Our Intake and Booking Process
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At The Glow Centre, we offer therapy that feels supportive, while also being purposeful. Our work is grounded in evidence-based psychological approaches, using practical tools and strategies tailored to each individual.
Our aim is to provide ethical, high-quality care within the scope of our practice and the capacity of our team.
Our intake process is designed to thoughtfully match each client with the most suitable clinician for their needs. Our team is experienced in assessing clinical fit, and while we always consider client preferences and referral requests, recommendations are guided by experience to ensure the best possible fit. We take care in this process because we value each client’s experience and aim to support meaningful, lasting progress.
1. You can reach out to us or your doctor can send us your referral
We carefully consider each referral and enquiry to ensure our services are the right fit for a client’s needs and that we can provide the appropriate support.
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Call us: when you call us, our friendly reception team will gather basic information about your concerns and contact details. Rest assured that any information you share will be treated respectfully and confidentially and it will be forwarded to our Intakes Team.
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Submit a Booking Enquiry on our website: you can send a booking enquiry from this website. Information provided on the form will give our Intakes Team helpful information to get started.
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Doctor referral: if your GP, psychiatrist, or paediatrician has sent your referral to us, we will send you an SMS to introduce ourselves and to let you know that we will contact with you shortly.
Our Intakes Team team endeavour to make contact within 48-hours' to discuss booking options.
2. Intakes team consultation with you
Our intakes team are our Director and Principal Clinical Psychologist, Melissa, and our highly experienced Practice Manager, Kelly.
Once we have received your enquiry or referral, Melissa or Kelly will contact you to discuss your needs.
This brief conversation (approximately 15 minutes) helps us match you with our most appropriate psychologist.
It also helps us to assess whether our practice is the best fit for your needs, and if not, we will advise you at this point, and aim to provide you with suggestions for alternative services that may be more suitable.
This phone call is also an opportunity for us to answer any questions you may have, and for us to give you some information about our service terms and fees.
3. Matching you with your psychologist
Whilst you are free to choose your preferred psychologist at The Glow Centre, our matching process aims to ensure better outcomes. Should you wish to choose your own psychologist please be mindful that not all of our psychologists work with all issues, and have different capacity to take on new clients at different times.
Based on our intake consultation, we will match you with a psychologist who best fits your needs, and book a course of treatment (series of appointments).
When matching you to a psychologist, our intakes team will take into consideration the following:
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Your presenting issues, concerns, problems or symptoms
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Your age
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Your day and time preference
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Psychologist availability and capacity to take on new clients
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Psychologist expertise and scope of practice (i.e. the types of problems and issues they are trained to treat)
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Personality and style of the psychologist.
Our matches have a very high success rate but occasionally there will be a mismatch. Please let your psychologist know if you do not “click” with them, or would prefer to try a different treatment approach. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, you are encouraged to advise the Intakes Team.
Why do we ask you to book a series of appointments upfront?
Our policy is to book a series of 5-6 sessions upfront. Research tells us that getting off to a strong start with regular appointments helps to maintain consistency and leads to improved outcomes. Our psychologists also book out quickly, so pre-booking ensures continued availability.
Next step:
Complete our client intake
Following your conversation with our intakes team, you will receive a “welcome email” containing a link to complete your client intake, which will include the following:
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Client information: personal and medical information
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Informed consent: to ensure you understand and agree to our privacy and treatment policies before we get started.
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Questionnaires: To assess how you have been feeling recently, which helps your clinician prepare for your first session.
Referral paperwork (if not already provided by your doctor)
If you are planning to claim Medicare rebates, we ask that you send your referral paperwork within 3 days of booking. If we had been sent your referral as first point of contact, we will have the documention on file ready to go.
If you had contacted us directly to book:
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Send us your referral via email (password protected email is recommended), or
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Contact your doctor's office to request that they send the referral to us via fax or secure email.
Additional documents
If applicable, please forward any relevant supporting documents to assist us in understanding your history and needs.
Why we ask you to complete the intake and send documentation ahead of the first session
1. Clinicians prepare to meet you well ahead of your first session
To make the most of your very first session, your clinician invests time beforehand preparing for you. They will typically set aside preparation time in the days leading up to your appointment — sometimes up to a week in advance, depending on their schedule. When clinicians already have background information, less time is needed in-session for administrative details. That means more time for you to talk about your concerns, clarify your goals, and begin planning your therapeutic path.
2. Informed clinical planning
The intake materials provide insight into your history, symptoms, and priorities — helping your assigned clinician to orient themselves to your situation even before you meet, and to think ahead about what might be most helpful early on.
3. Therapeutic clarity and informed consent
Having your informed consent, privacy, and treatment boundaries clarified in advance means we can begin your therapy ethically and transparently from the first moment, without interruptions or backtracking. Our intake and consent documents also outline important information about our policies, fees, confidentiality, and how we work with clients. Completing these forms prior to your first appointment ensures you have time to review and understand this information, ask any questions if needed, and confirm that you are comfortable proceeding with treatment.
4. Continuity of care in complex cases
If you have been referred by another professional, or have prior assessments or reports, these documents help us safely integrate your care, avoid duplication, and understand your profile more holistically.
5. Reduced stress and a smoother start
Being prepared ahead of time means less to do on the day. You won’t need to fill in long forms during your session; instead, you can begin more quickly and comfortably with what matters most: your story, your goals, and developing a direction forward.
We understand that completing online forms or gathering documents can feel tedious. However, your investment now translates directly into a more focused, productive, and respectful first meeting, tailored to you.
If you have any challenges completing forms or sourcing documents, just let us know — we’re here to help make the process as smooth as possible.
Preparing for your first appointment
Getting ready for therapy
Your journey begins with the initial session, where you will meet your assigned clinician. Together, you will discuss your concerns in detail and develop a tailored treatment plan to guide your therapy.
Here are a few things you can do to prepare for your first session:
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Block out time before and after your session: Taking some time to reflect and focus before your session will help you get into a reflective space and get the most out of your session. Big emotions might be evoked during your session, so having time to calm down and recalibrate after your session, before going back to work/school/family life, is also important.
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Think about what you want to achieve: Perhaps write down your reasons for seeking help. Bring them along to your session.
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Don’t be afraid to ask questions: Your first session will probably involve your clinician asking lots of questions of you. It is equally important that you ask questions of us, to ensure you feel comfortable and confident going forward.
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Check our location and parking: To make arriving as seamless as possible, take a look at our Contact Us page for detailed location information and photos. We recommend arriving early to allow time to find a carpark (it can get busy sometimes).