Death anxiety simply means the fear or dread a person feels about the idea of death or dying. This could include your own death, the death of loved ones, the idea of non-existence, the process of dying, and other concerns. Numerous studies have shown that death anxiety plays a key role in various mental health concerns. You can learn more about death anxiety by looking at our resources.

Absolutely. Our psychologists have worked in various hospital and community-based settings, treating a range of different mental health concerns. Although we offer a particular focus on anxiety (including death anxiety), our psychologists are experienced in treating mood disorders, addictions, relationship issues, and more.

You can find more information about our treatment areas here.

You don’t need a GP referral or Mental Health Care Plan in order to book an appointment and access treatment. If you don’t have a referral or mental health care plan, then you will not be eligible for a Medicare rebate. Private health fund rebates may be applicable instead, depending on your health fund and entitlements.

If you would like to claim a Medicare rebate for your sessions, then you do need a referral from your GP and a Mental Health Care Plan. This will allow you to receive a rebate of either $88.25 (for a Registered Psychologist) or $131.65 (for a Clinical Psychologist), for up to 10 sessions per calendar year.

Both registered and clinical psychologists have undertaken extensive training to assist with a variety of mental health concerns. Both are registered with the Psychology Board of Australia, meeting high standards in education, training, supervised practice, ethical and professional standards, and ongoing professional development.

A registered psychologist holds general registration with the Psychology Board of Australia. They have had a minimum of six years of university training and supervised experience. This typically involves completing a 4-year undergraduate degree with Honours, followed by a 2-year Masters degree.

In addition to these requirements for a registered psychologist, a clinical psychologist has had a further 2 years of training specifically in the area of clinical psychology. This means that a clinical psychologist has had at least 8 years of experience.

This difference is reflected in the Medicare rebates relevant to these two types of psychologists. Sessions with a clinical psychologist are eligible to receive a Medicare rebate of $137.05 per session, whereas sessions with a registered psychologist are eligible for a rebate of $93.35 per session. These rebates will increase to $141.85 and $96.65 respectively, from July 1st 2024.

At the Menzies Anxiety Centre, however, the different fees charged for registered and clinical psychologists ensures that the out-of-pocket expense is largely the same, regardless of which type of psychologist you are seeing.

You can find more information about our psychologists here.

Waiting times vary from practitioner to practitioner.

When you speak with our reception team, they will advise you of the waiting time (if any) for the psychologist that best suits your needs.

The goal of the first therapy session is to arrive at a shared understanding of the difficulties you are facing, or the issue you’d like help with.

Your psychologist will spend some time getting to know you. These will include questions about your reasons for seeking treatment, as well as your history and background.

By the end of the first session, the clinician will be able to discuss with you treatment options and how to proceed from there.

People attend therapy for a variety of reasons. The number of therapy sessions required will depend on each person’s circumstances and the severity of the issues.

At the end of your first session, your psychologist will be able to give you an estimate of the number of sessions they expect may be needed to see significant changes.

During the course of treatment, your psychologist will have regular reviews with you to make sure that you are progressing at a pace that is appropriate to you.

Any personal information gathered for the provision of treatment will remain strictly confidential, and can only be released with your written permission, except in certain circumstances. These circumstances include:

• If information is subpoenaed by a court of law

• If failure to disclose information would place yourself or another person at risk

• If such information is legally required to be reported to authorities, such as the police or the Department of Community Services

In all other cases, information concerning yourself or your child/adolescent will only be disclosed with written permission from yourself.

Our address is Suite 1, 87 Great North Road, Five Dock NSW. Our centre is located on Level 1.

If you are coming by car, there is free 2 hour parking at Kings Road Car Park, right next to the Menzies Anxiety Centre.

Our location is also easily accessible by bus, via routes 469, 437, and 438x.