Frequently Asked Questions

Wait times can vary from a week to a month, depending on the demand for the day and time you want.

If you're available for daytime appointments, it's likely I can see you for your initial assessment session within a much shorter time frame than a request for an after-hours appointment.

I have a high-demand practice, so for this reason I use an enrolment system for your appointments. This means you are allocated a day and a time per week, fortnight, or month for your regular appointment with me. I often have a wait-list for our most in-demand times, which are often later in the day and after hours.

Please call my receptionist on (02) 8968 9323 to inquire about my availability or to join my wait-list for the time that you want. You can also book online with my online appointment scheduler.

Please call us on (02) 8968 9323  to inquire about my current fees and how I work.

Or you view my fees and can request an appointment time through my online appointment scheduler.

Unfortunately, I don't offer reduced fees. 

If you're experiencing financial stress, please check your local city for free or low-cost government-funded counselling services.

Unfortunately, I can’t guarantee that I can help you save your relationship.

What I can do is assist you and your partner in identifying the negative patterns that have become entrenched between you and facilitate honest and open communication about your hopes, dreams, and aspirations for the relationship and we can see what is possible from there.

Some couples come into relationship counselling at a point where there has been significant hurt and pain carried over a long period of time, and sometimes it's not possible for the relationship to recover from this.

Other couples are able to work through past pain and hurt and create a stronger and more resilient relationship.

If your partner is ambivalent about saving the relationship and you're determined to save it, I recommend you have time-limited Discernment Counselling.

If you really want to save your relationship, couples therapy may be your only hope for saving it.

And if saving your relationship is not possible, we can work together to ease the pain and challenges involved in separating.

If your relationship is on the brink of separation or divorce, I can help you decide if this is the right decision for you. If divorce or separation is imminent, I suggest a minimum of 6 couple counselling sessions before you make your final decision.

If one of you wants to save the relationship and one of you wants to leave, I recommend time-limited Discernment Counselling before you separate or divorce.

I don't work with people who are experiencing a crisis from serious mental health issues that may be leading to thoughts of self-harm or suicide. If this is the case for you, please contact the free 24-hour counselling service Lifeline on 131 114.

I also don't work with couples who are currently experiencing domestic violence. If this is the case for you, I encourage you to urgently contact 1800-RESPECT.

All sessions are booked on an enrolment system. This means you are allocated a day and a time per week, fortnight or month for your appointment. This is to ensure you receive a regular ongoing appointment.

You are liable for payment of your session fee regardless of the notice given. Fees must be paid in full for any missed or cancelled appointments beyond the control of Clinton Power + Associates. Two weeks written (email) or verbal notice must be given to cease your enrolment.

Regular attendance at your therapy sessions is directly related to experiencing good outcomes and resolution of your issues.

The best outcomes from therapy occur when you attend all your scheduled counselling appointments.

Every person is different, however, current research suggests that it can take at least 3-4 months of psychotherapy to establish long-lasting changes. If we are meeting on a fortnightly basis, this would be a minimum of 6-8 sessions.

Research also shows that if you experience positive change sooner rather than later, this is a good indicator of getting the results you want. For this reason, I track your progress closely and ask for your feedback in our work together.

Together we determine how often you will attend based on your needs and schedule, which may be weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. In my experience, the clients that have the most positive outcomes from therapy attend sessions on a regular basis.

Currently, I only work with my clients online via videoconference.

I can work with any Australian resident based in Australia or overseas. 

Online sessions offer you enormous convenience as you don't live near my office and you can attend your therapy session without having to travel. 

If you'd like to learn more about online therapy, read our online therapy FAQs.

Yes. Your confidentiality is of paramount importance to me. I am a clinical member of PACFA (Psychotherapy and Counsellling Federation of Australia) and adhere to their code of ethics in regard to confidentiality.

Any records are kept in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Amended 2000). Any notes of our counselling sessions are kept either in a locked cabinet or encrypted on a password-protected computer and destroyed after a period of seven years.

Individual sessions are for 50 minutes.

Couples session are either 90 minutes or 60 minutes depending on your requirements. I often recommend the first couple session is 90 minutes, but the choice is yours.

At the end of the first couple session, I will recommend a plan for the work and ongoing appointments, including the length of sessions. You and your partner can then decide if you wish to do further sessions.

Please contact us on (02) 8968 9323 or book online to inquire about my availability.

If your partner won't come to couples counselling, I suggest you come to counselling on your own.

Individual relationship counselling will focus on the part you play in the dynamics of your relationship, which can have a positive impact on how you function as a couple.

You may even find that your partner’s behaviour changes as a result of the changes you make yourself.

Firstly, I suggest you read my About page so that you can get a good sense of how I work.

Secondly, I offer a free telephone inquiry call as a starting point so we can speak together about your needs and how I may be able to help.

The first time we talk I'll ask you to give me a brief description of the issues you'd like to address in counselling and I’ll let you know how I may be able to help you. You can get a good sense of me on this call and if we ‘click’.

Finally, if it feels like a good fit for both of us, we’ll book your first counselling session.

If I don’t think I'm the best counsellor for you when we speak on the phone, I'll refer you to someone who may be better suited to helping you with your issue.

I cannot offer Medicare or health fund rebates.

If you have a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) and wish to access rebates through Medicare, you need to be referred to a psychologist by your G.P.

Couples counselling is not eligible for Medicare rebates with an MHCP. It's also worth noting that the majority of psychologists are not trained in couple therapy.

Most of my clients choose to work with me because of my extensive experience and specialisation in relationship issues.