebate for the patient.

For uncomplicated presentations, that difference is not the deciding factor and a general psychologist with the right experience is often the better referral. The endorsement earns its place where the picture is complex, where comorbidity is doing the work, or where diagnostic clarity is itself the question.

Presentations worth directing to clinical

Eating disorders. Any suspected eating disorder benefits from a clinician with specific training. Please note that the Eating Disorder Management Plan pathway is considerably more generous than a standard plan, offering up to forty psychological and twenty dietetics sessions over twelve months. It has to be asked for specifically.

Emerging or established personality disorder. Particularly where there is chronic self-harm, recurrent crisis presentations, or the pattern of brief engagements with multiple services. These need a clinician equipped for structured, longer-term work rather than a six-session course.

Complex trauma. Where the history is developmental and cumulative rather than a single index event, and where the presentation is diffuse: affect dysregulation, dissociation, relational difficulty.

Diagnostic uncertainty. Where you are weighing bipolarity against emotional dysregulation, ADHD against anxiety, or trying to sort out what is primary in a mixed picture.

Treatment non-response. Where a previous adequate course of therapy has not shifted things, a different formulation is often more useful than a repeat of the same intervention.

What is likely to do fine elsewhere

Adjustment disorders, grief without complication, situational anxiety, workplace stress, and single-episode mild to moderate depression generally respond well to standard care and do not need to sit on a longer waitlist for a clinical appointment. Referring these on to a general psychologist with a shorter wait is usually the better outcome for the patient.

What I see

My declared areas of interest are eating disorders, personality disorders and emotional dysregulation, alongside anxiety, depression and trauma. I work with adolescents from mid-teens, young adults and adults, in person in Ballarat and by telehealth across regional Victoria.

My training beyond the Master of Clinical Psychology is in DBT, Schema Therapy, evidence-based eating disorder treatments and supportive psychotherapy. I have worked in public mental health, including in senior roles, since 2012, which means I have a reasonable working knowledge of what the local system can and cannot absorb.

What I do not take

Worth stating plainly so you do not waste a referral. I am a solo private practitioner, not a service. I do not provide crisis response, acute risk management, or after-hours contact. Patients at acute risk need the Grampians Mental Health and Wellbeing Services triage line on 1300 247 647, or an emergency department.

I do not currently see children under mid-adolescence, and I do not undertake medico-legal assessments or court reports.

Communication back to you

I write to the referring GP after the initial assessment with a formulation and proposed treatment plan, and again at review points. If a patient's risk profile changes materially, you will hear from me sooner than that.

If you would like to discuss a patient before referring, that is welcome and often saves everyone time.

Practical details

Referrals can be sent by fax to +61 3 7048 3839, which is retained specifically for this purpose, or by email. Full details and a quick referral form are on the referrals page.

There is a companion piece on what to include in the referral itself, which genuinely affects triage. Current fees and rebates are on the fees page so you can set patient expectations accurately.