IN-PERSON AND TELEHEALTH APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE. NO WAITLIST.
Welcome! I’m Mary Ta.
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Act with Care Psychology
I’m a trauma-informed Psychologist
who sees individuals across the
lifespan, from 10+ years.
I’m committed to providing high-quality and
evidence-based psychological and counselling
services, whether at the clinic in Footscray or
online.
Sessions are guided by evidence-based practice, meaning that the therapeutic approaches used are backed by the current science.
Evidence-Based
Services are delivered with you in mind. I
aim to tailor sessions to complement
your strengths, resources, and feedback.
Client-Centred Care
Sessions adopt a collaborative approach;
we work together as a team to support
you.
Collaboration
My Therapeutic Approach
Compassion, authenticity, and reliability are the core tenets of my work as a Psychologist. It’s important
to me that my clients feel seen and understood; as such, I aim to consistently create a safe and
welcoming space where you can freely discuss and reflect on your experiences without feeling judged or
shamed.
I take a non-pathologising approach to psychology: emotions (even the unpleasant ones!) and struggles
are part of the human experience and are unavoidable aspects of life. You aren’t at fault or “abnormal”
for being human. The focus of sessions isn’t to teach you how to avoid these experiences or “fix” you;
instead, we’ll work together to understand your story, support you to learn practical skills to accept and
tolerate difficult emotions, and facilitate committed action to help you live a meaningful life guided by
what matters to you.
I mainly work within the framework of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Person-Centred
Therapy; however, I also use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation
and Reprocessing (EMDR) in my work .
I’m here to support you.
About Me
I’m an Educational and Developmental Psychologist (AHPRA
registration no.: PSY0001950204) who’s enthusiastic about
working with you in an engaging, ethical, and collaborative way.
As someone who’s lived in the inner Western suburbs her whole life,
I started Act with Care Psychology because I wanted to establish a
practice that provides psychological services to the community
through a caring and client-centred lens.
Prior to establishing Act with Care Psychology, I supported hundreds
of clients across community health and private settings for a range
of concerns (see here for more information).
Presenting Concerns
My Services
Below are a list of concerns that I support clients with:
- Depression
- Anxiety, worry, and panic
- Low confidence and self-esteem
- Emotion dysregulation
- Adjustment and transition difficulties
- Grief and loss
- Stress management
- Burnout
- Relationship and friendship difficulties
- Attachment difficulties
- Assertive communication training
- Parenting
Are you ready to take the next step?
In the spirit of transparency, these are specific
areas that I currently don’t provide support for:
- Substance dependency/abuse and addictions
- Personality disorders
- Eating disorders
- Court-related/forensic matters and
- Crisis support
Please note that I also don’t offer assessments or write reports for Family Court, Children’s Court, or
Criminal Courts as this is outside the scope of my services. It’s appropriate to instead seek the
services and expertise of a forensic or court-appointed psychologist, particularly as such
assessments and reports are outside the scope of Medicare’s Mental Health Care Plans.
In 3 Simple Steps
How it works
Fill in the contact form and I’ll aim to get back to you within 2
business days to arrange a brief phone consultation, where we’ll
discuss your current concerns and figure out if we’d be a good fit to
work together.
1.
Book a free 15-minute consultation.
The first few sessions usually involve gathering information to get
a better understanding of you, so I know how best to assist you. I’ll
normally ask you questions about your life circumstances, such as
your current struggles, relationships, childhood experiences,
employment/education history, and past experiences with seeking
professional help, among other things.
During the initial sessions, we’ll identify the goals you want to
achieve from therapy; this will lay the foundation for the
therapeutic process. These goals are very individual to you,
whether it’s learning practical skills to strengthen relationships,
ways to cope with life’s stressors, or even just having a safe space
to talk.
2.
The initial sessions and goal setting.
3.
Regular sessions and reviews.
Psychological treatment is more effective with regular and consistent attendance, so we’ll agree on a frequency that
works with your schedule and needs. We’ll also have periodic reviews/check-ins about sessions to make sure we’re
still on the right track. Depending on how much support you need, sessions can be increased, scaled back, or paused.
FAQ - Frequent Asked Questions
Get all the details
Unfortunately, I’m unable to give you a straightforward answer as this question doesn’t consider the intricacies of your individuality - your life history, existing coping strategies and current supports, and how long you’ve been experiencing the issue(s). It’s the case of, “How long is a piece of string?”
Some clients require short-term intervention (6-10 sessions) to manage mild-to-moderate issues, whereas others with more complex needs will require more. You’re most welcome to book an initial session to discuss further; we’ll also have regular reviews throughout the process to make sure that we’re on track.
- How many sessions do I need to
have to feel better?
- 1.
A standard 50-minute session before 5PM on weekdays is
$200; after-hours sessions (5PM onwards on weekdays and
all-day weekends) are $220. A standard 90-minute EMDR
processing session before 5PM on weekdays is $300, and
after-hours sessions are $330.
Sessions funded by NDIS (either self-managed or plan
managed) are $222.99 per 50-minute session.
Phone calls or letters that require more than 15 minutes are
charged accordingly in 15-minute blocks.
- 2.
How much does it cost?
No, it’s not necessary. You can see me without a referral
from your GP; however, you’ll need to see your GP for a
Mental Health Care Plan if you are wanting to receive
Medicare rebates for sessions.
If eligible, you are entitled to 10 sessions per year that are
partially covered by Medicare (i.e., a Medicare rebate of
$96.65 per session). The full session fee is charged to you
first before a Medicare rebate is processed on your behalf,
provided that your Medicare details have been provided
prior to the initial session.
- 4.
Do I need to be referred by my GP
to see you?
- 6.
I understand that life can throw a spanner in the works,
making it difficult to attend a scheduled session; however,
when there is a late cancellation, reschedule, or no-show,
someone else misses out on attending the session. I have a
strict cancellation policy as a result.
Appointments cancelled within 24-48 hours incur a
cancellation fee of 50% of the full session fee.
Appointments cancelled less than 24-hours’ notice will incur
a cancellation fee of 100% of the full session fee. The
cancellation fee is payable within 7 days of the missed
appointment; no Medicare or private health insurance
rebate is available for unattended sessions.
To cancel an appointment, please contact me by email, text,
or by phone. Please be assured that your message will be
time-stamped, so I’ll know if you have cancelled or
rescheduled in a timely manner.
What is your cancellation, (late)
reschedule or no-show policy?
Verbal and written consent from both parents is required
before proceeding with sessions. If I’ve been made aware
(either before or during psychological treatment) that one
parent doesn’t consent to the child attending sessions, then
sessions will either not commence or will cease. I can
instead provide services to the consenting parent to help
support the child.
- 7.
I’d like my child to engage therapy,
but their other parent isn’t agreeing
to it. Can I still bring them in?
I am unable to offer bulk-billing as this clinic is a privately-run one; unfortunately, it’s not sustainable to keep the doors open and support the community offering bulk-billing. Sessions can be partially covered by Medicare or private health insurance, or fully covered via NDIS.
- 3.
Do you offer bulk-billing?
You may be able to claim a rebate from your private health
insurance provider for psychology sessions, but you’ll need
to contact them for further information. I’ll provide you with a
receipt after the session so that you can claim the rebate
yourself if you are eligible.
Please note that you cannot claim a rebate from both
Medicare and private health insurance for the same session.
- 5.
Can I use private health insurance?
Act with Care Psychology
Contact and Location Info
The clinic is located at 67 Pickett Street, Footscray, VIC. 3011.
Public Transport: The clinic is short walk from Middle Footscray
Station (4 minutes) and Footscray Station (9 minutes). Alternatively,
you can take the 216, 220, 410, and 472 buses and get off at the
Barkly Street/Victoria Street stop; the clinic is a short distance away.
Parking: There is free 1 or 2 hour parking available nearby.
P: 0435 030 019
F: (03) 7046 6652
Available on:
- Thursdays (4PM-7PM)
- Fridays (10AM-7PM)
- Saturdays (10AM-5PM)