How Much Does Therapy Cost in Perth, Australia in 2026?

Therapy in Perth costs roughly $195 to $370 a session with a psychologist (2026). Registered psychologists publish $195 to $270; clinical psychologists $260 to $370, with some senior practitioners above $430. Medicare's Better Access rebate takes $101.55 off a registered psychologist's fee and $149.05 off a clinical psychologist's, both updated 1 July 2026, so the money you actually hand over is usually $90 to $170 or $110 to $220 a session. Three Perth university clinics charge $40 to $50, and the Medicare Mental Health Centres are free.

These are guiding estimates drawn from fees Perth practices publish themselves. Psychologists set their own fees; the Medicare rebates are exact.

The Australian Psychological Society suggests a fee of $330 for a standard consultation, while stating plainly that this is "a suggestion only" and that "the fee at which a service is set is at the discretion of the individual psychologist". Most Perth practices that publish a rate charge below it. Treat $330 as the profession's benchmark, not as what you should expect to be quoted.

The arithmetic, done properly

	Clinical psychologist	Registered psychologist
MBS item	80010	80110
Schedule fee	$175.30	$119.45
Medicare benefit (85%)	$149.05	$101.55
APS suggested fee (benchmark)	$330	$330
Gap if you are charged the APS fee	$180.95	$228.45
Typical published Perth fee	$260–$370	$195–$270
Your gap at typical Perth fees	$110–$220	$90–$170

The $47.50 worth asking about

Psychiatrists are billed on a different schedule. Medicare item 306 covers a consultation of 45 to 75 minutes in consulting rooms: schedule fee $223.15, benefit $189.70, current at 1 July 2026. Perth psychiatrists rarely publish their fees and private fees commonly run well above the schedule fee, so ask for the figure and the rebate when you book.

A clinical psychologist attracts a rebate $47.50 higher per session than a registered psychologist, for the same fifty minutes, turning entirely on whether the practitioner holds a clinical endorsement. Across the ten sessions Medicare allows in a calendar year, that is $475. It is a fair question to ask when you book, and it is not a question about quality; a registered psychologist may be exactly the right person for you.

How to get the rebate at all

• You need a referral from a GP, who prepares a Mental Health Treatment Plan.
• Medicare covers up to 10 individual and 10 group sessions per calendar year.
• The session must run at least 50 minutes for these item numbers.
• At the end of a course of treatment your GP reviews whether more is needed.

If you cannot pay the gap

The Robin Winkler Clinic: $50 a session, published

The University of Western Australia's Robin Winkler Clinic offers "individual and group psychological treatment and neuropsychological assessment for people of all ages and backgrounds". Its published fees are $50 per session, or $20 for full-time students, pensioners and concession card holders. Assessment and treatment are carried out by provisionally registered postgraduate students "under the expert supervision of experienced clinical psychologists", and the clinic states that "fees are not eligible for Medicare rebates", which hardly matters at these rates.

Murdoch Psychology Clinic: $40, or $20 with a health care card

Murdoch University's clinic charges "$40 per therapy sessions ($20 if you have a valid health care card)". Sessions are run by provisional psychologists in postgraduate training, "registered with AHPRA" and supervised by experienced clinical psychologists, and the clinic is open to the public.

Curtin Psychology Clinic: $45 a session

Curtin's adult psychology clinic publishes $45 for a standard consultation, $25 for groups and $255 for a cognitive assessment. It states that it "is not a registered provider for Medicare, NDIS, or private health insurers", so the fee is the whole cost. Curtin psychology students and staff, and their immediate family, are not eligible and should use the university's own service.

Medicare Mental Health Centres: free, walk in

These are Australian Government centres, and their own description is unambiguous: "The service is free and no referral or appointment is needed. Walk in and talk with us today." They are staffed by "qualified professionals and people with lived experience of mental ill health", and five operate in Western Australia: Armadale, Gosnells, Midland, Mirrabooka and Northam, four of them in the Perth metropolitan area. The service is for people aged 18 and over. And if you are here on a student, work or temporary visa: "You don't need to be an Australian citizen to access support." They are not a crisis service; for urgent help call 000.

headspace: if you are 12 to 25

headspace supports young people aged 12 to 25 experiencing or at risk of mild to moderate mental ill health. It is government funded, with centres in the Perth metropolitan area and across the state. Costs vary by centre and generally there is no charge with a Medicare card, but check with your local centre rather than assuming.

Who is who, and why it changes the price

• Psychiatrist: a medical doctor, regulated by the Medical Board of Australia under AHPRA. Can prescribe.
• Psychologist: registered with the Psychology Board of Australia under AHPRA. The clinical endorsement drives the higher rebate.
• Counsellor and psychotherapist: self-regulated, no mandatory government registration, though many belong to PACFA or the Australian Counselling Association. Generally no Medicare rebate.
• Accredited mental health social worker: can deliver Medicare-rebated sessions under Better Access.

If you need someone now

• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
• Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800

Sources

• Medicare Benefits Schedule, Item 80010 and Item 80110: schedule fees and benefits, current at 1 July 2026.
• Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Better Access initiative: the ten-session annual limit.
• Australian Psychological Society, what it costs: the 2026–2027 suggested fee and the discretion statement.
• Medicare Mental Health, Medicare Mental Health Centres: free access, no referral, the citizenship statement.
• The University of Western Australia, Robin Winkler Clinic: the fees, the supervision statement and the Medicare position, read at source.
• Murdoch University, Murdoch Psychology Clinic: the session fee, the concession rate and the supervision statement, read at source.
• Curtin University, Adult Psychology Clinic: the consultation and group fees and the rebate position, read at source.
• WA Primary Health Alliance, Medicare Mental Health Centres: the five Western Australian centres, the free-and-confidential statement and the age eligibility.
• Medicare Benefits Schedule, Item 306: the psychiatry consultation schedule fee and benefit, current at 1 July 2026.

Reviewed August 2026. Medicare figures are from the MBS item pages and were current at 1 July 2026. The suggested fee is the APS's own published figure. Clinic fees are from each institution's own published schedule, read at source. The Perth band is drawn from fees that Perth practices publish on their own websites, read in August 2026; it is an estimate of what you are likely to be quoted, not a quote.