I don’t feel belonged

[tyme]

And yes, it's 10 sessions per calendar year @Blackcloud 

[rav3n]

hey @Blackcloud the big move is this week right, how are you holding up? 😊

[Blackcloud]

@tyme that makes sense, I guess it’s cause it seems like the psychologist along with the psychology service that I was looking to have upcoming psychology sessions with seem to charge a ‘gap’ fee for it?? Unfortunately that service doesn’t seem to accept concession card holders  😞

is it just me, or is having 10 sessions per year not enough? Cause in my opinion, it certainly doesn’t seem like it’s enough sessions for me to have per year…

@rav3n @Ru-bee any of you guys are free to answer this too if you guys like

oh @rav3n to answer your question about how I’m holding up this week before my move out, I think I’m coping fine (or rather, still ‘surviving’…) as of now although my sister and my parents are still a pain to deal with.

Also, my cousin who comes from our ethnic country is gonna immigrate here to Melbourne soon (probably sometime at the end of this year or early next year), and she’ll be coming to high school here as an international student, so that’s another good thing for me to not be with my parents  anymore either, because I don’t like my cousin at all and she knows that I don’t like her or that I do hate her. I’ve been completely ‘distant’ from her since she was 4 years old and that was a decade ago. 

[Ru-bee]

@Blackcloud absolutely I agree 10 sessions isn't sufficient for a lot of people. Oh I could talk about this for ages!

It was extended to 20 sessions over Covid and then pulled back to 10 once more because they did a study and found that the people who were needing the services most still weren't accessing them. I think a much more reasonable response to those findings would have been to leave the option for GPs to refer for an additional 10 sessions on a case-by-case basis so that those who need the help are able to access it. Anyway...

It is important to note that in addition to the 10 individual sessions you can also access 10 group sessions if that's something you'd be interested in checking out. Something I like to leave in my back pocket also is having mental health as an extra on my private health insurance, I have pretty basic cover but make sure that at least if I go over my 10 sessions I can be maybe 2 or 3 more at a similar price using insurance. 

Oh and in regards to the gap fee charged, that is very common and is often not very well explained unfortunately. The MHCP means that part of the session fee is covered (I think around $90 for a standard psychologist) but their session fees are often higher, leaving that gap fee. If you can find a bulk-billing practitioner then there's no gap fee, but as you can imagine those can be harder to find as they are very popular. Sometimes an individual practitioner will be open to talking about the session fees and may be able to offer reduced fees (I know lots of places have a slight discount for concession card holders) or if not they may offer a payment plan, it can be worth asking.

[rav3n]

yep i don't think 10 is enough either, and i love @Ru-bee's suggestion of a case-by-case review for an additional 10 sessions - would definitely be better than limiting to 10. for me, my psych sessions cost around $220 per session and with the medicare rebate, i'd get like $140 back - so paying $80 for a 50 min session is still a lot for me personally, i've had to plan out my sessions further apart so i don't run out of the 10 sessions.

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oh @rav3n to answer your question about how I’m holding up this week before my move out, I think I’m coping fine (or rather, still ‘surviving’…) as of now although my sister and my parents are still a pain to deal with.

Also, my cousin who comes from our ethnic country is gonna immigrate here to Melbourne soon (probably sometime at the end of this year or early next year), and she’ll be coming to high school here as an international student, so that’s another good thing for me to not be with my parents  anymore either, because I don’t like my cousin at all and she knows that I don’t like her or that I do hate her. I’ve been completely ‘distant’ from her since she was 4 years old and that was a decade ago. 

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i can imagine how chaotic it can be with a cousin you don't like joining the household yikesss... guess it perfect timing that you're moving out soon!! do mind me asking what ethnic country are you from? 

[tyme]

@Blackcloud ,

Like the others have mentioned, 10 sessions really isn't enough for most people. It's sad because in other words, unless you are really really unwell, you need to pay for sessions. And it's not cheap.

Maybe you can start looking around for another psych if you feel you need to?

All the best with your move!

We look forward to hearing how it goes. 

[Blackcloud]

@rav3n I’m from the Southeast Asia but I won’t specify which country

also guys why am I so nervous about the moving in HELP 😭 it’s just I’m scared about knowing who I’m gonna live with. Honestly if I lived on my own I guess then I perhaps wouldn’t even be this nervous. @rav3n @Ru-bee @tyme 

[tyme]

I'm actually quite surprised that they let you share a room without even meeting the person first. But then again, I guess that's the nature of sharing. 

Think about how long you've wanted independence! This may be the start of great opportunities. 

It's natural to feel anxious and nervous. It's a big step. 

We are sitting with you @Blackcloud 

[Blackcloud]

@tyme yeah true, but the thing is I chose the shared room instead of the individual room because it’s more affordable than the private (one person) room considering my budget and how much I’m getting paid per fortnight especially from Centrelink. But yeah.

[tyme]

Absolutely @Blackcloud . Totally agree. 

What people do sometimes is give student accommodation a go, and later, they find a shared house accommodation privately.

Whatever it is, so slow and do what's right for you.

We are here to support you. Just know that feeling a bit uneasy at the moment is totally understandable.