onpsych | Helping Students Families and Teachers

FAQ

What can I expect from onPsych as my behavioural Healthcare partner?

The range of children who can be supported will increase.
The extent to which students can be supported will improve.
Quality of care is enhanced.
As students behavioural issues improve teacher productivity increases.
Direct support for teachers is available.
Enhanced teacher understanding in recognising behavioural needs promotes early intervention.
Having an onPsych psychologist working with your school team can add significantly to parental satisfaction levels.

What are the behavioural Healthcare trends and challenges faced by schools across Australia?

There is a shortage of school-based psychologists. This has in part, been caused by the Medicare funding system, which has encouraged psychologists into private practice. This trend is likely to continue.
Government funding continually fluctuates.
Schools are subjected to increasing levels of scrutiny and legal accountability.

Where does onPsych provide services?

A cornerstone of the onPsych model is the provision of psychology services at the school. We want an ongoing working relationship with the school and at the school. Usually an onPsych psychologist will visit the school every week. OnPsych services are provided at the school to maximise the effectiveness of the psychological support and reinforce a collaborative partnership with the school's welfare staff. There are many advantages of providing psychological services in the school setting. Many parents for example find it difficult to take their children to specialists. This is particularly the case where long-distance travel is required, and therapy may span many months. It is not uncommon to find that the families which require the most support, are the least able to meet that commitment in time and transport requirements.

Psychologists need accurate and frequent feedback from welfare and teaching staff about the progress of students. Conversely, teachers need access to the psychologist to ensure the highest level of consistency in dealing with students. It is important that the psychologist takes into account the schools experience, and that any recommendations are appropriate and practical. When a psychologist is present at the school on a weekly basis, feedback regarding treatment plans can be timely and accurate. If the work the psychologists is doing with that student is not producing results, teachers are in a much better position to give this feedback and engage in an ongoing dialogue about the best management techniques. This interactive approach is essential to ensure the best outcome for the student, and is more effective than relying on written reports, which often end up collecting dust in files.

An essential role of the psychologist is to be able to collect accurate data on the progress of their student. In some cases this may mean direct observation of the student, for example in the playground.

Group work is an excellent medium for reinforcing cognitive and social skills training. Being present in a school enables psychologists to utilise this most effective technique. Medicare funds us to work in groups for 10 sessions per year per student, in addition to the 10 sessions of individual work per year.

Communication between a psychologist and the parents is another vital element in the success of the onPsych model. By being present at school, the psychologist is available to meet with parents. This ensures that parents are kept up-to-date and are involved as much as possible in the ongoing support of their child.

onPsych's model attempts to engage the classroom teacher and parent in the ongoing support of their child to the greatest extent possible. Many of the resources that onPsych psychologists use are specifically designed as homework between parents and their student. A psychologist maybe working on developing a social skill, such as "beginning a conversation", with a student. In this example the homework sheet would involve a student and parents working through a set of step-by-step instructions. Apart from the student enhancing their understanding of this important skill, the parent child relationship will also benefit. Many parents find they learn from this process also. A psychologist would normally provide the classroom teacher with a similar information sheet so that they are aware of the ongoing support program. Many teachers use those information sheets to run similar sessions with a whole class.

onPsych services are provided at the school to maximise effectiveness of the psychological support and reinforce a collaborative partnership with the school's welfare staff.

What does onPsych require from a school?

onPsych needs two essential elements to be successful in a school. Firstly, the school must have an effective wellbeing/welfare coordinator. Secondly, the psychologist needs an appropriate space/room.

Who are the onPsych psychologists?

All onPsych psychologists are fully registered to practice in Australia and specially trained in the understanding of the mental health needs of students. They have a deep understanding of both state and federal legislation affecting their work in schools with students.

What qualifications do onPsych psychologists have?

All psychologists working in onPsych are fully registered with the Psychology Board of Australia and also satisfy the requirements of Medicare to become a provider under the Better Access and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Program. They are qualified to provide psychological services in schools targeting specific behavioural and emotional problems. It is a requirement of registration that psychologists have comprehensive insurance, which satisfies PBA guidelines. OnPsych psychologists have current police checks, which are provided to schools and "working with children" permits appropriate to each state.

Methods of Service?

When onPsych partners with a school to deliver a behavioural and mental health care program, the school will be assigned a fully registered psychologist who is trained to understand and meet the mental health needs of students in schools. The onPsych psychologist typically works in a school every week for between one half a day and up to four days per week. The active caseload in each school normally varies between 3 and 40 cases.

onPsych psychologists conduct assessments and develop treatment plans using one or more of the following techniques

Behaviour management
Cognitive therapy
Social skills training
Anger management training
Anxiety management training
Social skills training
Family therapy
Group therapy
Individual psychotherapy
Applied behaviour analysis

What are the costs associated with onPsych services?

There are no costs for our service. Virtually all onPsych services are billed to Medicare, so the school has no financial obligation for the psychological services provided. Only very occasionally schools and parents request extra services, not covered by Medicare and these services are billed by arrangement. This usually involves comprehensive cognitive (IQ) assessments.

What happens if a student needs further sessions when the Better Access Care Plan runs out?

If a student needs additional sessions, parents can obtain an extension to their Better Access Care Plan from their GP and the student would then continue to be seen by OnPsych at the school. Students are eligible for a maximum of 10 individual sessions and 10 group sessions per year under the Better access Care Plan.
Students are also eligible for 20 support sessions on a one-off basis, if they have been diagnosed by a pediatrician, as being eligible under the pervasive developmental disorder program. There are also five sessions with a psychologist available also on a one-off basis, for the assessment of a student who may be diagnosed as eligible under the pervasive developmental disorder program.

What if the OnPsych psychologist needs to see the teacher or the parent?

The onPsych model assumes that working with a family is an important part of understanding and supporting the student. onPsych endeavours to engage parents and family members wherever possible and appropriate. This work is performed under the referral, and there is no additional cost or charge. In many instances, parents request individual support for themselves. In these cases we request parents seek their own referral.

Can a teacher be referred for support?

Yes, we work with many teachers and other staff who have a referral.

What is the protocol around Mandatory Reporting?

onPsych psychologists work very closely with the school welfare staff. In cases where the potential exists for a mandatory report to be made, our company policy is to always involve the school welfare staff in the sessions. Any decisions regarding mandatory reporting will be made in consultation with the school staff. The psychologist will follow the school's policy, if it is in line with the psychologist's legal requirements, is in the best interest of the student and doesn't breach APS guidelines.
Our psychologists use a skill-based approach to improving student's ability to deal with stressful situations. This may involve improving anger management, anxiety management, social skills, phobic reactions, or more specific cognitive personal skills.
OnPsych case notes would not normally contain confidential information because onPsych focuses on skill based interventions targeted at developing better coping strategies. This solution based outcome focused approach rarely involves the collection of highly confidential and sensitive information. At the beginning of all referrals we disclose to parents and students our need to discuss case management with school staff and other professionals who may be involved, and we obtain a signed permission form allowing us to share this information with school staff. There may however, be times when the disclosure of certain information would be in breach of the APS guidelines on confidentiality.

Where do you store your case notes?

onPsych files are paperless, electronic, secure, server based and accessed by Remote Desktop Connection by onPsych Psychologists. When an onPsych psychologist is replaced at a school their access to the files from that school ceases. The new psychologist appointed by onPsych would then have ongoing access to the original files.

What happens with involuntary students?

onPsych psychologists only see students who are voluntary. If the student is reluctant to attend sessions efforts will be made to engage the student however the student isn't forced to attend. Most students enjoy coming to sessions and benefit from the individual attention that they receive during therapy, however if the student refuses to engage then we are unable to assist the student directly. In these very rare circumstances the psychologist may be able to support the parents and a teacher and indirectly assist the child.

What are the benefits to my school of partnering with onPsych rather than a local psychologist?

Partnering with onPsych give schools the peace of mind that comes from an affiliation with Australia's leading specialist school based private behavioural healthcare provider. OnPsych undertakes extensive staff training support and regulatory compliance required for each one of our psychologists. No other organisation can match the specialised support we provide in private school psychology services. Our senior staff have a wealth of experience to ensure the every psychologist has access to on demand case management support. Our large staffing base ensures that schools receive an ongoing, reliable and high quality support from its psychologist. In cases where a school is unhappy with the work of an individual psychologist, every attempt would be made to rectify the concern. Ultimately this could result in the replacement of the psychologist with another onPsych psychologist.

How do I become an onPsych partner school?

We invite all schools to contact us to discuss becoming an onPsych partner. Remember there is no cost for doing so. To schedule a private consultation please email contact@onPsych.com.au