Our standard sessions are 50 minutes in duration.
At Eric Rangel Therapy & Consulting (ERTC), our full session fee is $185.00, which is significantly below the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) recommended rate for private practice.
The AASW Schedule of Suggested Fees recommends a rate of $289 per hour for Accredited Mental Health Social Workers providing individual therapy.
This rate reflects the true cost of professional, ethical, and sustainable private practice, taking into account not only direct clinical time but also the essential non-billable work required for high-quality care.
The AASW’s recommended fee recognises that a therapy session involves more than the 50–60 minutes spent with a client. The $289 rate includes the time, resources, and professional obligations that ensure safe, evidence-based, and client-centred care.
This includes:
Session preparation (reviewing notes, planning interventions, updating treatment goals)
Post-session documentation (clinical notes, progress summaries, risk updates)
Brief client communication (emails, SMS updates, administrative support)
Liaison with other professionals (GPs, psychiatrists, schools, case managers)
Writing letters or reports when clinically appropriate
Practice overheads (office rent, insurance, supervision, secure record keeping, administration)
Ongoing professional development and CPD training to maintain skills, accreditation, and ethical practice
This recommended rate ensures that private practitioners can provide safe, high-quality, trauma-informed mental health care while covering the full cost of running a professional counselling practice.
Although the AASW recommends $289 per hour, ERTC maintains a full fee of $185.00, making therapy more accessible while still upholding high clinical standards, ethical practice, and ongoing professional development.
At Eric Rangel Therapy & Consulting, we aim to provide high-quality, reliable, and accessible counselling services. To ensure fairness for all clients and to support the sustainability of our small private practice, a clear cancellation and rescheduling policy applies to every booking.
When you schedule an appointment, you will be informed of our cancellation policy.
By completing your initial intake paperwork, you acknowledge the importance of providing adequate notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your session.
As a courtesy, we send email and SMS reminders 72 hours before your appointment. While we do our best to send reminders, it is ultimately your responsibility to remember your scheduled sessions.
Our policy is designed to:
Use your therapist’s time effectively, including the preparation completed before each session
Offer appointment times to other clients, including those seeking urgent support
Sustain our small private practice, as late cancellations can lead to income loss and reduced service availability
We recognise that unexpected events happen. However, therapy sessions are longer and more involved than typical medical appointments, making it difficult to fill last-minute cancellations.
Missed or late-cancelled appointments can:
Delay your own therapeutic progress
Reduce access for other clients, including those in urgent need
Impact your therapist, who prepares and reserves this time specifically for you
For these reasons, our cancellation policy is essential—just like other appointment-based professional services.
To avoid a cancellation fee, please provide at least 48 business hours’ notice.
Example:
If your appointment is at 9:00 AM on Monday, you must cancel or reschedule before 9:00 AM on the Thursday prior.
In cases of hospitalisation, acute illness, or other genuine emergencies, cancellation fees may be waived at our discretion.
Please notify us as soon as possible so we can assist you and offer the earliest available alternative.
(These fees are not eligible for Medicare or private health rebates)
Late cancellations (within 48 business hours): 100% of the session fee
No-shows (missing your appointment without notice): 100% of the session fee
The most efficient way to cancel your appointment is via:
Email, or
SMS
Please ensure your message is sent before the 48-business-hour deadline.
Cancellation fees are due at the time of Late Cancellation or No Show
Future appointments cannot be booked until any outstanding cancellation fees are paid.
Your time is valuable, and so is ours. Maintaining consistent attendance helps support your therapeutic progress and ensures that our practice can continue offering timely, high-quality care to the wider community.
If you have any questions about our cancellation policy, please reach out anytime — we’re here to help.
If you have any additional questions, please reach out to us.
At Eric Rangel Therapy & Consulting (ERTC), we offer high-quality, trauma-informed counselling and psychotherapy at our Randwick Office as well as via telehealth. Our goal is to make mental health support accessible, transparent, and affordable.
50-minute counselling or psychotherapy session: $185.00
This applies to both in-person and telehealth sessions during standard business hours.
Standard sessions:
$185.00 – $89.50 = $95.50 out-of-pocket
This makes regular counselling more accessible for clients seeking ongoing support.
Extended-hours appointments are available via telehealth and are billed at the standard rate of $185.00 per session.
