Welcome to Tidal Minds Psychology

Servicing Jan Juc, Torquay and the Surf Coast

I’m Bec Abbott, a registered psychologist with over 10 years of experience working across a range of mental health settings, including many years in community health.

To me, community is about people, diversity, different ways of being and living, and the real circumstances shaping each person’s life.

People come to therapy for many different reasons. We all face struggles. Some challenges build up slowly, others come in seasons, and some hit hard and knock us off our feet. There may have been a significant event, or difficulties may have been present for years. For some, it’s the accumulation of everyday pressures — work, parenting, relationships, health, loss, or changing life stages — that begins to feel overwhelming.

My role is to help you make sense of what’s going on, understand what’s beneath the surface, and identify patterns that may have been around for a long time, along with what’s currently adding to or maintaining challenges. From there, we focus on what can help things feel more manageable and sustainable.

I work a lot with trauma – both the big, life-changing events and the smaller, often overlooked experiences that still leave a mark and impact emotional wellbeing over time. I also support people with their sense of self and identity, navigating relationships, work stress, parenting, and adjusting to later life stages.

Who I Work With

I provide individual sessions, working with adults (18+), older adults, parents and parents-to-be, and neurodivergent adults. I welcome people from all cultural backgrounds and LGBTQIA+ clients.

I’m unable to provide services to children, couples, for AOD/addiction issues, specialist eating disorder treatment, formal assessments (cognitive or neuropsychological testing) or crisis support.

Common Concern/Presenting Issues

I support people with a variety of concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and loss, stress, relationship or communication difficulties, adjustment issues, parenting and perinatal adjustment, older adulthood transitions, chronic conditions, work or study pressures, and navigating neurodivergence.

Approach/Style

I work in a collaborative and practical way. Therapy is client-led – your goals and priorities guide the process. The strongest predictor of positive outcomes is the relationship between therapist and client, not the specific interventions used. My work is trauma-informed and integrates polyvagal-informed and somatic principles alongside attachment theory. I integrate schema therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and mindfulness where helpful.

Providing both In-Person & Telehealth services

Starting Therapy / What to Expect

Starting therapy should feel manageable and supportive. Here’s how it works:

Booking Your First Session:

Our admin team will help you schedule your first appointment and advise if there is a waitlist. Before your session, forms will be emailed for you to complete.

Your First Session:

During your first session, we’ll spend some time going over the important information in our informed consent form, including the nature of the service, what to expect, and any limitations.

Getting to know you:

We’ll then focus on understanding what’s happening for you, what you hope to get out of therapy, and what support would be most helpful. We’ll also review some relevant history.

Screening & Assessment:

You may complete some screening questionnaires (in person or between sessions online) to help us understand your presenting concerns more clearly.

Planning Your Therapy:

Often, it takes one or two sessions to gather this information. After that, we’ll work together to decide session frequency, approach, strategies and what outcomes we are hoping to get – we call this a treatment plan.

This also gives you the time and opportunity to see if I feel like the right fit for you. If I’m not, that is absolutely okay, and I can help find someone else who might be a better fit.

Ongoing Therapy:

Once we’ve started working together, we’ll follow the plan we’ve mapped out, adjusting direction and approaches as needed to best support you. Life can bring changes that may shift our focus or pause progress, and that’s completely normal. There’s no set length for therapy—some people benefit from just a few sessions, while others continue longer-term. We’ll figure out the right pace and focus together as we go.

Contact Tidal Minds

If you would like to make an enquiry, please
fill out this form and we will be in touch.

Alternatively email admin@tidalminds.com.au

Frequently Asked Questions

You might have some more questions for us before we work together. See below a list of frequently asked questions. If you can’t find your answer here please reach out to us and we’ll do our best to answer.

What are your fees?

Standard sessions are $200 and run for 50 minutes.

Do I need a referral?

It depends on how you plan to pay for your sessions. Here’s a simple guide:

Medicare (Mental Health Treatment Plan)
You do need a referral.

Current Medicare rebate is $98.95 (out-of-pocket fee $101.05)

To claim a Medicare rebate you must:
• have a diagnosable mental health condition, and
• visit your GP for a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP).

Your GP will provide a referral to a psychologist.
You pay for each session upfront and Medicare reimburses you directly into your bank account.
Medicare currently covers up to 10 sessions per calendar year:
• 6 sessions initially
• then 4 additional sessions after a GP review

I will help you keep track of your sessions and rebates.  Please note: we cannot process a Medicare rebate without a valid GP referral and MHTP.

Private Health Insurance
You do NOT need a referral.

Most private health funds cover psychology sessions. You will:
1. Pay for the session upfront
2. Claim the rebate directly from your fund
Coverage and rebate amounts vary, so please check with your insurer.

Important: You cannot claim both Medicare and private health rebates for the same session.

Third-Party Funded Clients
WorkSafe (Victoria)
• Requires WorkSafe approval and a GP referral

Transport Accident Commission (TAC)
• Requires a referral from a doctor or other treating health professional recommending psychological treatment for a TAC-related injury

Victims of Crime (VOC/VOCAT)
• Funding requires an application or approved referral through the Tribunal or support program

VACU (Ambulance Victoria employees)
• No referral required — self-referral accepted

Private Paying
You do not need a referral.
You are welcome to self-refer and pay privately for your sessions.

If you’re unsure which option applies to you, feel free to contact me, and I can help you work it out.

How do I pay?

You can make payments either via electronic bank transfer (EFT) (before the session) or through our secure card payment system, using a credit or debit card. Card payments can be processed in person via Zeller tap-and-go facilities or online via Stripe. A card processing fee applies to all card payments.

As part of beginning your care with us, you will be asked to securely enter your credit card details when completing your intake form. This allows for a more streamlined payment process and helps manage late cancellations or missed appointments in line with our practice policy.

Card payments are processed securely via Zeller (for in-person payments) and Stripe (for online payments), both of which meet industry-standard security requirements. More information about Stripe’s security measures can be found here: https://docs.stripe.com/security

What if I need to cancel?

Therapy works best when we both commit to our scheduled time, and appointment slots are reserved especially for you.
Please provide at least 48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule so that the session can be offered to someone else.

A $100 fee applies for late cancellations, and the full session fee applies for missed appointments (DNAs). Please note that cancellation fees cannot be claimed through Medicare. We understand that emergencies happen and will always do our best to work with you in those circumstances.

Do you provide legal assessments or court reports?

I do not provide medico-legal or forensic assessments, expert opinions, or court reports.
If you have current or upcoming legal proceedings, please let me know as soon as possible, as this may affect your treatment.

What I can provide
I may be able to prepare:
• Confirmation of attendance
• A brief psychological treatment summary
• A supporting letter outlining the work we have done together

These documents:
• are charged at the standard hourly rate
• are not eligible for a Medicare rebate
Please note these reports cannot be completed at short notice, so it’s important to request them well in advance.

Can I contact you between sessions?

There is limited capacity to communicate outside of scheduled sessions.
Contact should generally be for administrative matters, such as rescheduling appointments or confirming details, which is usually handled by our admin team via phone or email.
If you feel you need to discuss something important before your next session, you are welcome to contact us to request an earlier appointment so we can address your needs in a session.

Who do I contact if I need urgent help?

Tidal Minds Psychology is not a crisis service.

If you or someone you care about is in crisis, feeling unsafe, or experiencing emotional distress, it’s important to reach out. The services below provide support, guidance, and safety assistance, many 24/7. You do not need to be a client to contact them.

Crisis & Mental Health Support
• Emergency (000) – 24/7 for life-threatening emergencies.
• Lifeline – 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention by phone, text, or online chat. Call 13 11 14, text 0477 13 11 14.
• Suicide Call Back Service – 24/7 support via phone, online chat, or video for people affected by suicide. Call 1300 659 467.
• Beyond Blue Support Service – 24/7 support for anxiety, depression, and emotional distress. Call 1300 22 4636.
• headspace – Support for young adults and parents, phone and online chat available 9 am–1 am daily (AEST).
• 13YARN – 24/7 crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Call 13 92 76.
• SANE Australia Helpline – 10 am–10 pm (AEST) daily for support, information, and peer forums. Call 1800 187 263.
• Healthdirect – 24/7 health advice line for guidance and referrals. Call 1800 022 222.

Domestic & Family Violence Support
• 1800RESPECT – 24/7 national sexual assault, domestic, and family violence counselling. Call 1800 737 732 or access online chat.
• Safe Steps (Victoria) – 24/7 family violence response service. Call 1800 015 188.
• MensLine Australia – 24/7 support for men experiencing family and domestic violence or relationship challenges. Call 1300 78 99 78.

Perinatal & Parenting Support
• PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia) – Support for parents experiencing perinatal anxiety or depression. Phone counselling 9 am–7:30 pm AEST, online support 24/7. Call 1300 726 306.
• Parentline (Victoria) – Telephone support for parents and carers. 8 am–10 pm daily. Call 13 22 89.
• SANDS Australia – Support for parents after pregnancy loss or stillbirth. Phone and email support 9 am–5 pm. Call 1300 072 637.

Can I bring my baby/child?

Yes — absolutely. I understand that it can be difficult to attend appointments and arrange childcare, especially with a baby or toddler.

If possible, we encourage you to come on your own so you can have dedicated, uninterrupted time to focus on yourself. However, it is completely okay to bring your baby or young child if needed.

As children get older, it’s important to keep in mind that some therapy conversations may not be appropriate for them to hear. Some parents choose to bring headphones and a device to help keep older children occupied during the session.

If you’re unsure what might work best, feel free to reach out, and we can talk it through.