If you are autistic, the importance of being able to determine the fees while doing your own research cannot be understated. For that reason, fees and assessment information are provided together so that the process, pricing, funding options and next steps are clear and transparent from the beginning, without you having to contact anyone or give your email address just to find out what it is going to cost you?
Spicy Psychology offers neuroaffirming, culturally and trauma-informed, collaborative therapy, parent consultation, family therapy, secure online video(game) therapy, gamer therapy, PDA (pathalogical demand avoidance or persistant drive for autonomy) and AuDHD, autism, ADHD, cognitive (IQ), intellectual disability and gifted(ness) assessments.
Approximate expected fees:
- Individual therapy, 50 minutes: approximately $220
- Parent consultation, 50 minutes: approximately $220
- Family therapy, 60 minutes: approximately $280
- Extended consultation, 75 minutes: approximately $335
Secure online video(game)/gamer therapy is charged at the same rate as in-person therapy.
Those prices sit far below the APS suggested fee for a standard 46–60 minute psychology consultation, which is listed as $330 for 2026–2027. Medicare and private health fund rebates may be available for eligible clients from March 2027 onward.
Spicy Psychology offers neuroaffirming, culturally and trauma-informed, collaborative AuDHD, autism, ADHD, cognitive (IQ), intellectual or learning disability and giftedness assessments for adults, children and teens.
Assessment at Spicy Psychology is not about reducing a person to a label, diagnosis, IQ score, checklist or list of deficits. It is about making sense of the whole person: their developmental history, identity, sensory world, communication style, attention, learning, executive functioning, nervous system capacity, strengths and support needs.
Assessments may explore autism and ADHD (AuDHD), cognitive profile, intellectual disability, giftedness, learning strengths and difficulties, twice-exceptionality, executive functioning, sensory processing, PDA/ODD (pathological demand avoidance or persistant drive for autonomy and oppositional defiance disorder), school can’t, burnout, masking, anxiety and trauma.
Assessment feedback is designed to be clear, practical and human. The goal of assessments at Spicy Psychology is not just diagnosis - it is to support self-understanding, advocacy, accommodations, treatment planning and more (often self-) compassionate ways forward.
At Spicy Psychology, autism and ADHD are recognised as commonly co-occurring, a profile often known in the neurodivergent community as AuDHD.
For this reason, autism and ADHD are usually assessed together at Spicy Psychology, unless one has already been formally diagnosed. Autism and ADHD can have a sneaky habit of hiding, masking or complicating each other, and people deserve to have both explored thoughtfully and fully.
A combined AuDHD assessment can be particularly helpful for people who have always felt different, have experienced burnout or masking fatigue, or have been treated for anxiety, depression, social anxiety, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, intrusive thoughts or other concerns without the full neurodivergent pattern being recognised.
Where another assessment pathway or referral is more appropriate, Spicy Psychology will discuss this with you.
AuDHD assessment
An AuDHD assessment explores autism and ADHD together, including communication differences, sensory experiences, attention differences, executive functioning, masking, burnout, emotional regulation, routines, interests, social connection, developmental history, environment and support needs.
At Spicy Psycholology, neurodivergent communication is understood as difference, not deficit. The assessment process aims to understand how a person experiences and navigates the world, rather than measuring them against narrow expectations of neurotypical behaviour.
Cognitive (IQ), intellectual disability and giftedness assessment
A cognitive assessment explores a person’s learning and thinking profile, including areas such as verbal reasoning, visual-spatial thinking, working memory, processing speed and problem-solving.
Cognitive assessment can help identify strengths, learning needs, intellectual disability, giftedness, twice-exceptional profiles, cognitive differences, educational support needs and accommodations.
Targeted autism or ADHD assessment
Where autism or ADHD has already been formally diagnosed, a more targeted assessment may be appropriate. This can be discussed during the enquiry process.
AuDHD assessment: from $2,000
Cognitive (IQ), intellectual disability or giftedness assessment: from $1,200
Combined autism + ADHD + cognitive profile assessment: from $3,000
Where autism or ADHD has already been formally diagnosed, more targeted assessment options may be available:
Autism assessment: from $1,500
ADHD assessment: from $1,200
Assessment fees will most often be the listed price. Fees may vary depending on case complexity, assessment tools required, developmental history, information-gathering needs, and report requirements.
School consultation, NDIS-focused functional reporting, additional liaison, or more complex reporting may incur additional fees.
Therapy and consultation fees are usually payable on the day of appointment.
Assessment fees may be paid in staged instalments across the assessment process or in one go upront. A $500 deposit is required to secure an assessment booking, with remaining payments due at agreed points before appointments and before release of the written report.
For example, a combined autism + ADHD assessment may be paid as a deposit plus staged payments across intake, assessment and feedback/report stages.
A written quote and payment schedule are agreed upon before assessment proceeds.
Comprehensive AuDHD and cognitive assessments are usually privately billed and are generally not eligible for Medicare rebates.
Some Medicare rebates may apply in limited circumstances, particularly for eligible children and young people referred through specific complex neurodevelopmental condition pathways.
Medicare rebates do not cover the full cost of psychological services or comprehensive private assessment.
Private health rebates may be available depending on your insurer and level of cover.
NDIS-funded psychology services may be available for self-managed and plan-managed participants where the service is consistent with the participant’s NDIS plan, goals and funding category.
NDIS funding does not guarantee coverage of diagnostic assessments. Participants, nominees or plan managers are responsible for confirming whether a service can be claimed from their plan before booking.
NDIS-related reports generally focus on functional impact, support needs, goals, progress and recommendations.
Late cancellations or non-attendance may attract a cancellation fee.
Spicy Psychology understands that disability, burnout, illness, shutdown, caring responsibilities and life events can affect attendance. Cancellation fees help protect appointment availability and the sustainability of the Spicy Psychology practice. Please get in touch as early as possible if you need to discuss an appointment.
That's ok! Many people are unsure - it is complicated!!
Start with a free 15 minute phone call with the Spicy Psychologist to find what will work for you.