Session Details:
My Listening to Life model is a highly condensed and focused, shorter-term counselling model, with a usual initial maximum of approximately 10 sessions.
The basic session structure is as follows:
New (or returning, former) clients are strongly urged to attend at least 4 sessions – an initial session of 1.5 hours, and a subsequent set of 3x 1-hour sessions.
After the initial introductory and assessment session, it is recommended that subsequent consultations occur in sets of three, with the focus on learning and acquiring specific psychological skills, rather than the session being a more general debriefing of the preceding weeks’ events.
Home tasks and activities will often be assigned, and timely completion of these tasks will greatly increase the effectiveness of the psychotherapy.
With the recommended total of 10 such sessions, most clients will be well equipped with all the essential psychological strategies they need to better manage their symptoms and their life challenges.
Thereafter, clients will often be encouraged to “take a break” from the counselling, and to spend time applying the concepts and strategies that they have learned into their daily lives.
Research consistently shows that “practice, practice, practice” is what aids people to achieve mastery in any endeavour.
Clients who wish to return for additional “top-up” sessions to reinforce what they have previously learned are, of course, welcome to do so. Even then, however, clients are again encouraged to attend in blocks of 3 sessions because this model works by reinforcement of its teachings. Research and experience shows that intermittent, random attending of psychology sessions is not very effective in reinforcing new learnings.
Please note: Listening to Life is not a crisis-counselling model for clients to attend sessions primarily when they are experiencing an acute crisis. Although understandably most clients will book in when they are experiencing difficulties in their lives; however, the ultimate goal of this model is to build and develop psychological skills aimed at long-term resilience and personal growth, and the prevention of ongoing life crises.
Fees:
– The Australian Psychological Society’s current recommended fee for a registered (non-clinical) psychologist is $318 for a 40-60 minute session. Clinical psychologists mostly charge more than registered psychologists do.
– My fees as at 1 March 2025:
Initial Consultation of approx 90 mins (Assessment & Introduction of the LtL Model):
$375 (approx $230 out-of-pocket if you are eligible for the Medicare rebate).
Subsequent Consultations of 50-60 mins each:
$295 (approx $150 out-of-pocket if you are eligible for the Medicare rebate).
– Please note: I charge for missed sessions or late cancellations (for which I am unable to book another client in) according to the recommendation of The Australian Psychological Society:
the FULL session fee for appointments not attended or that are cancelled less than 24 hours beforehand, and HALF the session fee for 24 – 48 hour cancellations.
Listening to Life 