Frequently asked questions

I’m a lawyer with a background in public policy and regulatory simplification. I started Psychmatch because the lack of information and comparison available in the health sector can make it really difficult to find the right professional – where word of mouth is often the best option.

We think part of the problem is the lack of information available to help the patient or person making the referral decide whether a psychologist or counsellor is going to be a good fit.

If we want to improve the outcomes for people with depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions, Australia needs to get smarter about the way we make referrals. Given lack of motivation is a common symptom for many conditions, we need to make the referrals process smoother and easier and we need to make sure that when someone does go to see a psychologist or councillor, it is a positive and constructive experience that will keep them coming back for further therapy.

These are the problems we are trying to solve at Psychmatch.

Psychmatch is free for clients. We only ask that clients complete a short questionnaire after their first session. This feedback is very important because it allows us to properly test if the criteria for matching is working as intended.

Clients will of course have to pay to see a psychologist or counsellor. Before seeing a psychologist, clients should get a mental health plan from their GP so sessions can be covered by Medicare. Currently, clients can claim up to 20 sessions a year. There may be out of pocket expenses if the psychologist’s fees is higher than what is covered by Medicare. For no out-of-pocket expenses, clients should enquire about bulk billing. We indicate out of pocket expenses when we propose a match.

Medicare does not cover sessions with counsellors. However, widening the pool of providers increases the likelihood of finding a better match sooner. It gives clients more choice and control over who they see and when they can see them.

Psychmatch is free for therapists to find compatible client. Therapists pay a monthly fee for our Match to Manage service. We ask that therapists also complete a short feedback survey so we can properly test the match.

Psychmatch identifies compatible matches between a client and therapist. Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee that a therapist will see a client even after accepting the match as the decision ultimately rests with them.

A match and placement can be almost instantaneous or can take up to two weeks depending on compatibility results, the therapist's response time and the client's response time.

We indicate if matches are on-line or F2F but note consistent studies have found no real difference in treatment outcomes between online and F2F counselling. See a recent study of studies here.

1. Clients and therapists complete a questionnaire

2. Psychmatch identifies a potential match

3. Clients accept the match

4. Therapists' accept the match

5. We share their contact details

6. They book an appointment

7. They provide feedback - we'll email a questionnaire.

Important Note

Psychmatch is NOT an emergency service. It should not be used in an emergency or acute mental health circumstances. If you are experiencing severe distress requiring an urgent response, call – 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Match to manage is a tool for therapists to help reduce admin and manage burnout.

1. Complete questionnaire

2. Get individual ID and link

3. Send these to new enquiries to complete questionnaire

4. Get compatibility profiles

5. Decide how to action

6. Provide feedback.

The compatibility profile outlines the likely strength of the working relationship between a client and therapist.

It is not a clinical diagnosis. It can be used to help inform decisions or for personal reflection.

We calculate compatibility based on the following criteria:

• Personality: a match on personality type

• Copying style: a match on how parties prefer to deal with a problem

• Therapeutic orientation: a match on goals for treatment, such as the importance of focusing on certain issues and problems

• Shared life experiences: a match on shared interests such as values and past times.

We also measure overall readiness for therapy and factor in demographic preferences to provide a comprehensive match.

The profile displays all scores as a %. The higher the overall scores the better the match is likely to be. Each criterion is allocated a score using standardised statistical methods. These individual scores are converted into overall compatibility and readiness for therapy scores.

The criterions are derived from a mix of research published in academic journals, advice from an expert panel of PhD level experts in psychology and similar fields and extensive stakeholder testing.

See our methodology for more details.

Psychmatch will use data provided in the client and therapist questionnaires for 3 primary purposes:

1. to match a client and therapist,

2. to run the match to manage service, and

3. for ongoing research and development.

Matching

Psychmatch will use data provided in the client and therapist questionnaires to match a client and therapist.

We will generate match results (compatibility profiles) and share this with the client and therapist we propose to match. We will also include any referral letter or mental health plan that is provided.

Should both parties accept the match, we share their respective contact details so they can connect. If a client or therapist does not wish to share their contact details, they should not accept the match. However, this will impact their ability to use our service.

Accepting a match does not guarantee a client will get in to see a therapist. Both parties must accept the match. Even then, the decision ultimately rests with the therapist.

Results of a match are referred to as ‘client/therapist’ profiles or compatibility profiles.

The client profile that goes to the therapist will include (without limitation):

• The client’s full name or client ID, (whichever is applicable)

• The overall compatibility score and a break-down of the following scores:

  • Personality

  • Coping style

  • Therapeutic orientation

  • Shared life experiences

• The overall readiness for therapy score and a break-down of the following dimensions:

  • Importance of change

  • Confidence of change

  • Readiness to change

  • Feeling supported

  • Timeframe for change

  • Summary of areas of concern

  • Supports currently in place

• Likely mode of delivery

• Any referral letter or mental health plan that the client chooses to provide.

The Therapist profile that goes to the client will include (without limitation):

• The Therapist full name or Therapist ID (whichever is applicable)

• The overall compatibility score and a break-down of the following scores:

  • Personality

  • Coping style

  • Therapeutic orientation

  • Shared life experiences

• Average wait times

• Average fees

• Readiness for therapy score and

• Likely mode of delivery.

Match to Manage

Psychmatch will use data provided in the client and therapist questionnaires to allow therapists to sort new enquiries through matching.

We provide the same compatibility profile as outlined above to the therapist only.

Therapists are also sent compatibility profiles for other clients that are highly matched. These profiles are not identifiable. Client details, including name and contact number, are only shared should both parties accept the match.

Ongoing Research and Development

Psychmatch will use data provided in the client and therapist questionnaires to improve the matching algorithm, our service offering and future research and development.

Psychmatch is a social enterprise and a big part of our objective is research and development.

At the moment the scales i.e. questionnaires we use are 90+ questions long and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. This length is necessary to ensure we get accurate readings. However, as more people complete the questionnaire we may do factor analysis to shorten the questions while still keeping the results robust.

The predicators of a good match is still a matter of ongoing research. In order to ensure the match is effective we will need to do a short follow up questionnaire. This revision point is important because it allows us to properly test if the criteria for matching is working as intended.

We want to share our knowledge, without paywalls, so that anyone can get better treatment outcomes. From time to time, Psychmatch may publish research findings based on the data we collected. Any research published will be de-identifiable and cannot be linked to any one person.

More details?

See our privacy policy and website Ts&Cs.

Please refer to our section on methodology here.