For GPs and Referring Professionals
Clinical Psychology, assessment and complex formulation
Narara, Central Coast NSW | Telehealth Australia-wide
Thank you for considering referring a patient or client to Restarting Relationships.
I am Dr Scott Terry, a Clinical Psychologist practising from Narara on the Central Coast, NSW, with
telehealth available throughout Australia.
I work primarily with adults and couples and welcome professional
referrals for both straightforward psychological care and presentations in which the clinical picture is more
complex or uncertain.
My aim is to make referral straightforward: clarify the referral question, develop a clinically useful
formulation, provide treatment or assessment where the work fits my scope, communicate with the referrer
where appropriate and consented, and recommend another service when a different form of expertise is
needed.
The referral does not need to contain the answer. Sometimes developing the answer is part of the work. |
Location | Narara, Central Coast NSW 2250; telehealth Australia-wide |
Standard Clinical Psychology | $300 / 60 minutes |
Current eligible Clinical Psychology Medicare benefit | $149.05 for the relevant 50+ minute Better Access service (current from 1 July 2026) |
Adult ADHD Diagnostic Assessment | $1,850 package |
Referral contact |
When might a referral be a good fit?
Some referrals are relatively clear: a patient has a recognised mental-health condition and needs psychological treatment. Other referrals are more complicated. A patient may have several plausible explanations for the same difficulty, may have improved only partly with previous treatment, or may be functioning well in one part of life while struggling substantially in another.
Referrals are particularly welcome when the question involves one or more of the following:
- Anxiety, depression, trauma or post-traumatic stress, grief, adjustment, stress or burnout.
- ADHD, executive-function difficulties, or uncertainty about whether attention problems are best explained by ADHD or another condition.
- Complex or overlapping presentations in which several psychological, developmental, relational, occupational or medical factors may be interacting.
- Recurring difficulties that have not been adequately explained or resolved through a single diagnosis or brief intervention.
- Relationship distress where individual mental health, ADHD/neurodivergence, trauma, family history or life-stage factors may also be contributing.
- Professionals, executives or business owners experiencing burnout, ADHD/executive-function difficulties, psychological distress or significant relationship/work strain.
- Giftedness, learning differences or marked inconsistency between demonstrated ability and everyday functioning where clinical formulation is needed.
A patient does not need to arrive with the diagnostic question already resolved. In many cases, clarifying the problem is an important part of the initial work.
Adult Clinical Psychology
I provide individual Clinical Psychology for adults across a broad range of presentations. My work commonly includes:
- anxiety and mood difficulties
- trauma and post-traumatic stress
- stress and burnout
- ADHD and executive-function difficulties
- grief, adjustment and major life transitions
- relationship and interpersonal difficulties
- identity, purpose and recurring behavioural patterns
- complex or co-occurring psychological presentations
Treatment is guided by assessment and formulation rather than assuming that every person with the same diagnosis requires the same psychological method. Where appropriate, and with consent, I collaborate with the referring GP, psychiatrist or other treating practitioner.
Complex Psychological & Diagnostic Clarification
Sometimes the most useful referral question is not “Please treat this diagnosis.” It is “What is actually going on here?”
Attention difficulties, for example, can occur in ADHD, anxiety, depression, trauma, chronic stress, sleep disturbance and other conditions. Emotional dysregulation can appear across several presentations. A highly capable adult may have genuine executive or learning difficulties that have been masked through compensation. A longstanding diagnosis may be valid and still fail to explain the whole clinical picture.
My assessment approach integrates clinical interview, developmental and psychological history, relevant measures, current functioning, collateral information where appropriate, and competing explanations. The objective is not to accumulate diagnoses. It is to develop a formulation useful enough to guide treatment, further assessment or referral.
Adult ADHD Assessment & Treatment
I provide adult ADHD diagnostic assessment and ongoing Clinical Psychology for adults with ADHD or ADHD-related executive-function difficulties.
Assessment is not based on a single questionnaire. Depending on the clinical question, it may consider developmental history, current symptoms and impairment, recognised ADHD measures, available collateral information, executive-function difficulties, and important differential or co-occurring conditions.
A second question is often equally useful: if ADHD is present, how is it operating in this particular person’s life? Two adults with the same formal diagnosis may differ substantially in attention, organisation, emotional regulation, anxiety, learning history, relationships, occupational demands, compensatory strategies and strengths.
My doctoral research in Educational Psychology examined adults who were gifted and had learning disabilities, and ADHD, learning differences, neurodivergence and uneven patterns of functioning have remained longstanding areas of my clinical and educational work.
Adult ADHD Diagnostic Assessment — $1,850
For adults seeking a formal psychological assessment of whether ADHD adequately explains their presentation. The package includes clinically appropriate assessment, relevant measures, formulation, feedback and a written psychological report.
Complex ADHD & Differential Diagnostic Assessment — $2,450
For presentations requiring additional professional time because ADHD may overlap with substantial developmental, psychological or diagnostic complexity, or where additional collateral review and formulation are required.
ADHD Profile & Treatment Formulation — $650
A two-hour consultation for adults who already have an ADHD diagnosis, or who want a more detailed functional understanding of their ADHD pattern without undertaking another complete diagnostic assessment.
ADHD assessment packages are privately billed. I do not prescribe medication. Where medication assessment is indicated, relevant psychological findings can be shared with the patient’s GP or psychiatrist with the patient’s consent.
Couples, Relationships & Families
Relationship work is a substantial part of my professional background rather than an occasional extension of individual therapy. My training includes postgraduate Marriage and Family Therapy study, advanced structural and systemic family-therapy training, extensive couples and family clinical work, supervision, and university teaching involving couples and family systems.
Relevant referrals may include repeated relationship conflict, emotional disconnection, betrayal and rebuilding trust, ADHD or neurodivergence affecting the relationship, relationship crisis or separation decision-making, family transitions, and situations in which individual psychological difficulties are interacting with the relationship system.
Routine couples therapy is generally privately billed rather than treated as an ordinary Better Access service.
Professionals, Executives & Business Owners
I also work with professionals, executives, founders and business owners where psychological functioning intersects with significant occupational or organisational demands.
Referral questions may involve ADHD and executive functioning, burnout, anxiety or mood concerns, work-life conflict, leadership strain, relationship difficulties or major professional transitions. My background includes organisational consulting as well as founding and leading multidisciplinary behavioural-health services, allowing professional difficulties to be considered at both the individual and systems level.
Where the purpose is psychological healthcare, the work is provided as Clinical Psychology. Where the primary purpose is leadership, organisational functioning, role design or business-partner consultation, the service is provided separately as professional/organisational consultation.
Why this referral may be different from a routine psychology referral
The purpose of this section is not to compare one practitioner with another. It is to make clear what professional background is available when a referral requires a broader formulation.
- Clinical Psychology endorsement in Australia, with current private-practice and Medicare referral experience.
- Postgraduate Marriage and Family Therapy training and advanced systemic/structural family-therapy formation.
- Doctoral training in Educational Psychology, including research involving giftedness and learning disability.
- Longstanding clinical and educational work involving ADHD, learning differences and neurodivergence.
- Experience teaching psychology, clinical reasoning, couples/family systems and professional practice at university level.
- Extensive clinical supervision and multidisciplinary service leadership.
- Organisational and executive consultation, including the interaction between psychological functioning, relationships and work systems.
The practical value of that breadth is the ability to consider several levels of a problem without assuming that every presentation needs every level of intervention.
Scope of my assessment service
I provide:
- adult ADHD diagnostic assessment
- clinical and differential psychological assessment
- psychological formulation
- assessment of relevant mood, anxiety, trauma and co-occurring psychological presentations
- exploration of learning and developmental history
- adult self-report exploration of autistic characteristics where clinically relevant to a broader formulation
I do not currently provide:
- formal IQ testing
- comprehensive psychoeducational batteries requiring full intelligence and achievement testing
- comprehensive neuropsychological assessment
- ADOS-based or multidisciplinary autism diagnostic assessment
- medication prescribing
- forensic or court-report assessment unless explicitly agreed as a separate service
- specialist assessment designed primarily for intellectual disability or high autism support needs
Where one of these services is required, I recommend an appropriately trained practitioner or service rather than trying to answer a question outside the scope of my practice.
Better Access & Medicare referrals
Standard individual Clinical Psychology appointment:
$300 / 60 minutes
For an eligible individual 50+ minute Clinical Psychology service under Better Access, the current Medicare benefit is $149.05 (current from 1 July 2026).
Under current Better Access rules, the maximum initial course of individual treatment is six services. Subsequent referrals can cover the remaining individual services up to the annual maximum of 10 individual Better Access services per calendar year.
The Medicare allocation is a funding limit rather than a requirement that psychological treatment end after six or ten appointments. Treatment may continue privately where further care is clinically appropriate and the patient wishes to continue.
Important: a Mental Health Treatment Plan is not itself the Better Access referral. A separate valid written referral is required. |
What a Better Access referral should include
- patient’s full name
- date of birth
- address
- presenting symptoms or diagnosis
- current medications
- number of treatment services being referred for
- a statement confirming whether a Mental Health Treatment Plan or Psychiatrist Assessment and Management Plan has been prepared
- referrer’s signature and date (electronic signature is acceptable)
There is no compulsory Medicare referral form. A signed and dated referral letter containing the required information is acceptable. Where appropriate and with the patient’s agreement, a copy of the Mental Health Treatment Plan can also be attached.
Patients can also be referred under an eligible Psychiatrist Assessment and Management Plan or directly by an eligible psychiatrist or paediatrician, subject to current Better Access requirements.
How to refer
- Prepare a signed and dated referral letter containing the required Better Access information where Medicare benefits are being sought.
- Send the referral securely using one of the practice’s approved referral channels listed below.
- Restarting Relationships contacts the patient directly to arrange the first appointment, unless a different arrangement is requested.
- Relevant reports and recommendations are communicated back to the referrer as required and clinically appropriate, subject to patient consent and Medicare requirements.
Please do not send sensitive clinical information through the ordinary public website contact form.
What happens after referral?
- The referral is reviewed for fit and scope.
- The patient is contacted to arrange an appointment and receives information about fees, privacy and the service being offered.
- Assessment and treatment begin according to the referral question and the patient’s goals.
- Where Better Access applies, the required written report is provided to the referring practitioner at the completion of the course of treatment.
- Where appropriate and consented, earlier communication can occur regarding significant assessment findings, risk, diagnostic questions, treatment planning or the need for another form of assessment.
Private referrals and self-referral
A GP referral is not required for privately funded Clinical Psychology, ADHD assessment, couples work or professional consultation. Patients may contact the practice directly. A referral is required when the patient wishes to claim eligible Medicare Better Access benefits.
When another service may be more appropriate
I may recommend another or additional practitioner where the clinical question requires formal neuropsychological testing, IQ or comprehensive learning assessment, specialist autism assessment, acute psychiatric care, medication assessment, specialist intellectual-disability services, or another area requiring resources or expertise outside my current scope.
Recognising the limits of a service is part of responsible psychological care.
Urgent and crisis presentations
Restarting Relationships is a private outpatient psychology practice and is not an emergency or 24-hour crisis service. Patients requiring urgent assessment because of immediate risk should use the appropriate emergency, hospital or public mental-health service. Ongoing outpatient psychological treatment can be considered when the person can safely and appropriately be managed in private practice.
Frequently asked referral questions
Does a private patient need a GP referral?
No. A referral is not required for a privately funded appointment. A valid referral is required if the patient wants to claim eligible Medicare Better Access benefits.
Can I refer an adult for ADHD assessment?
Yes. Adult ADHD assessment can be undertaken privately. The assessment fee is separate from the standard therapy fee. Where medication assessment is indicated, the patient will still require an appropriately qualified medical practitioner for prescribing.
Do you prescribe ADHD medication?
No. Psychologists do not prescribe ADHD medication. I can provide psychological assessment, treatment and relevant reports and can collaborate with the patient’s medical practitioners with consent.
Do you provide autism, IQ or neuropsychological testing?
I can explore adult autistic characteristics as part of broader clinical formulation, but I do not provide comprehensive specialist autism assessment, IQ testing or a full neuropsychological battery. I refer those questions when formal specialist testing is required.
Can I refer for couples therapy?
Yes. Couples and relationship work is available and is generally privately billed. If an individual member of a couple is also receiving Better Access treatment, the Medicare and private relationship services are kept clinically and administratively clear.
Can a patient continue after their Medicare sessions have been used?
Yes. The annual Medicare limit restricts the number of Better Access services for which a benefit is payable; it does not prohibit ongoing private psychological treatment.
Can I discuss a possible referral before sending it?
Yes. Referring professionals are welcome to request a brief pre-referral discussion where they are unsure whether the clinical question fits the practice. Sensitive patient information should only be shared with appropriate consent and through a suitable secure channel.
Location & access
In person: Narara, Central Coast NSW 2250
Telehealth: Australia-wide where clinically appropriate
The Narara practice is accessible to clients from Gosford, North Gosford, Wyoming, Lisarow, Erina, Terrigal, Wamberal, Avoca Beach, Kincumber and surrounding Central Coast communities.
For GPs, psychiatrists and allied health professionals
I welcome collaborative referrals and aim to provide communication that is concise enough to read and detailed enough to be clinically useful. If you are unsure whether a patient is a good fit, please contact the practice before referring.
Dr Scott Terry, EdD, MA
Clinical Psychologist
Psychology Board of Australia / Ahpra — PSY0002844932
Restarting Relationships | Narara, Central Coast NSW | Telehealth Australia-wide