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Quercus Psychology

An independent psychology practice dedicated to providing personalised, evidence-based care and support to adults seeking mental health treatment.

Services

At Quercus Psychology, services include individual psychological therapy as well as peer supervision for psychologists and related professionals. All services can be provided either in-person or via telehealth.

Individual Psychotherapy

Dan provides psychological treatment to adults using a variety of evidence-based frameworks. He is trained primarily in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Professional Supervision

Dan is a Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) approved supervisor and holds endorsement (AoPE) in clinical psychology. He is able to offer ad hoc or ongoing peer supervision, or act as a principal or secondary supervisor subject to capacity.

About Dan

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Dr Dan Carabellese | Clinical Psychologist

Dan is a curious, open-minded, and compassionate psychologist who strives to understand each person individually. He works with adults of all genders, sexual orientations, age groups, neurotypes, and cultural backgrounds.

Dan's priority is developing a nuanced understanding of your experience and tailoring treatment to suit your needs. He offers thorough and detailed assessment and is committed to evidence-based, high quality, and neurodiversity-affirming practice.

A holistic approach to health is very important to Dan, who will be delighted to liaise with other members of your treatment team.

Outside of work, Dan enjoys time in nature, woodworking, and photography. He is a passionate fan of oak trees (genus Quercus) and is a proud member of the International Oak Society (IOS).

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Areas of Practice

Dan can assist adults (18+) experiencing a variety of mental health concerns including:

  • Mood and depressive disorders.

  • Anxiety, including generalised anxiety, social anxiety, illness anxiety, and other related issues.

  • Panic and agoraphobia.

  • Perfectionism.

  • Acute stress and adjustment difficulties.

  • Grief and loss.

Dan has a special interest in:

  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and related areas.

  • Specific phobias.

  • Worry, rumination, and obsession (WRO).

Book an appointment today

For new clients, please contact us via e-mail or phone with:

  • Your name.

  • Date of Birth.

  • Phone number.

  • A brief description of your treatment needs.

  • Optional - A copy of your referral (e.g., from a GP).

We will get back to you to discuss your specific requirements, and book an initial appointment if appropriate.

Returning clients can book online and manage appointments through our client portal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quercus Psychology is not able to provide crisis or emergency supports.

If you are in an emergency situation and need help immediately, call triple zero (000). You can also call Mental Health Triage (13 14 65). Other options for confidential support include:

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636

Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467

Headspace on 1800 650 890

ReachOut at au.reachout.com

MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978

Head to Health at headtohealth.gov.au

A standard session is 50 minutes and is billed at $240. An initial session (“intake session”) is 60-90 minutes and is billed at the same rate. The fee is the same for telehealth, telephone, or in-person sessions.

Report writing is charged at the same rate (i.e., per hour of work required), however this also attracts GST - i.e., the total hourly fee is $264.

The Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPi) recommended schedule of fees is available here.

Supervision sessions are 60 minutes and are also billed at $240 (inclusive of GST).

You may be eligible for a Medicare rebate of up to $141.85 per session, for up to 10 sessions per calendar year (January 1st to December 31st). To access this rebate you will need a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) prepared by your GP or psychiatrist.

At the time of your session, you will be charged the full amount of $240, and will then receive the rebate in your nominated bank account - this is processed online. The out-of-pocket cost to you will be $98.15.

The initial plan will usually give you access to six sessions with this rebate, and you would then need to return to your doctor for a review to access up to a further four.

More information on Medicare funded services is available here.

If you have private health insurance, you may be eligible for a rebate from your insurance provider. Each provider is different and there are many levels of coverage – please check with your provider to see what they may offer. Following each session with your psychologist, you will be provided with an invoice which you can use to claim any available rebates from your insurance provider.

Please note that it is not generally possible to claim both a Medicare rebate and insurance rebate for the same service.

We accept referrals for self-managed or plan-managed NDIS participants, however Quercus Psychology is not a registered NDIS provider.

Please note that Dan has a limited capacity to see clients under NDIS due to the greater administrative time requirements. As such, there may be a longer wait to access care or Dan may be unable to accept your referral.

It's also important to know that NDIS plans are not intended to fund mental health treatment, but rather to support people to engage with their community and overcome barriers related to disability. NDIS funding generally can't be used in circumstances where other systems (e.g. Medicare) would be considered more appropriate. Further questions around this can be answered by your support co-ordinator, or local area co-ordinator (LAC).

Unfortunately we are not able to bulk bill for appointments. We may be able to recommend other services which can offer lower-cost or no-fee treatment.

We ask that you try to give as much notice as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment – this means we can offer this space to another person who may be waiting to access treatment.

The fees are as follows:

> Over 24 hours notice = no fee.

> Less than 24 hours notice, or non-attendance without notice = 50% of the session fee.

That said, we understand that life happens. If there is a genuine emergency, we can take this into account if you communicate with us as soon as possible.

If you arrive late to your appointment, we are not able to extend the length of the session and your appointment will end at the scheduled time. If you arrive more than 20 minutes late without notice, the session will not go ahead and a fee may be charged.

Medicare and the majority of insurers do not provide any rebate for cancellations or missed appointments.

To help you remember, you will receive an e-mail confirmation of your booking; an e-mail reminder one week before any scheduled appointment and; an SMS reminder 48 hours before your appointment. Please note that our cancellation policy applies regardless of whether you receive these reminders.

Every person's mental health needs are unique and it's impossible to predict how many sessions of psychological treatment will be required. That said, we generally review treatment progress at six sessions in line with typical Medicare requirements. At that time, we can re-assess your symptoms and progress so far.

Complex or chronic mental health conditions may require a larger number of sessions to effectively treat. It is always okay to ask about this and discuss the treatment plan with your psychologist.

Frequency of sessions is up to you, however we generally recommend starting with approximately fortnightly sessions. We can then adjust this based on your needs.

Dan provides psychological treatment to adults using a variety of evidence-based frameworks. He is trained primarily in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

No, Quercus Psychology does not offer this type of assessment. Assessing and diagnosing neurodevelopmental difference is a complex process and requires specialised training and ongoing professional development. These assessments are generally done by highly trained psychologists and/or psychiatrists, or as part of a team including other professionals (e.g., speech pathologists, occupational therapists).

We maintain a list of recommended practitioners who offer assessments and can provide this to you if you would like. As part of other mental health treatment, we can also discuss some initial screening and provide you with a referral letter. Please note however that a GP referral is generally required to seek assessment with a psychiatrist.

For a general intro to what neurodiversity-affirming practice might look like, check out this article by speech pathologist Liz Baird.

My practice is neurodiversity-affirming in the following ways:

  • Neurodivergent people are actively consulted in the design and delivery of all parts of my practice, from the development of policy to the furnishing of spaces.
  • The therapeutic services I provide are tailored as much as possible to accommodate and work with individual neurodivergent traits, and celebrate strengths.
  • The negative impacts of ableism are recognised and acknowledged, including the ways that we may sometimes internalise harmful cultural messages about disability in the form of core beliefs/schemas.
  • Lived experience, self-identification, and self-knowledge are valid and very important sources of information. You are the expert on your life.
  • I strive for continual improvement to my practice, and always welcome feedback. I actively seek out training and professional development led by neurodivergent people whenever possible.
  • I am an Autistic and ADHD (AuDHD) person. This can sometimes help me to understand people's perspectives, however my lived experience is not representative of all neurodivergent people.

Practically this might look like:

  • Offering both telehealth and in-person appointments - leaving the house isn't always easy, and you get to choose how you engage with treatment.
  • Trying my best to accommodate sensory needs in the therapy room - e.g., lower light, reducing volume of sounds where possible, avoiding strong smells, etc.
  • Self-stimulatory behaviours ("stimming"), movement, and alternative seating arrangements are encouraged. There's no rule that says we can't do therapy sitting on the floor. Eye contact can be at whatever level is most comfortable, etc.
  • Encouraging and celebrating special interests (SpIns) both as topics of conversation and a key part of therapy. Please do info-dump! Also do ask me about my SpIns - but only if we've already finished our work for the day. I will not run out of things to say.
  • Prioritising novelty or sameness in treatment - it's perfectly fine to practice a skill 10 different ways if that makes it easier to engage with. On the other hand, we can aim to always meet at the same time/day if that is more comfortable for you.
  • Where possible, I will generally send summaries, tools, or reminders via e-mail following or in-between sessions to help you remember what we've discussed. If there are other supports that may help you to feel safe and comfortable in treatment I am happy to discuss these.

2013 | Bachelor of Arts, University of Adelaide.

2013 | Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), University of Adelaide.

2021 | Combined Doctor of Philosophy/Master of Psychology (Clinical), University of Adelaide.

2021 | Area of Practice Endorsement (AoPE) in Clinical Psychology, Psychology Board of Australia.

2023 | Board Approved Supervisor for Psychologists, Psychology Board of Australia.

Australian Association of Psychologists, Inc (AAPi) - Member

Psychology and Health Forum (PHF) - Member

In my opinion, the best way to learn about oaks is to visit your local botanic gardens and spend some time appreciating the unique qualities of the various oaks (and other trees, too!). Visiting throughout the year and paying attention to the annual cycle is highly recommended. It's also fun to collect some acorns in the early-mid autumn and plant a few to see these beautiful trees take root and grow.

Some books I like are:

  • Trees: 10 Things You Should Know by Carolyn Fry (not about oaks specifically, but a nice read).

  • Oak: The Frame of Civilization by William Logan.

  • The Nature of Oaks by Douglas W. Tallamy.

I also enjoy the Talking Plants blog by Tim Entwisle, botanist and former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.

Contact Us

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Address

479 Port Rd, Croydon SA 5008, Australia

Phone

(08) 8318 1475

Email

dan@quercuspsychology.com.au

ABN

13925605767

Operating Hours

Mon - 9:00am to 4:00pm
Tues - 9:00am to 4:00pm
Thurs - 9:00am to 3:00pm (Telehealth)
Fri - 9:00am to 4:00pm

Find Us

Quercus Psychology is located at 479 Port Road, Croydon, SA 5008. We operate from a co-working space shared by a variety of mental health professionals. The office is located a few doors down from Officeworks Croydon and is accessible from Port Road.

The office is open by appointment only.

There is no parking on-site, however free unlimited parking is available on King Street, and limited parking is available in the public car park in the centre of Port Road.

The nearest bus stop is Stop 10 Port Road, which is serviced by the 150, 155, and 157 buses. Croydon Railway Station is around 5 minutes walk, and is serviced by the Outer Harbour, Pt Dock, and Grange line trains from Adelaide.

Information for Referrers

Availability & Contact

We welcome direct referrals from GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists and other professionals.

Availability to accept new referrals: Estimated March-April 2025.

Please address referral information, such as letters, Care Plans or similar to:

  • dan@quercuspsychology.com.au

  • FAX: 08 6384 2005

  • PHONE: (08) 8318 1475

  • POST: 479 Port Road, Croydon, SA, 5008 - Address to DR DAN CARABELLESE - QUERCUS PSYCHOLOGY