Dr Stephanie Marie Jones

Clinical Psychologist

Trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming, LGBTQIA+ friendly, clinical psychology.

Providing individual therapy and assessment for ages 16+, face-to-face in Bunbury WA, and Australia-wide via phone or telehealth.

Contact me

I am accepting referrals for: assessments, reports, and returning clients. Click here for details on how to refer.

I am not currently accepting referrals for: new therapy clients. Please check back later.

About Me

My name is Dr Stephanie Marie Jones (she/her), and I am a clinical psychologist. I have a passion for diversity, and my work focuses on the intersection between neurodiversity, diversity in gender, sex, and sexuality, and trauma.

I greatly enjoy working with clients that are autistic, ADHD, AuDHD, or otherwise neurodivergent. I am LGBTQIA+ friendly, gender-affirming, sex-positive, poly-friendly, and kink-friendly. I take a weight-inclusive approach, supporting Health at Every Size.

I am trauma-informed and trauma-trained. I find it deeply satisfying working with clients healing from trauma, particularly those with complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (c-PTSD), Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) or plurality, and those who hear voices or experience dissociation.

I welcome First Nations clients, and clients of all cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds.

My Services

I provide individual treatment for clients aged 16 and older, for most mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, Social Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Dissociative Identity Disorder, and many more.

I also help neurodivergent clients learn more about their own neurotype and what makes them different from the neuromajority. I guide these clients in gradually and safely unmasking in any way they wish, and I support them to build more authentic, satisfying, and sustainable lives. For clients who have come to me in burnout, I help them adjust their lifestyle to promote burnout recovery.

I provide neuroaffirming autism assessments for clients aged 16 and older, guided by the MIGDAS (Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing Autism Spectrum). I have a particular interest in diagnosing high-masking, internalising, and late-identified autistic people.

Some medical providers want transgender patients to see a psychologist for an assessment before the patient starts accessing gender-affirming medical treatments, such as hormone therapy or surgery. I can conduct these assessments, in line with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards of care. Clients who have a WPATH assessment with me will receive a letter summarising their gender identity, gender journey, mental health considerations, and goals for gender affirmation.

People who want to apply for the Disability Support Pension (DSP) due to their mental health must provide evidence from either a psychiatrist or from a psychologist and their doctor. This evidence must include the diagnosis of their permanent psychosocial disability, and information about how it impacts their functioning and work capacity. Clients who see me for a DSP report will receive both a comprehensive report that they can submit to Centrelink when they apply for the DSP, along with a letter that they can give their GP explaining what evidence Centrelink needs from the GP.

People wishing to access the NDIS must complete an Access Request Form. Section 2 of this form needs to be filled in by a treating professional. After meeting with a client to find out about their psychosocial (mental health) disabilities or neurodivergence I can complete this form so that they can apply for the NDIS.

Whilst I cannot guarantee that someone will be accepted onto the NDIS, I can assist clients with obtaining the required paperwork, and can also help them understand what further information they may need to gather.

My Therapy Approach

The treatment that I provide is grounded in research evidence, and tailored to the needs and preferences of each client. My approach interweaves:

  • Schema Therapy
  • Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy
  • Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)
  • Specialist Supportive Clinical Management (SSCM) for eating disorders
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Imagery rescripting
  • Psychoeducation

My therapy style is warm, open, direct, humorous, patient, and encouraging. I incorporate feminist, anti-capitalist, and anti-colonial perspectives in my work.

FAQs

FAQs for Referrers

You can email referrals directly to me as a .pdf at: steph@stephaniejones.com.au

Please do not send referrals to Southwest Trauma Therapy, as there is no centralised admin team.

If your clinic password-protects emailed documents, please ensure that I am also sent the password.

If you are a GP and you have created a Mental Health Care Plan, Mental Health Treatment Plan, or Eating Disorder Care Plan for your patient, please note that you must also send a referral letter if you would like your patient to be able to access Medicare rebates. They will not be able to get rebates if all I have received is a copy of the care plan.

Medicare specifies that referrals must state the number of sessions that the patient is being referred for:

  • 6 sessions – Mental Health Care Plan / Mental Health Treatment Plan
  • 10 sessions – Eating Disorder Care Plan

If you do not specify the number of sessions in the referral, I will need to contact you to confirm this.

Therapy FAQs

You do not need a referral to see me, so you can self-refer for therapy. But there are some situations where having a referral from your doctor can be beneficial.

If you get a referral from your GP under a Mental Health Care Plan (also known as a Mental Health Treatment Plan), you will be able to access Medicare rebates for up to ten therapy sessions in a calendar year. A referral is valid for an initial course of six sessions, after which you can see your GP for a review, where they may refer you for a second course of additional sessions. A psychiatrist can also refer you under a Mental Health Care Plan.

If you have an eating disorder, your GP may refer you under an Eating Disorder Care Plan. This allows a client to access Medicare rebates for up to 40 therapy sessions in a 12-month period, with the initial referral being valid for no more than ten sessions to start off with. In order to access rebates for sessions 21 – 40, a client needs to also see a private psychiatrist for a review of their Eating Disorder Care Plan. Your GP can organise you a psychiatrist referral for this.

If you have a chronic physical health condition, your GP may refer you under a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan. This will allow you to access Medicare rebates for up to five therapy sessions focused on helping you manage or cope with your chronic health condition.

If you already have a valid referral from your GP to see a different psychologist, you can use that to see me instead. Medicare allows clients to take their referral to anyone, so you don’t need to go back and get a new referral with my name on it.

My standard fee for a 50-minute therapy session is $310, a little bit below the Australian Psychological Society’s recommended fee of $318 (as of 2026). I do have some capacity to offer reduced fees for clients who would otherwise be unable to afford therapy, but reduced-fee places in my caseload are limited. Clients are invited to discuss their financial circumstances with me, and an agreed-upon fee can be decided collaboratively.

For a standard 50-minute session with a clinical psychologist, Medicare rebates for sessions under a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) or an Eating Disorder Care Plan (EDCP) are $149.05 per session. With my standard fee of $310, this leaves an out-of-pocket gap of $160.95.

For sessions under a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan, the Medicare rebate amount is $63.40 per session.

All rebate amounts were correct as of July 2026. Medicare increases the rebate amount by a few dollars at the start of every July.

Note that once you have reached the Medicare Safety Net for the year, your rebate amount will be higher.

I see NDIS clients who are self-managed or plan-managed. Not all NDIS participants are funded for psychology sessions. Funding for psychology sessions may be specified (stated), or can sometimes be drawn from budgets referring to capacity building, allied health, therapy, or assessment. If you are unsure if your plan will cover sessions with me, you can try asking your Local Area Coordinator (LAC), support coordinator, or plan manager.

It is important to note that the NDIS does not cover treatment for mental health conditions, as this falls under the responsibility of the Department of Health. Instead, psychology sessions accessed through the NDIS are to support an NDIS participant with developing skills, improving their ability to cope with their disabilities, increasing their capacity to function, preventing any future loss of function, and supporting the sustainability of their informal supports (such as family and friends).

If you are covered for psychology or clinical psychology sessions under your ancillary or extras private health insurance policy, you may be able to claim back some money for your sessions with me. You should check with your insurer to find out if you are covered, and to find out how much you can claim back.

It is important to note that if you want to receive Medicare rebates for your sessions with me, you will not be able to claim from your private health insurer for the same sessions. Some clients choose to use up their Medicare rebate for the year and then switch to using their private health insurance, while other clients like to alternate between systems.

If you have a white card or a gold card, your sessions with me can be covered by DVA. You will need to see your GP for a referral to see me for a treatment cycle, which will last up to 12 sessions or for 1 year, whichever ends first. At the end of that treatment cycle, if you need further therapy you must see your GP for a new referral for another treatment cycle. You can have as many treatment cycles as your GP thinks you need.

Yes, I can see clients for treatment under any of these schemes. You must let me know that you are accessing these before our first appointment, so that we can ensure that you sessions will be covered by the insurer.

Autism Assessment FAQs

You do not need a referral to see me, so you can self-refer for an autism assessment.

If you are under 25-years-old, a private psychiatrist can refer you to me for an assessment for Complex Neurodevelopmental Conditions and Medicare will rebate you up to $395.80 for a four-hour autism assessment.

Step 1 – I send you some questionnaires to fill in. You fill these in as best you can, and then send them back to me. We can do this by email or post.

Step 2 – We book a time for the assessment interview. I am very thorough during autism assessments, as I have a special interest in identifying autistic folk who are high-masking, internalising, and have generally escaped notice as autistic. For most people, the interview process lasts for around four hours. Some people like to do this in one big four-hour session (with brief breaks), while other people like to do two-hour sessions on two different days, or four separate one-hour interview sessions. If you are unsure what would be better for you, we can discuss this by phone or email to help you decide.

Step 3 – The assessment interview. You can come alone to the interview if you prefer, but it can be helpful if you can bring along someone who knows you well (like a partner), or particularly someone who knew you well when you were a child (like a parent, older sibling, or grandparent). If you bring someone into the assessment interview, it needs to be someone that you feel like you can speak openly with about your experiences.

Step 4 – After the interview, I will write a draft of your report. Then I will contact you to arrange a time for your feedback session.

Step 5 – We have a one-hour feedback session to discuss the results of your assessment, and review the draft report together. It is important to me that I help clients understand their results, and I want to ensure that the report feels accurate, complete, and affirming for clients.

Step 6 – I will email the report draft to you, so that you have time to fully read and review the report if you wish, and you can give me feedback. Once you are happy that it is accurate, you can let me know.

Step 7 – Once all the fees for the assessment and report have been paid, I will finalise the report and send it to you. If you were referred to me for assessment by your psychiatrist, I will also have to send them a copy of the report, as a Medicare requirement.

The fee for an autism assessment encompasses the four-hours of assessment interviewing, the one-hour feedback session, and time spent reviewing collateral information, scoring questionnaires, and writing the report. The total fee amount depends on the level of detail that you would like in your report.

I offer two options for a report length:
1. A brief report (3 pages) confirming your neurotype and listing the diagnostic criteria that you meet. This is a good option for clients who mostly just want to know for sure if they are autistic or not. This option takes me approximately an hour to write. The fee for an autism assessment with a brief report is $1200.
2. A comprehensive report (usually around 30 pages) goes into depth about your history, how you do or do not meet diagnostic criteria, ways that your neurotype impact your functioning, required supports, and recommendations. This is the option that I recommend for clients who may wish to access the NDIS, apply for the Disability Support Pension, or access accommodations and support through a workplace or educational institution. This option takes me approximately four hours to write. The fee for an autism assessment with a comprehensive report is $1800.

In some cases, a client has a complex presentation that makes it extra tricky to determine their neurotype. Examples of this might include if someone is Deaf or blind, has previously been diagnosed with a bipolar disorder or a personality disorder, or where they have disabilities such as an acquired brain injury. If, during the assessment interview, I determine that four hours will not be enough time to know for sure if someone is autistic or not, I will let the client know. My preference in these situations is to organise further time for assessment, rather than leave the question of their neurotype unanswered. If the client agrees to spend further time in assessment, this will be charged pro rata in fifteen-minute blocks.

For clients in difficult financial circumstances, I do have some scope to offer reduced fees for assessment, or payment plans for people who prefer to split the cost of assessment up into chunks.

Other FAQs

Yes, I can offer most services by phone or telehealth using a secure videoconferencing platform. Medicare, NDIS, DVA, and most private health insurers are also fine with clients having phone or telehealth sessions.

Autism assessments cannot be done by phone, and must be done in person or via telehealth.

I do not do home visits, as a matter of my own safety.

For clients who are unable to tolerate therapy sessions inside but would still like in-person sessions, we can meet in a quiet public place such as a park close to my office, weather permitting. You will need to discuss this with me in advance.

Yes. I am comfortable seeing clients who do not speak, so long as they have another form of communication. You are welcome to write, draw, type on a mobile phone or tablet, use an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device or text-to-speech, type into the chat box during a telehealth session, make sounds, use gestures, or use any other forms of communication that work for you.

I do not provide the following services:

  • Therapy or assessment for children under the age of 16.
  • Couples therapy.
  • Family therapy.
  • Family Court assessments or reports.
  • Forensic assessments or reports.
  • Medicolegal assessments for the purposes of compensation.
  • Cognitive testing, intelligence testing, IQ tests, or assessments for dyslexia, dyscalculia, Specific Learning Disorder, or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
  • Eating disorder treatment for clients with anorexia nervosa that are medically unstable.

I don’t offer assessments for ADHD because most clients who are seeking a formal ADHD diagnosis are also interested in exploring the suitability of ADHD medication, and currently in WA only paediatricians and psychiatrists can prescribe most types of ADHD medication. Before prescribing ADHD medication, these specialists will almost always want to complete their own ADHD assessment and diagnosis, even if a client has already received an ADHD diagnosis from a psychologist. Rather than have clients go through a time-consuming and costly assessment process with me and then have to repeat it with a psychiatrist, I recommend that any clients interested in exploring ADHD medication go directly to a psychiatrist or paediatrician for this.

If clients are interested in exploring their own neurotype, and learning how to better meet their needs and cope with their challenges, then this is something that I can help them do in therapy even without a formal assessment. If, through that process, both the client and I come to believe that they are likely an ADHDer then I can support them with seeing a psychiatrist for a diagnosis if they wish.

For assessments to be accurate and for therapy to be helpful, both the client and the psychologist must feel safe to be honest and open. There are some situations where a multiple relationship or a conflict of interest would get in the way of both people being able to work together fully. In these cases, it would be ethically inappropriate for me to see someone, and I am required to refer them on to a different psychologist. Examples include (but are not limited to):

  • Seeing multiple members of a family or both members of a couple for their own individual therapy.
  • Seeing close friends, sporting teammates, or co-workers for their own individual therapy.
  • Seeing two individuals who are former spouses, ex-best-friends, or are involved in legal action against each other.
  • Seeing a client that I also interact with in my own personal life, such as through shared friends, hobbies, or relatives.
  • Seeing a client that I share any kind of business relationship with, such as my own health professionals, tradespeople I have hired, or employers I have worked with.

If I become aware of a conflict of interest that means that I cannot work with someone, I will let them know, and I will help them find a different therapist. I will not be able to tell them why there is a conflict of interest, as this could potentially violate the privacy of another client.

When someone cancels an appointment I try to fill the time slot with someone from my cancellation waitlist. If someone cancels their appointment less than 24 hours before their appointment time then I am unlikely to be able to fill the slot, so the late cancellation fee will be the same as what they were going to pay for the appointment.

It is important to note that neither Medicare nor private health insurers will give clients a rebate on late cancellation fees. If you realise that you have left it too late to leave the house and make it to your appointment on time, you may like to get in touch with me straight away and switch to a telehealth or phone appointment instead. This will allow you to use your whole session time instead of arriving late, and will also allow you to get any rebates that you would normally be entitled to.

When I’m not working I enjoy birdwatching, hiking, painting and drawing, making zines, gardening, baking bread, and table-top roleplaying games such as Dungeons and Dragons.

Contact Me

Phone

0424 332 364

Email

steph@stephaniejones.com.au

Location

Southwest Trauma Therapy
Unit 6, 11-13 Victoria Street
Bunbury WA 6230

Opening hours

Tuesday: 9 AM – 4:00 PM
Wednesday: 9 AM – 4:00 PM
Thursday: 9 AM – 4:00 PM

Acknowledgement of Country

I live and work on Noongar land, in a place that sits right on the border between where the Wilman people and the Kaniyang people traditionally lived. Sovereignty over this land was never ceded, and so it will always be Noongar land. I pay my respects to the Noongar people and their elders, and I express my gratitude that I get to enjoy this beautiful place that has always been their home.

© 2026 Dr Stephanie Marie Jones · All Rights Reserved