For patients · June 2026
Psychiatrist, psychologist, or GP: who do you actually need?
Three different mental health roles, three different jobs. A plain-language guide to who does what and how to choose the right starting point.
Conditions we see
PTSD and trauma, alongside your psychologist.
Trauma-focused therapy is often the main treatment for PTSD. When your GP or psychologist would like a specialist view on diagnosis, other conditions or medication, a psychiatrist can add that and share a written plan with your care team.
In plain words
What PTSD is
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic event. Common signs include reliving the event through memories or flashbacks, avoiding reminders of it, changes in mood and thinking, and feeling constantly on edge or easily startled.
When these symptoms last more than a month and affect daily life, a doctor may consider PTSD. Not everyone affected by trauma has PTSD, and trauma can also sit behind other difficulties such as low mood, anxiety or poor sleep. Treatment usually centres on trauma-focused psychological therapy, sometimes with medication as well.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Source: Healthdirect: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
When to ask
When a psychiatrist can help with trauma
Many people with PTSD are well supported by a psychologist and their GP and never need a psychiatrist. Adding one can help in situations like these.
- Therapy has helped only partly, and your GP or psychologist would like a specialist view on whether medication has a place.
- You also have depression, anxiety or sleep problems, and it is hard to tell what is driving what.
- Your GP is prescribing for you and would like the plan reviewed by a specialist.
- Nobody has confirmed a diagnosis yet, and your psychologist would find a psychiatrist’s view useful for planning therapy.
What we add
Working with the psychologist who treats you
Your psychologist usually leads trauma treatment. Our part is to add a medical view in a way that supports that work.
- With your consent, the psychiatrist speaks with your treating psychologist before and after the assessment, so the two sides of your care line up.
- We pace the assessment. The focus is on how symptoms affect you now, you choose how much you say about what happened, and you can ask to slow down or stop.
- A look at what sits around the trauma, such as sleep, low mood, alcohol or anxiety, and what may be keeping symptoms going.
- Advice on whether medication has a place, set out in a written plan for your GP and psychologist, with a letter to your GP after every visit.
- If trauma-focused therapy is not in place yet, a referral to a psychologist who provides it.
Related services: Ongoing psychiatry care, Second opinion
Your first appointment
Before your first appointment
It is normal to feel uneasy about an appointment where you know trauma will come up. You can bring a support person, and you can ask for a break whenever you need one.
If you already see a psychologist, tell us their name and practice so the psychiatrist can speak with them, with your permission. Anything you have worked out with your psychologist about what brings symptoms on or what helps you settle is worth bringing. So is a list of the medicines you take, including anything for sleep, and letters from earlier treatment. Please keep details of the trauma itself out of our website form, because your GP’s referral and the appointment are the right places for those.
Referral and scope
Getting referred
Your GP writes the referral, and it helps if they name your treating psychologist in it so we can coordinate from the start.
Your GP will find the steps on how to refer. To check we're the right fit, send a short enquiry and leave clinical details out.
We don’t provide medico-legal or court assessments, and we don’t see patients through a transport accident (TAC) claim. Everything we see and don't see is listed on our page for referrers.
Outcome Health Psychiatry & Mental Health Services is a private service and is not a crisis service. If you need help now, call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Fees
What it's likely to cost
When your psychologist leads treatment and your GP wants a specialist opinion, a one-off assessment and plan is often enough. Nurse practitioner appointments can support you between psychiatrist visits if the psychiatrist stays involved.
Item Service Duration Fee Out of pocket
A1
One-off psychiatrist assessment & GP plan
Approx 60 min
$1,000
~$530
A2
Initial psychiatrist consultation, ongoing care
More than 45 min
$800
~$530
A6
Mental Health Nurse Practitioner appointment
40–60+ mins
$250
~$122–$133
Medicare rebates are estimates only and depend on referral type, eligibility, consultation duration, the item actually billed and the psychiatrist’s clinical judgement. The Medicare Safety Net, DVA arrangements, third-party funding, payment processing fees and cancellation fees are not included in the gap estimates.
Payment is required in advance for all appointments. The full schedule, including every item, is on our fees and FAQ page.
Questions
Common questions about PTSD and trauma
Do I need a psychologist as well?
Often, yes. Trauma-focused psychological therapy is a main part of treatment for PTSD. If you already have a psychologist, we work alongside them and share the plan through your GP. If you do not, the psychiatrist can recommend a referral.
Can you write a report for a legal matter?
No. We don’t provide medico-legal or court assessments. If you need a report for a legal matter, your GP or lawyer can help you find a psychiatrist who does that work.
Can my reviews be by telehealth?
Your first appointment is preferably in person at our clinic in Blackburn. Once we know you, reviews can be by telehealth anywhere in Victoria.
Which fee applies if my psychologist leads my treatment?
Usually the one-off assessment and plan (item A1), which is $1,000, with an estimated out-of-pocket cost of about $530 after the Medicare rebate. If the psychiatrist will stay involved, you start instead with an initial consultation for ongoing care (A2) at $800. Gap figures are estimates, and you pay before the appointment.
Resources
Further reading before you book.
All resources 
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