Your local, experienced and caring Psychologist in Gerringong

Our purpose

We believe in meaningful connections that inspire change. Our experience and genuine care will support you through challenging times. We take the time to get to know you and tailor your therapy to help you live your best life.

Meet Meryl

Bachelor of Psychology (B.PSYCH), Masters of Management (M.MGT)

Hi, I'm Meryl, founder of Knox Psychology.

I am a registered psychologist in Gerringong providing counselling and therapy for adults, children and adolescents.

Sometimes we experience situations in life that can be difficult to navigate. I can help you clarify issues, increase your self-awareness, explore options and develop strategies to manage your situation more effectively. Many people seeking counselling are after support to address challenging circumstances. They can benefit from grief counselling, parenting support and stress management.

I have experience working with children, adolescents and their families. I am passionate about providing assistance to obtain a diagnosis (where required) and also providing treatment so they can thrive and have the opportunity to live their best life. You may be worried about your child’s development and need help to unfold your child’s difficulties, or you need assistance with a diagnosis. Perhaps you are concerned about how your teenager is coping with some of the challenges they are experiencing. My focus is to assist the family through psychoeducation, teach the child strategies to assist them through life and provide a safe and gentle environment for your child or teenager.

I am passionate about working with you to live your best life by getting you closer to achieving your goals. I have a collaborative, accepting, compassionate and respectful approach to therapy.

My special areas of interest are:

Anxiety
Depression
Trauma
Working with people with disabilities, including assessments and reports for NDIS funding
Psychological assessments and reports
ADHD and Autism assessments for children and adults (ADOS trained - the gold standard in assessing Autism)
Parenting and behavioural issues, including help with challenging behaviours and emotional regulation

Outside of work, I love spending time with my friends and family and our two dogs, Bo and Kosmo.

I look forward to meeting you,

What we do

With experience in providing counselling to children, adolescents, and adults, we can assist with diagnosis and the treating of psychological disorders, including depression and anxiety, among others. We use approaches that are flexible and suited to your needs and that feel right for you. Therapy sessions will help you better understand your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, along with providing strategies to reduce or manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life.

We strive to form a gentle and safe relationship when working with children, adolescents and their families to understand the world through the child’s eyes. Some children may need assistance to articulate their feelings, and through working with a psychologist, the child and family can begin to understand why they may feel a certain way and how they can help the young person.

We believe in equipping children and adolescents with tools and strategies to use in their lives and setting them up for success. Diagnosis is based on thorough assessment, including milestones, behavioural difficulties, social skills, mental and emotional wellbeing, and development.

We are specialised in assessing various disorders for example Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to assist in providing a diagnosis. Treatment plans are tailored to suit each child’s needs.

Teenagers can face many challenges in today’s society. Perceptions of being misunderstood and mental health issues such as anxiety or depression need specialised attention and care. Forming a safe and respectful relationship with teens is crucial to support them through any difficulties in their lives. The tools and strategies that we provide to adolescents may include cognitive restructuring, relaxation skills, education on anxiety and techniques for sleep and coping.

Our coaching sessions focus on harnessing your untapped potential in your career, sport or other interests. With a master’s degree in management and many years of experience working in senior management roles, Meryl is uniquely qualified to coach clients. These sessions can help you improve many aspects of your life by removing barriers that may have prevented you from achieving your goals in the past. Coaching is beneficial for those looking for support within their current role or future career paths.

We are also able to coach parents on the best ways to support their children during difficult situations.

Psychological testing is designed to help you and often provides profound insights into your behaviour and wellbeing. The results of the tests will help inform your treatment plan.

Psychologists use tests and other assessment tools to measure and observe a client’s behaviour to arrive at a diagnosis and guide treatment. Knox Psychology also offers ADHD and Autism assessments for children and adults (ADOS trained – the gold standard in assessing Autism). We provide comprehensive reports as required.

Other assessment services we provide include:

Functional assessments – to assess a person’s abilities, disabilities, strengths, challenges, improvements or decline in functioning; and areas that require support.

Intellectual Disability assessments – to determine whether a person meets the diagnostic criteria for intellectual disability. A cognitive assessment, adaptive assessment and history taking interview are necessary to make a diagnosis.

Cognitive assessments – to assess a person’s IQ.

Covid-19 Update

Knox Psychology offers both in-person and telehealth appointments. We are a COVIDSafe business, so please ask for a telehealth appointment if you have any symptoms and follow the advice provided by NSW Health.

FAQs

Many people are understandably nervous about attending their first session. It can seem overwhelming, and you may not know where to start, what you want to say or what you hope to achieve. This is very normal, and it’s our job to guide you through this process. We will provide a structure that will make it easy for you to get the most out of our time together. Our first session is very much about your psychologist getting to know you and you also getting to know your psychologist. Depending on the issue sometimes it will take more than one session to gather all the information we require. Once we have this information we can start working on an agreed treatment plan. Be assured that our team is warm, non-judgmental and will do their best to help you feel at ease.

Following your initial appointment, we will begin to explore the details of the difficulties you are facing and develop strategies that will help you cope with and manage them. We will also at this time begin to explore any possible diagnoses and assessments that may be required. Sometimes people will report benefits from therapy from as little as two sessions. Most people will continue for 8-15 sessions and feel confident enough to progress independently of therapy. Others will prefer a longer-term service. Sessions can be made weekly, fortnightly, or as needed. Typically, earlier therapy sessions will be more frequent and lead to longer periods between sessions.

You do not need a referral to see a psychologist. However, you may be eligible for a Medicare rebate if your GP refers you with a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP). If you would prefer to attend privately (not under an MHCP), you may be able to receive a rebate from your private health insurer. Please discuss this with your insurer directly.

People with an NDIS Plan can also access therapy and assessments from Knox Psychology at no cost, with fees drawn from their NDIS Plan.

A GP will need to determine your eligibility under the Better Access to Mental Health Care scheme. If you satisfy the criteria, your GP will prepare a Mental Health Care Plan and provide you with a referral. You can request a referral to our practice. You will then be entitled to claim a rebate from Medicare. Once you have a referral from your GP, you can claim up to 10 sessions.

Your GP will notify Medicare of your entitlement to claim a rebate for psychological services after preparing your Mental Health Care Plan. You will then be able to claim a portion of your costs back from Medicare. Please note that you will need to pay the full fee of your session at the time of your consultation and our healthcare management system will process the rebate for you, which is received in your bank account the following day or the day after.

For psychological services provided by a registered psychologist (50-60 minute session), the Medicare rebate is $88.25 per session.

Many private health insurers cover psychology services as part of their ‘extras’ cover. Please contact your insurer to see whether you are covered and what rebate you might receive. Unfortunately, it is not possible to claim your private health insurance rebate on top of your Medicare rebate. Some clients prefer to claim their rebate from their private health insurer and use their Medicare rebate when that runs out.

Not normally, however where necessary we may be able to organise weekend and after-hours appointments upon request. Please note that additional fees apply. Please contact us if you need to discuss after-hours or weekend appointments.

Our policy for missed appointments, reschedules, and cancellations align with our psychology peak bodies’ recommendations for private practice (Australian Psychological Society). This policy is necessary to ensure that Knox Psychology can continue to operate as a small business.

If you cannot attend, would like to reschedule, or need to cancel your appointment – you are required to give at least 24 hours’ notice, or 100% of the usual fee will be charged. If you provide notice within 48 hours, only 50% of the regular fee will be charged. Medicare pays no rebates for missed appointments.

The NDIS supports Australians living with disability, their families, and carers. The NDIS supports people with disabilities to build skills to be active participants in the community and improve their wellbeing. The NDIS covers the cost of support services related to a person’s disability to help them live a good life and achieve their goals. People with an NDIS Plan can access therapy and assessments from Knox Psychology at no cost, with fees drawn from their NDIS Plan as per the NDIS rates. Click here to learn more about NDIS and to apply.

In line with NDIS guidelines set by the Federal Government, a late cancellation is anything less than two business days’ notice. If you cancel your appointment with less than two days’ notice or do not attend, your NDIS Plan will be charged the session fee for the appointment.

Knox Psychology is not a crisis service, and as such, we encourage you to contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or call 000.