Question 1

Services offered by Nellie Abdou.

Accepted Answer

Services Nellie provides:

Individual therapy:  Personalised therapy sessions for children, adolescents, and young adults.

Parenting Support:  Parenting strategies and improving parent-child relationships.

Assessment services:  Comprehensive assessments for children and their families individuals to understand their unique strengths and challenges, mental health diagnosis, autism and ADHD identification, cognitive and personality assessments.

Community outreach and professional consultation:  Consultation within and for a child's home, school, community programs, or their Allied Health Care Team.

In person or telehealth services:  Access to both telehealth and in-person therapy sessions providing flexibility and accessibility to those unable to attend in person or prefer to have their sessions from the comfort of their own environment.

Services Nellie is unable to provide:

Crises or high dependency services:  This is not a crisis service or high dependency service. In an emergency, contact 000 or go to your nearest hospital emergency department. The following telephone counseling services may be of support: 
- Lifeline: 13 11 14 
- Kids Help Line: 1800 551 800 
- Parentline: 13 22 89 
- Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 
- Family Violence (support for women and children): 1800 015 188 
- Psychiatric Triage: www.health.vic.gov.au (http://www.health.vic.gov.au/)(support for a crisis or after-hours emergency). Contact the Child, Adolescent, or Adult Mental Health Services in your area.

High-risk eating disorders, severe personality disorders, WorkCover treatment, forensic treatment, and family Court:  These are not areas that Nellie holds competency and/or has registration to practice.

Other areas outside of Nellie's skill areas or psychological competence: 
If assessment or intervention falls outside of Nellie's psychological competence, she may be able to support you to find alternative services that can provide those particular supports.

Nellie does not provide family therapy.

Question 2

How do I make an appointment with Nellie Abdou?

Accepted Answer

You have two options for scheduling an appointment with Nellie:

1. Email us at in()fo@thechildrensneurodiversityclinic.com.au to request an appointment or a callback, and Nellie will contact you.  This service does not have a direct phone number.

2. Call us on 0435 589 987.

Question 3

Session Length and Costs

Accepted Answer

Session length and fee:

• Each standard consultation with Nellie is 60 minutes (50 minutes directly with you, and 10 minutes to complete your session notes) and this costs $250.  For concession card holders or those with disability (e.g. eligible for NDIS), the rate is $232.99.

• Session duration and fees may vary depending on the specific services provided. These details, including any applicable report writing, indirect services or travel costs for appointments (if they are conducted outside the clinic), will be discussed with you in advance.

Payment:

• Payment is required on the day of your appointment. Accepted methods include cash, credit card through our online system, or direct deposit.

• If eligible for Medicare rebates, we will submit the claim electronically on your behalf after receiving your payment. Alternatively, you may choose to claim the rebate directly through Medicare yourself (the Medicare Rebate for General Psychology is $96.65).

• If eligible for NDIS rebates and are plan managed, we will invoice the plan manager directly.  However, if you are self-managed, payment will need to occur on the day, and you can claim the amount paid back from NDIS directly.

• If eligible for a rebate from your private health insurance, you will need to pay your invoice in full and then provide a copy of your receipt to your private health insurer to obtain your rebate.

Question 4

Funding options to pay for psychology services with Nellie Abdou?

Accepted Answer

Funding Options for Psychology Sessions within our Service:

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Medicare – Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP)

What’s Included: Up to 10 subsidised sessions per year with a psychologist, clinical psychologist, social worker, or OT.
Rebate through Medicare: $96.65 per session (with a general psychologist).
What you need to do:
1. Book a long GP consultation.
2. Discuss mental health and get a Mental Health Care Plan.  The initial G.P. referral entitles you to 6 subsidised sessions (with up to 10 subsidised sessions per year).
3. Book sessions.
4. Attend sessions.
5. Claim rebate through Medicare.
6. See GP for a review after 6 sessions.

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Private Health Insurance
What’s Included: Rebates for psychology services (check your policy).
 • Rebate through our service: Approximately $50–$120 per session if your private health fund includes psychology.
 • Steps:
   1. Check your insurance policy for coverage details.
   2. Choose a psychologist (no GP referral needed).
   3. Submit claims for rebates.
   4. Monitor annual limits.

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3. National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS):  Self or Plan Managed only.

• What’s Included: Psychological support under the Capacity Building category for psychosocial or developmental disabilities.
 • Rebate through our service: Can be fully funded through NDIS depending on service inclusions within the plan.  Only participants with 'Plan Managed' or 'Self-Managed' NDIS plans can claim this amount when using our service.  
 • Steps:
   1. Check your/your child's NDIS plan for psychological support funding under Capacity Building.
   2. Book the psychology appointments.
   3. Coordinate payments yourself or through your plan manager.

4. Self-Funding
 • What’s Included: Direct payment for psychology sessions without relying on rebates or funding.
 • Rebate: No rebate
 • Steps:
   1. Contact us to schedule an appointment (no referral required
   2. Pay for sessions directly at the time of booking or session.
   3. Attend sessions as needed.

Feel free to explore these options based on your needs and preferences. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Question 5

What is our 'Cancellation Policy'?

Accepted Answer

Cancellation Policy

At The Children’s Neurodiversity Clinic, we are committed to providing high-quality, consistent care. Your scheduled appointment time is reserved especially for you. Late cancellations or non-attendance can impact your progress and limit availability for others in need of support.

Cancellation and Rescheduling
If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, we kindly request **at least 48 hours' notice** (2 full business days). This allows us to offer the appointment to another client.

Late Cancellations and No-Shows

- Cancellations made with less than 48 hours’ notice will incur 100% of the session fee, unless a medical certificate is provided.
- Non-attendance without notice (no-show) will also incur 100% of the session fee.
- Exceptions:  We understand that unexpected situations can arise. In the case of emergencies or exceptional circumstances, please contact us as soon as possible to discuss your situation.
- Medicare Note:  Missed sessions and late cancellations are not eligible for Medicare rebates. You will be personally responsible for the cancellation fee.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. This policy helps us support all clients fairly and consistently.

Question 6

What is our 'Privacy Policy'?

Accepted Answer

Privacy Policy

1. We respect your privacy
1.1 Nellie Abdou respects your right to privacy and is committed to safeguarding the privacy of our customers and website visitors. We adhere to the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). This policy sets out how we collect and treat your personal information.

1.2 "Personal information" is information we hold which is identifiable as being about you.

2. Collection of personal information
2.1 Nellie Abdou will receive and store personal information you enter onto our website, Splose, Stripe and enter into intake or other forms, and information you provide to us directly through appointments, emails, text messages, phone calls, and when you provide us with letters, reports or emails written by other professionals.

2.2 You may provide basic information such as your name, phone number, address and email address to enable us to send information, provide updates and provide the services. We may collect additional information at other times, including but not limited to: when you provide feedback, when you provide information about your personal or business affairs, change your content or email preference, respond to surveys and/or promotions, provide financial or credit card information, or communicate with our customer support.
 
2.3 We collect health information and sensitive health information you provide while interacting with us, including your current health background, health records and other health data. Additionally, we may collect other health information and sensitive health information that your doctor or a third party provides to us.
 
3. How we collect your personal information
3.1 Nellie Abdou collects personal information from you in a variety of ways, including when you interact with us electronically or in person, when you access our website, when you provide us with information via email, text, or phone calls, and when we provide our services to you. We use Splose practice management software to record some of your personal information and health information. We also take handwritten or typed clinical notes during appointments. We may use transcription services within Splose, to assist us in recording and summarising clinical notes. We may receive personal information from third parties. If we do, we will protect it as set out in this Privacy Policy.
 
4. Use of your personal information
4.1 Nellie Abdou may use personal information collected from you to provide you with psychology services and treatment.

4.2 Nellie Abdou may additionally use personal information collected from you to provide you with information, updates and our services. We may also make you aware of new and additional products, services, and opportunities available to you. We may use your personal information to improve our products and services and better understand your needs.

4.3 Nellie Abdou may contact you by a variety of measures including, but not limited to telephone, email, sms or mail.
 
5. Disclosure of your personal information
5.1 We may disclose your personal information to any of our employees, including our administrative and management staff, as well as to external people and organisations, including subcontractors, officers, insurers, professional advisers, agents, suppliers or debt collectors insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy. Any information disclosed to another individual or organisation is provided on a 'needs to know' basis related to a clinical or administrative reason. We will not disclose information to any other party that is not required for clinical or administrative reasons.
 
5.2 Personal information is only supplied to a third party when it is required to deliver our services, including to other health professionals looking after your care, to comply with our legal and ethical obligations, or to collect debts owing to us.
  
5.3 We will seek your written consent before disclosing your personal or health information to any other individual or organization.

5.4 For clients referred by their General Practitioner (GP) under a Medicare Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP), we are required under Medicare rules to provide a summary of your treatment to your GP after the 6th session, 10th session and 20th session, or at the conclusion of your treatment. By providing us with your GP referral and MHTP, you consent to this disclosure.

5.5 For clients referred by their General Practitioner (GP) under a DVA Allied Health Treatment Cycle Referral, we are required under DVA rules to provide an ‘end of cycle report’ to your GP after every 12th session, or at the conclusion of your treatment. By providing us with your GP referral, you consent to this disclosure.

5.6 If you invite your partner or other family member into an appointment or consultation, we will usually accept your verbal consent to disclose some of your personal and health information to this person where relevant to the conversation. We may refuse to disclose information to your partner or other family member if we are concerned for your safety or welfare.
 
5.7 If your partner, family member, or other person contacts us without your prior knowledge or consent, we may listen to or read this information in case of safety or risk issues. We will let you know of all contact made by a third party without your prior knowledge or consent. We will seek your written consent before we speak to or reply to any third party who has contacted us; and we will not speak to them if you do not consent.

5.8 We may from time to time need to disclose personal information to comply with a legal requirement, such as a law, regulation, court order, subpoena, warrant, in the course of a legal proceeding or in response to a law enforcement agency request.

5.9 The following exceptions mean that we will disclose your personal information and health information to another individual or organization, even if you do not consent. This may happen where:

(a) Disclosure of your information is required or authorized under an Australian law or a court/tribunal order. For example, when we receive a valid subpoena requiring us to submit your client records to a federal, state, district or local court. There are some occasions where we can object to a valid subpoena; we may contact you to discuss this.

(b) Disclosure of your information is required to make a mandatory report about a child or young person that we reasonably believe is at significant risk of harm, and, to consult with child protection professionals about this.
 
          (c) Disclosure of your information to emergency services or law enforcement agencies (state or federal) is required to lessen or prevent a serious threat to life, health, or safety of any individual, or to lessen or prevent a serious threat to life, health or safety of the general public. The threat does not have to be immediate or specific for us to disclose your information under this exception.
 
          (d) Disclosure of your information is required to inform law enforcement agencies of your knowledge about a ‘serious crime’ committed by you or any other individual. The definition of ‘serious crime’ is the same as used in the VIC Crime Act as an offence attracting five or more years’ incarceration.
 
          (e) Disclosure of your information to inform a federal or state agency (for example, AHPRA or Health Care Complaints Commission) if a registered or unregistered health practitioner is placing the public at substantial risk of harm. Health practitioners who seek mental health treatment, or who have a mental health impairment of any severity, will not be reported to AHPRA or similar regulatory body in the absence of substantial risk to the public. This is a very high threshold to meet. This is so health practitioners have the confidence to seek and have mental health treatment without fearing mandatory notification.
 
5.9 We may also use your personal information to protect the copyright, trademarks, legal rights, property or safety of Nellie Abdou, www.thechildrensneurodiversityclinic, its customers or third parties.
 
5.10 Information that we collect may from time to time be stored, processed in or transferred between parties located in countries outside of Australia.
 
5.11 If there is a change of control in our business or a sale or transfer of business assets, we reserve the right to transfer to the extent permissible at law our user databases, together with any personal information and non-personal information contained in those databases. This information may be disclosed to a potential purchaser under an agreement to maintain confidentiality. We would seek to only disclose information in good faith and where required by any of the above circumstances.
 
5.12 By providing us with personal information, you consent to the terms of this Privacy Policy and the types of disclosure covered by this Policy. Where we disclose your personal information to third parties, we will request that the third party follow this Policy regarding handling your personal information.
 
6. Security of your personal information
6.1 Nellie Abdou is committed to ensuring that the information you provide to us is secure. To prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have implemented suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure information and protect it from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.
 
6.2 The transmission and exchange of information is carried out at your own risk. We cannot guarantee the security of any information that you transmit to us or receive from us. Although we take measures to safeguard against unauthorised disclosures of information, we cannot assure you that the personal or sensitive health information we collect will not be disclosed in a manner inconsistent with this Privacy Policy.
 
7. Access to your personal information
7.1  You may request details of personal information that we hold about you in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act 1988. A small administrative fee may be payable for the provision of information. If you would like a copy of the information, which we hold about you or believe that any information we hold on you is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, please email us at info@thechildrensneurodiversityclinic.com.au

7.2 We reserve the right to refuse to provide you with information that we hold about you, in certain circumstances set out in the Privacy Act.
 
8. Complaints about privacy
8.1 If you have any complaints about our privacy practices, please feel free to send details of your complaints to Nellie Abdou by e-mail to info@thechildrensrodiversityclinic.com.au. We take complaints very seriously and will respond shortly after receiving written notice of your complaint.

9. Changes to Privacy Policy
9.1 Please be aware that we may change this Privacy Policy in the future. We may modify this Policy at any time, in our sole discretion and all modifications will be effective immediately upon our posting of the modifications on our website or notice board. Please check back from time to time to review our Privacy Policy.

10. Website
10.1 When you visit our website www.thechildrensneurodiversityclinic.com.au we may collect certain information such as browser type, operating system, website visited immediately before coming to our site, etc. This information is used in an aggregated manner to analyse how people use our site, such that we can improve our service.

10.2  Cookies
We may from time to time use cookies on our website. Cookies are very small files which a website uses to identify you when you come back to the site and to store details about your use of the site. Cookies are not malicious programs that access or damage your computer. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies but you can choose to reject cookies by changing your browser settings. However, this may prevent you from taking full advantage of our website. Our website may from time to time use cookies to analyses website traffic and help us provide a better website visitor experience. In addition, cookies may be used to serve relevant ads to website visitors through third party services such as Google Adwords. These ads may appear on this website or other websites you visit.
 
10.3 Third party sites. Our site may from time to time have links to other websites not owned or controlled by us. These links are meant for your convenience only. Links to third party websites do not constitute sponsorship or endorsement or approval of these websites. Please be aware that Nellie Abdou is not responsible for the privacy practices of other such websites. We encourage our users to be aware, when they leave our website, to read the privacy statements of each and every website that collects personal identifiable information.

Question 7

What are the 'Business Terms and Conditions'

Accepted Answer

Business Terms & Conditions.

By attending appointments at The Children's Neurodiversity Clinic, you agree to our Business Terms and Conditions listed below:

These Business Terms and Conditions were last updated on 9th May 2025.

1. Parties

Nellie Abdou  (ABN: 83 7042 735 38)
- AND -
You are the client, and Your details are set out on the Booking Confirmation.
Nellie Abdou specializes in neurodivergent allied health services tailored to client’s needs and requirements (the ‘Services’).
You have engaged Nellie Abdou to provide the Services.  By continuing to work with Nellie Abdou after receiving these terms and conditions, You accept the terms and conditions and agree to the below.
This Agreement is read in conjunction with the booking confirmation email provided to You at the time of providing this Agreement (‘Booking Confirmation’).

2. The Engagement

a) Nellie Abdou agrees to perform the Services for You, for the Fees, as set out in the Booking Confirmation, on the website, or in your invoice.
b) Nellie Abdou agrees to commence the Services upon acceptance of the Booking Confirmation and these Terms and Conditions, and upon payment of the required Fees as invoiced to You.  
c) Nellie Abdou will provide the Services by telephone, video conferencing software, in clinic or via community outreach.
d) Nellie Abdou will only provide You with a refund of the Fee in the event they are unable to continue to provide the Services (the 'Refund').

3. Bookings
a) Nellie Abdou uses Splose as client management software, Stripe for invoice payments and Zoom for telehealth to organise bookings, appointments, invoices, etc.
b) If you book an appointment with Nellie Abdou, you acknowledge and agree to be bound by Our Business Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy and other relevant legal documentation provided by Splose, Stripe and Zoom.
c) Nellie Abdou will attempt to accommodate your preferences, however, if Nellie Abdou reviews your client file and considers that Your request would not be an appropriate match for her provided services, You will not be able to book an appointment with Nellie Abdou and you will be provided with another option/s, either internally or externally to Nellie Abdou.
d) If you book an appointment with Nellie Abdou, you acknowledge and agree that having a referral or plan from any other person, organisation, agency or insurance scheme does not provide You with an entitlement to free Services.
e) To book appointments with Nellie Abdou, You are required to add details of your credit/debit card to Splose via Stripe. These details will be stored securely You can read more about Splose via Stripe card security here: https://www.splose.com/privacy-policy
f) You cannot book further Services or appointments if You have outstanding Fees.
g) Nellie Abdou reserves the right to request payment of Fees prior to undertaking any Services.
h) To book an appointment for an assessment with Nellie Abdou, You are required to pay a deposit.
4. Cancellation
a) You agree to provide at least 48 hours notice to cancel or reschedule an appointment.

b) Short-notice cancellations of less than 48 hours, and appointments not attended, will result in You being charged a cancellation fee of 100% of the appointment fee.

c) If You do not attend your appointment, Nellie Abdou will make three attempts to contact You by phone or text message in the first 20 minutes of your appointment. If Nellie Abdou are unable to reach You at this time, Nellie Abdou will consider this appointment a not attended appointment and will charge You a Cancellation Fee.

5. Fees and Invoicing
1. The Fees payable for the Services are set out on the Fees and Rebates page of our  website and in Your invoice.
2. You agree to pay Nellie Abdou the full Fee set out in the invoice for the Services.
3. You agree to pay Nellie Abdou the full Fee set out in the invoice for the Services if You have a Medicare referral or plan. Nellie Abdou is a private fee clinic and does not offer a 'bulk billing' (i.e. free) service. You agree that a Medicare referral or plan (Mental Health Care Plan, Chronic Disease Management Plan, Eating Disorder Plan) does not provide You with an entitlement to a free service.
4. You agree to pay Nellie Abdou the full Fee set out in the invoice for the Services if you have an NDIS plan. You agree that You are responsible for paying the full Fee set out in the invoice for the Services if your NDIS plan funding is exhausted or if your plan manager declines to pay the invoice. You agree that an NDIS plan does not provide You with an entitlement to a free service.
5. If Nellie Abdou is required to undertake assessments, write letters or reports,  or undertake any other work, Nellie Abdou will charge a Fee. The number of hours required for an assessment, written letter or report, or any other work depends on the type of assessment, report, letter or other work, the purpose of such work and the complexity of the assessment or other work required.
6. Nellie Abdou will advise You of the approximate cost of such work prior to commencing.
7. If Your assessment is more complex than anticipated and/or takes longer than the estimated time on the website, the Fee for the assessment will be higher than initially quoted. The Nellie Abdou admin team will contact You if Your assessment may require more work and provide You with an updated quote.
8. You are required to pay a deposit to book an assessment. Deposits for assessments are not refundable.
9. You are required to pay the full Fee for the assessment prior to the written report or confirmation letter being prepared.
10. For ongoing allied health appointments, the Fees listed on the website are for a standard appointment with a duration of 60 minutes in total (50 minutes is direct with You, 10 minutes is indirect for case notes). The appointment Fee is based on units of time. The appointment Fee on Your invoice is a pro-rata fee that is based on the length of Your appointment. If Your appointment exceeds the duration of a standard appointment by 5 minutes or more, you will be charged a pro-rata Fee. This means that the invoice Fee may be higher than the standard appointment Fee listed on the website.
11. The Fee payable to Nellie Abdou to perform the Services may be adjusted from time to time as advised by Nellie Abdou.
12. If you receive an invoice to pay from Nellie Abdou, You agree to pay the Fee on the date You receive the invoice and by the method prescribed by the invoice. The due date for all invoices is the date the invoice was issued.
13. Nellie Abdou requires You to add a credit card/debit card details to Stripe via Splose to pay the Fees. Your card details will be stored securely by Splose. You can read more about Splose's card security here: Splose Card Security FAQs.
14. Nellie Abdou will process Your credit card, debit card, or Paypal account stored on Splose on the day of your appointment to take payment for the Fees, or issue you with an invoice for the Fees.
15. If Payment is not received on the day of Your Appointment, Nellie Abdou reserves the right to continue attempting to process Your credit card, debit card, or Paypal account until Payment is received.
16. You agree that if You default on any payments due and payable under this Agreement, any costs incurred by Nellie Abdou for steps taken to enforce payment terms will be recoverable and payable by You.
17. If applicable, unless otherwise stated, all amounts are listed in Australian Dollars (AUD) and are GST exclusive, being goods and services tax as defined in A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999, exclusive amounts. Where the Services are provided outside Australia, GST is inapplicable.

6. Medicare Rebates and Private Health Insurance Cover

a) If You hold a Medicare Card and book an appointment with one of our eligible Allied Health Practitioners, You may be eligible for Medicare rebates to pay for some of Your ongoing treatment.
b) Allied Health Assistants are not eligible for Medicare provider numbers so are not able to provide Medicare rebates for their clients.

c) You agree that Nellie Abdou is a private fee clinic and does not offer 'bulk billing' i.e. free Services.
d) If You are diagnosed with an eligible “mental disorder” and book an appointment with a Registered Psychologist, You may be able to access Medicare rebates under the Better Access to Mental Health Care Scheme to pay for part of Your ongoing treatment.
i. A referral letter (‘referral letter’) and Mental Health Treatment Plan (‘MHTP’) is required from Your general practitioner (‘GP’), psychiatrist, or paediatrician.
 ii. A MHTP without a referral letter is not considered a valid referral under Medicare rules.
 iii. Under a MHTP, there is funding for 10 Medicare rebated psychology sessions per calendar year.
 iv. You are required to pay the full appointment Fee before a Medicare rebate can be submitted.
 v. Medicare rules do not permit ‘co-payments’ where the client is only required to pay the gap between the appointment Fee and the Medicare rebate.
 vi. Medicare rebates for MHTPs are available in the format: 6 sessions plus 4 sessions.
 vii. You will need to return to Your GP after the 6th session to obtain another referral letter requesting an additional four (4) psychology sessions.
 v. You will need to return to Your GP for a referral letter after the 6th session even if Your GP has written a referral stating the initial referral is for 10 sessions.  
 vi. A re-referral letter is not the same as a review of your Mental Health Treatment Plan. You do not need a review of your MHTP after the 6th session or after the 10th session.
e) If you are diagnosed with a chronic illness and book an appointment with a Registered Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, or Dietitian, You may be able to access Medicare rebates to pay for some of Your ongoing treatment under the Chronic Disease Management scheme.
i. A Chronic Disease Management Plan (‘CDMP’) is required from Your general practitioner ('GP') 
 ii. Under a CDMP, there is funding for 5 Medicare rebated psychology or occupational therapy sessions per calendar year.
 iv. You are required to pay the full appointment Fee before a Medicare rebate can be submitted.
 v. Medicare rules do not permit ‘co-payments’ where the client is only required to pay the gap between the appointment Fee and the Medicare rebate.
 vi. Five (5) Medicare rebates are available per calendar year under a CDMP.

f) Medicare rebates are only available with a valid referral. Medicare rebates will not be given unless the referral Your GP has given you is considered a valid referral under Medicare rules. Medicare rebates will not be given beyond the number stated on each referral.
g) You are required to check with Nellie Abdou before Your appointment to ensure your referral is valid and Your allocated clinician is able to provide Medicare rebates.
h) You are responsible for keeping track of the number of sessions attended under a Medicare MHTP or CDMP referral and obtaining a new referral letter prior to your next appointment.
i) Nellie Abdou is not responsible for You not being able to obtain a Medicare rebate for your appointment. No full or partial refunds will be given if You are not eligible for a Medicare rebate on the Services.
j) Medicare rebates are generally not available for psychological assessments.
k) Some health insurance policies cover allied health appointments. This depends on Your policy and level of cover. It is Your responsibility to check with Your insurance company as to what rebate Your health fund provides. You generally cannot access Your private health insurance funding and Medicare rebates for the same appointment, this depends on Your health fund's rules.

7. Crisis Support
a) Nellie Abdou does not offer a crisis service. We cannot guarantee that we will be available to respond to text messages, voicemail, or emails quickly. This might be because we are with other clients, attending to other work or personal matters, or not at work. Our telephones are placed on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode when we finish work for the day and during any times we are not working, such as weekends or public holidays. Please know that we do care about you and want you to be okay - so if you do message us about an emergency or crisis, we will get back to you eventually, but this is unlikely to be quick enough to make sure you are safe, or to meet your need for support

b) What to do in an emergency. If you are having strong thoughts or urges of suicide, self-harm, or hurting someone else; or, you have self-harmed, attempted suicide, or hurt someone else; or, you are distressed and having trouble getting back to calm and regulated, we advise you to contact one or more of the following crisis services until you are safe:
Police or ambulance: 000
1. Your General Practitioner (GP). 
2. Lifeline: 13 11 14
3. Suicide call-back service: 1300 659 467
4. State-based crisis numbers:
   1. – 1800 011 511 – Mental Health Line 
   2. – 1300 651 251 – Suicide Help Line
   3. – 13 43 25 84 – 13 HEALTH
   4. – 13 14 65 - Mental Health Assessment and Crisis Intervention Service
   5. – Mental Health Emergency Response Line: 1800 676 822 (PEEL) or 1300 555 788 (Metro)
   6. – 1800 332 388 – Mental Health Services Helpline
   7. – 1800 682 288 – Mental Health Line. The Mental Health Line is a free and confidential 24-hour hotline for mental health inquiries from anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or concerned about someone's wellbeing.
   8. – 1800 629 354 – Mental Health Triage Service

c) For clients at risk of suicide, self-harm or harming others, Nellie Abdou will write a safety plan with You. If You have contacted any of the above crisis support services, please let Nellie Abdou know during Your next appointment, or by email prior to the appointment.

8. Communication
a) Nellie Abdou will communicate with You in the following ways:

i. Appointments are conducted via video conferencing, such as Zoom, Google Meet or by telephone.
ii. Reminders for appointments are sent via Splose.
iii. If You have not shown up to Your appointment we will send You a text message and telephone You.
iv. If there is an urgent or time-sensitive situation we need to talk to you about, we will text You or telephone You.
v. Outside of urgent or time-sensitive situations, we will only contact you via telephone if You consent to contact via telephone.
vi. All other communication with You will be by email or text message.

b) Nellie Abdou will not contact You via social media for any clinical or administrative matters.
c) Please do not contact Nellie Abdou via social media for clinical or administrative matters.

d) Nellie Abdou is generally not available to respond to requests for clinical advice via phone call, email or text outside of Your appointment. Please limit Your discussions outside of appointment times to administrative matters, such as booking or cancelling appointments.

e) For any administrative matters outside of your regular appointment, please send Nellie Abdou an email or text message.
f) For clients living with disability, Nellie Abdou provides a messaging service via Splose as a disability accommodation.
g) Nellie Abdou reserves the right to require communication via Splose or email. You acknowledge and agree that requesting a phone call does not entitle You to a phone call.
h) Abusive, threatening, harrassing or intimidating behaviour towards Nellie Abdou via telephone will result in the telephone call being terminated, without further notice to You, and Your phone number being blocked.
i) Abusive, threatening, harrassing or intimidating behaviour towards Nellie Abdou via email will result in Your email address being blocked, without further notice to You.
j) Abusive, threatening, harrassing or intimidating behaviour towards Nellie Abdou via social media account will result in Your social media account being blocked, without further notice to You.
) All communication between You and Nellie Abdou via any medium becomes part of Your client record that Nellie Abdou is legally required to keep – this includes emails, text messages and social media contact.

9. Warranty
a) Nellie Abdou will use its best efforts and take all reasonable steps to help You achieve the desired results. However, Nellie Abdou makes no warranty that the Services will meet Your requirements or that all clients will achieve the same results.

b) The Services do come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. For major failures with the Service, You are entitled to cancel Your Service contract with Nellie Abdou, and are entitled to a refund for the unused portion, or to compensation for its reduced value. A major failure with the service is defined by the Australian Consumer Law and includes but is not limited to severe situations where a service is unfit for the purpose it is sold or creates an unsafe situation.
10. Liability
a) Nellie Abdou’ total liability arising out of or in connection with the Services or these Terms, however arising, including under contract, tort (including negligence), in equity, under statute or otherwise, will not exceed the resupply of the Services to You.
10. Disclosure and Use of Confidential Information

a) All obligations of confidence set out in this Agreement continue in full force and effect after the completion of the Services.
b) You acknowledge and agree that your personal information and health information may be viewed by relevant staff members at Nellie Abdou, including your primary and secondary allied health practitioners, their clinical supervisor or the clinical lead, director and administrative staff, as required, for Nellie Abdou to provide the Services to You.
c) Both parties must not disclose any Confidential Information to any third party, including clients, and/or its agents, employees or servants, without Your prior consent.
d) This Agreement prohibits the disclosure of Confidential Information by both Parties with exception to the following circumstances:
i. the disclosure is to a professional adviser for it to provide advice in relation to matters arising under or in connection with this Agreement, or the other Party has consented to the disclosure of such information to the professional adviser;
ii. You have consented to a secondary use or disclosure.
iii. the disclosure is required or authorised by or under an Australian law or regulation, or under a court/tribunal order
iv. the disclosure is reasonably necessary for one or more enforcement related activities; or
v. a permitted general situation exists in relation to a secondary use or disclosure, and the disclosure could reasonably be expected to occur to facilitate the secondary purpose.
vi. if the confidential information is already in the public domain at no fault of the other Party.
vii. other situations as outlined in Nellie Abdou’s Privacy Policy.

11. Termination Clause
Either party may terminate this Agreement for any reason whatsoever, upon providing 7 days written notice (including by email) to the other party.

12. Dispute Resolution
a) If a dispute arises out of or relates to the terms of this Agreement, either party may not commence any legal proceedings in relation to the dispute, unless the following clauses have been complied with (except where urgent interlocutory relief is sought).

b) A party to this Agreement claiming a dispute (the Dispute) has arisen under the terms of this Agreement, must give written notice to the other party detailing the nature of the Dispute, the desired outcome and the action required to settle the Dispute (‘the Notice’).
c) On receipt of the Notice by the other party, the parties must within 7 days from the date the Notice was served, attempt in good faith to resolve the Dispute as expeditiously as possible, including by negotiation or such other means upon which they may mutually agree.

d) If for any reason whatsoever, 21 days after the date the Notice was served, the Dispute has not been resolved the parties must either agree upon the selection of a mediator or request that an appropriate mediator be appointed by the President of the Law Society of Victoria.

e) It is agreed that mediation will be held in Victoria, with the venue to be agreed.

f) The parties agree to be equally liable for the fees and reasonable expenses of a mediator and the cost of the venue of the mediation and undertake to pay any amounts requested by the mediator as a pre-condition to the mediation commencing. The parties must each pay their own costs associated with the mediation.

g) All communications concerning negotiations made by the parties arising out of and in connection with this clause are confidential and to the fullest extent possible, must be treated as “without prejudice” negotiations.

h) In the event that the Dispute is not resolved at the conclusion of the mediation, either party may institute legal proceedings concerning the subject matter of the Dispute.

13. No partnership or agency
Nothing contained or implied in this Agreement will create or constitute, or be deemed to create or constitute, a partnership between the parties. A party must not act, represent or hold itself out as having authority to act as the agent of or in any way bind or commit the other parties to any obligation.

14. Governing Law & Jurisdiction
a)    This Agreement is governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia.
b)    In the event of any dispute arising out of or in relation to the Services, Nellie Abdou agrees that the exclusive venue for resolving any dispute shall be in the courts of Australia, situated in Victoria, Australia.

15. Severance
Any provision of this Agreement that is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction will, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions of this Agreement or affecting the validity or enforceability of such provisions in any other jurisdiction.

16. Entire Agreement and Modifications
a) Both You and Nellie Abdou confirm and acknowledge that these Terms and Conditions and the Booking Confirmation constitute the entire agreement between You and Nellie Abdou and shall supersede and override all previous communications, either oral or written, between the parties.

b) Please be aware that we may change our Business Terms and Conditions in the future. We may modify our Business Terms and Conditions at any time, in our sole discretion and all modifications will be effective immediately upon our posting of the modifications on our website or notice board. Please check back from time to time to review our Business Terms and Conditions.

"Supporting the mental health and well being of
neurodivergent children and their families"

Location: Suite 6B, 80 Keilor Road, Essendon North. Melbourne, Victoria. 3041.
Email: info@thechildrensneurodiversityclinic.com.au
Phone: 0435 589 987

Resources

It's OK to Just Be Yourself (written by Jules Elizabeth).