Autism Understanding Autism Understanding Psychology Clinic
THE JUNCTION, NEWCASTLE NSW
Autism Understanding is a psychology practice in Newcastle, New South Wales that supports Autistic children, adolescents, adults and their families through neurodiversity affirming assessments, counselling and tailored autism strategies.
Our approach to working with you
We are a proudly neurodivergent team. We understand that each of our clients are unique and there is no one-size-fits-all strategy that works for everyone. We will start by listening to you as you are the expert on your own life and experiences.
We are happy to work with you and your family to tailor autism and ADHD strategies to suit your passions and interests, communication preferences, thinking style, preferred ways of interacting and sensory experiences. We are happy to liaise with other professionals in your team at your request.
In clinic and online consultations are available.Â
Our assessment process
We offer a range of psychological assessments, including autism, ADHD and executive functioning, cognitive, and adaptive (everyday living skills) assessments.
Psychological assessments are more than a bunch of test scores or ratings based on questionnaires. They offer an opportunity for us to better understand how you might think and respond in various situations. Our reports provide a profile of each individual's strengths, as well as areas where supports and accommodations are required (i.e. for school, employers, NDIS, Centrelink).
We often have a waitlist for autism strategies sessions and assessments. We can take your contact details and let you know as soon as we have appointments available.
See us at our clinic in Newcastle or online
Our experienced psychologists offer autism strategies consultations face-to-face in the clinic, or via phone or video call. We offer in-clinic assessments for children, adolescents and adults. For adults who are comfortable with being on camera, we also offer some assessments online. Our clinic is on Awabakal country, within the Junction Village Shopping Centre, at Shop 109, 10-16 Kenrick Street, The Junction, in Newcastle NSW. We are wheelchair accessible (there is a lift to come up from the Junction Village carpark) and our entry is level (no step).Â
We welcome people of all neurotypes, genders, sexual identities, cultural backgrounds and abilities. Please let us know if you require an interpreter or other accommodations to be able to access our service (i.e. some people prefer contact via email or SMS rather than phone calls).Â
Billing Information
Clients are responsible for paying for sessions in full. Please arrive a few minutes early to allow your payment to be processed prior to your session.
Please note that we charge a cancellation fee for 'no shows' and cancellations at short-notice, as our psychologists prepare for each session in advance and we are not able to fill appointments at short notice. Please don't hesitate to contact us by phone, email, or use our Contact Us form if you need to reschedule or cancel an appointment.
NDIS
If you would like to use your NDIS funding for autism strategies sessions, we are able to see participants whose plans are either self-managed or plan-managed with funding available under Improved Daily Living (Therapeutic Supports).
We are not able to see NDIS participants with Agency Managed plans. We do not offer formal behaviour support plans and we do not bill under Improved Relationships (Behaviour Support).
It's important for you to know if your Therapeutic Supports funding can only be used for particular therapies (Stated Supports) or if you have flexibility to choose how you spend your Therapeutic Supports funding. Please check the details of your plan and confirm the billing arrangements (i.e. your NDIS number and your plan manager's contact details) prior to your first appointment.
If you would like us to bill your NDIS plan, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have sufficient funds in your plan to cover your sessions with us. If your plan has insufficient funds, please contact us immediately to switch to paying privately, or to cancel your appointments.
You can only use NDIS funds for sessions that occur within the dates of your plan. It is not possible to claim fees for psychology sessions prior to your NDIS plan or after it expires.
Medicare
If you have concerns about your mental health, you may be eligible for a limited number of rebates through Medicare (ask your GP for more information). Medicare rebates do not cover the full cost of sessions. We are not able to offer bulk billing as our clinic does not receive government funding.
Some children may be eligible for a limited number of Medicare rebates for an autism assessment and/or autism strategies sessions (ask your child's paediatrician for more information).
If you are eligible for Medicare rebates, we may be able to assist you with submitting your Medicare rebate claim once your session has been paid in full.Â
If you intend to claim Medicare rebates, please ensure that you arrange the relevant plan with your GP or paediatrician in advance of your appointment with us, as Medicare claims can only be made for appointments falling after the plan is in place. Depending on the type of plan, there may be limits to the number of rebates within the plan and also the number of rebates you can claim in a calendar year. Please let us know if you have already used some of your rebates elsewhere, so we can help you keep track of how many rebates you have left.
Private health funds
If you would like to claim a rebate from your private health insurance, please check with your fund whether your level of cover includes rebates for psychology. When paying for your session, please indicate that you would intend to claim a health fund rebate. We are not able to process the claim for you, but we can include the psychology item number on your paid tax invoice for you to attach when making your claim.Â
Our Team are proud Members of
