FAQs
Do I need a referral from my GP for therapy?
No. Simply contact the clinic to discuss your needs and arrange your appointment as necessary. Some patients may be eligible for partial Medicare rebates, in which case a GP referral is required.
How long will I have to wait for my appointment?
We can generally offer you an initial appointment or assessment within six weeks. In the event that we are unable to accommodate you, we will place you on our wait list. We can also provide a list of other local therapists we would recommend.
How long is each therapy session?
Therapy sessions vary between 30 and 60 minutes depending on patient age and purpose of the appointment. Assessments generally take longer than an average therapy session. Younger children typically cope better with shorter-duration therapy appointments of 30-45 minutes. School aged children and adults can require longer therapy appointments for maximum benefit.
Can I just have a quick 10-minute chat with the therapist before or after the session?
Our therapists operate on a strictly scheduled clinical timetable. The time between appointments is required for writing clinical notes and preparing for the next client. If you need to discuss your progress, raise concerns, or ask questions, this must be done within your scheduled appointment time. If you require a longer discussion, please speak to our reception team to book an additional consultation.
How many sessions will it take to see results, and can you guarantee an outcome?
Allied health therapy is highly individualised, and there is no "one-size-fits-all" timeline. Progress depends on a variety of factors, including the nature of the presenting challenges, consistency of attendance, and how frequently therapy strategies are practised at home between sessions. While our clinicians use evidence-based interventions to support you in reaching your goals, ethical healthcare guidelines prohibit us from guaranteeing specific clinical outcomes or timelines.
Why do I need to complete therapy activities at home?
Therapy is a collaborative partnership, and attending a scheduled appointment is just the starting point. Real, lasting progress happens in the time between your sessions.
If you or your child attend therapy for one hour a week, that leaves 167 hours where those new skills need to be applied. Think of therapy like learning to play a musical instrument or training for a sport: attending a lesson once a week will introduce new techniques, but you will not see improvement unless you practise consistently at home.
Our clinicians will provide you with a tailored home program and/or practical strategies to integrate into your daily routine. Consistent practice in your natural environment—whether at home, school, or work—is essential for building new skills, reinforcing neural pathways, and achieving your therapy goals. Without a commitment to applying these strategies outside of the clinic, clinical progress will be significantly slower.
What is Telehealth?
Telehealth is the online option for therapy access. It requires access to a strong internet connection, a computer or tablet and a working microphone and camera. A Tele-therapy session is run very similarly to a face-to-face session with the exception of physical presence.
What is Mobile Therapy?
Instead of you coming to us, we come to you! Here at First Step Therapies we offer mobile visits to homes, schools, and kindergartens. We ask that you allow 15 minutes on either side of your appointment slot to allow for the unknowns that come with mobile therapy such as traffic incidents. This service does incure an additional fee which is based on the travel time to your preferred destination. For exact pricing please contact us directly.
Why are there late cancellation/non-attendance fees?
At our clinic, we strive to provide the best possible care to all of our clients. To do so, we need our clients to show up for their appointments on time. Unfortunately, there are times when appointments are cancelled at the last minute or not attended, which can be detrimental to our business and our ability to provide quality care to other clients.
That is why we have a cancellation fee policy in place. This policy is designed to compensate for the time and resources that are lost when a client cancels without adequate notice or fails to show up for their appointment.
We understand that unexpected things can happen, and we do our best to be flexible and understanding with our clients. However, it is important to remember that our business depends on a steady stream of clients and last-minute cancellations and no-shows can have a significant impact on our ability to provide quality care.
Why do I have a fee if I cancelled on the weekend?
To ensure efficient scheduling and to accommodate the needs of all clients at First Step Therapies, appointment cancellations must be communicated during business days. This policy is in place because our administrative staff is available to manage appointments only on business days, ensuring that changes can be adequately processed and open slots offered to others.
For zero cancellation fees, a minimum of 48 hours (two business days) notice is needed. Cancellations made between 25-48 hours prior to the appointment will incur a 50% fee, while those made with less than 24 hours notice will result in a 100% charge.
For instance, a Tuesday appointment must be canceled by the previous Friday during business hours to avoid all charges. Weekends are excluded from the notice period because our office is closed, and scheduling adjustments cannot be accommodated during this time.
Why am I charged for non face-to-face time?
We understand it can be confusing to see charges for time when you or your child were not physically in the room with your therapist. To get the most out of your therapy, we want 100% of your appointment time to be focused directly on you. If our therapists wrote their clinical notes, built custom resources, or planned the next steps during your appointment, you would lose valuable face-to-face therapy time.
Therapy is highly individualised. Similar to how a teacher prepares lessons and marks work outside of school hours, our clinicians must dedicate time behind the scenes to ensure your treatment is safe, effective, and tailored to your specific goals.
This non face-to-face time typically includes:
Clinical Documentation: Writing legally required clinical notes and tracking progress data.
Treatment Planning: Designing and updating your individualised therapy plans and home programs.
Resource Development: Creating custom tools, such as visual schedules or tailored activities for home or school.
Care Coordination: Liaising with doctors, teachers, or other support networks to ensure a consistent approach to your care.
Charging for clinical preparation and documentation is a standard practice across the allied health sector in Australia. We are committed to transparency, and your therapist will always discuss any significant non face-to-face charges, such as comprehensive reports, with you in advance so there are no surprises.
Can I request that my therapist completes forms, letters, or reports outside of scheduled appointments at no cost?
Preparation of clinical documentation, reports, or forms requires professional time and expertise. These services are billed according to our standard rates for non face-to-face clinical work. Please allow adequate notice and discuss any documentation needs with your therapist or reception team.
Do you offer payment plans?
We understand that every client has unique financial needs, which is why we offer flexible payment plans tailored to suit your specific situation. Whether you prefer to break up your payments into smaller installments or adjust the schedule, we work with you to find a solution that fits your budget. Our goal is to make it easier for you to get the services you need while staying within your financial means. Feel free to reach out to discuss your options!
Why can't First Step Therapies see my NDIS plan?
First Step Therapies cannot automatically see your NDIS plan because we are an unregistered NDIS provider. This means we do not have access to the NDIA systems or the myplace provider portal.
Your NDIS plan contains highly sensitive personal information. To protect your privacy, only registered providers and authorised personnel have direct access to participant plans through the NDIS portal.
If you would like our therapists to align your treatment with your NDIS goals, you will need to provide a copy of your plan (or the relevant sections) directly to our clinic. All information you share with us is kept strictly confidential and managed in accordance with Australian privacy laws.
Can I request an urgent clinical report for an upcoming NDIS review or specialist appointment?
Comprehensive clinical reports require significant time to draft, review clinical data, and ensure all legal and clinical requirements are met. Because our therapists manage full caseloads, we require a minimum of 6 weeks notice for all report requests. We cannot accommodate urgent or last-minute report requests. Please inform your therapist as soon as you know a report will be required so it can be scheduled into their non face-to-face clinical time.
Can your reception staff watch my other children in the waiting room while I attend the session?
Our reception staff are responsible for managing clinic administration, answering phones, and processing payments. They are not qualified or authorised to provide childcare or supervision. For safety and liability reasons, any children brought to the clinic who are not attending an appointment must remain under the direct supervision of a parent or guardian at all times.
I saw a new therapy trend online. Why won't you provide this specific treatment?
Our clinicians are bound by the ethical and professional standards set by their respective Australian regulatory boards (such as AHPRA). This means we are legally required to provide interventions that are evidence-based, clinically proven, and safe. We will not implement experimental treatments, social media trends, or alternative therapies that lack rigorous scientific backing or fall outside our clinical scope of practice.
Why is my therapy concluding when I want to keep attending sessions?
Allied health therapy is designed to be goal-oriented and focused on capacity building, rather than creating long-term dependency. Ethically, healthcare professionals cannot continue to provide and bill for services once a client has met their clinical goals, has plateaued in their progress, or is no longer demonstrating a clinical need for ongoing intervention. When you reach this stage, your therapist will implement a transition or discharge plan to celebrate your progress and support your independence.
What happens if I disagree with my therapist's clinical judgement or refuse their treatment approach?
Therapy is a collaborative process, and we encourage open discussions about your goals and progress. However, as registered healthcare professionals, our clinicians are bound by strict ethical guidelines and regulatory standards. All treatment plans, assessments, and reports must be based entirely on objective clinical evidence, standardised data, and the therapist’s professional judgement.
We cannot accommodate demands for specific diagnoses, interventions that are not clinically indicated, or requests to alter official reports to suit personal preferences or funding applications.
If a disagreement regarding clinical care escalates into hostility, aggression, or relentless demands directed at our clinical or administrative staff, it fundamentally compromises the therapeutic relationship and workplace safety. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for coercive, intimidating, or abusive behaviour. In such instances, we reserve the right to immediately cease all services, formally discharge the client from our clinic, and withdraw future care. Our priority is to maintain a safe, ethical, and evidence-based clinical environment at all times.