Mental Health Medication Management Wollongong — In Person and by Telehealth
Mental Health Medication Management Wollongong clients can rely on: ongoing prescribing, review and monitoring of antidepressants, mood stabilisers and antipsychotics by an AHPRA-endorsed Mental Health Nurse Practitioner — in person in the Illawarra and by telehealth. Medication can be an important part of treatment for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychosis and other conditions, but only when it is the right medication, at the right dose, reviewed regularly by someone who knows your history.
What mental health medication management Wollongong clients receive
Once a diagnosis and treatment plan are in place, medication management at Mindora Health includes:
Healthdirect has a plain-language overview of how antidepressant medicines work and what to expect if you are new to medication.
Medication classes we manage
We prescribe and monitor by medication class rather than listing individual products, because the right choice depends on your assessment:
What to expect at a medication review
A mental health medication management Wollongong review is not a script renewal. In 20 or 40 minutes by telehealth we check how you have been since the last appointment, symptoms and function, side effects, adherence, sleep, alcohol and other drug use, physical health and any results due. Then we decide together: continue, adjust the dose, change, add monitoring, or begin a supervised reduction. The outcome is documented, the script is issued electronically and, with your consent, your GP is updated.
How this differs from script renewal at a GP
GPs prescribe most psychiatric medication in Australia and do it well. The gap is time: a standard consultation is rarely long enough to review a complex regimen, weigh side effects against benefits, check monitoring results and talk through options. Mental health medication management Wollongong clients receive from Mindora Health is built around that time — a 60-minute assessment, 20- or 40-minute reviews, and one clinician who holds the whole picture. We work alongside your GP, not instead of them: your GP keeps managing your physical health and receives every change we make.
Who this service is for
Medication management is available to existing Mindora Health clients following an initial comprehensive assessment. It suits people who:
How mental health medication management Wollongong works: 3 steps
Comprehensive assessment (in person, 60 minutes)
Every client starts with a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment in Wollongong. It establishes or confirms the diagnosis, reviews your current and past medications and what has or hasn’t helped, checks for physical health and substance use factors that affect prescribing, and sets the plan. Bring your current medication list, any recent blood tests and any letters from previous prescribers.
Telehealth follow-up reviews
Medication reviews are then by secure video or phone, typically 20 or 40 minutes. Early on, or after a change, reviews are more frequent — often every two to four weeks — so that response and side effects are caught early. Once you are stable, reviews are spaced out. Prescriptions are issued electronically at the review.
Annual in-person reassessment
Each year you return for a full in-person review. Medications that once worked can stop working, side-effect profiles change, and life circumstances change. The annual reassessment makes sure the medication plan is still the right one.
Safety, scope and what we don’t do
Nurse Practitioners prescribe within their scope of practice and in line with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice. Some medicines and situations — including certain restricted medicines and complex or high-risk presentations — require psychiatrist involvement. We will tell you when that is the case and help arrange it.
Electronic prescriptions are issued through the national system described by the Australian Digital Health Agency; you receive a token by SMS or email that any pharmacy can dispense.
Mindora Health does not provide emergency or crisis care. If you are in immediate danger call 000, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Our approach to medication
Our practitioner’s research background in addiction medicine and comorbidity shapes how we prescribe. Medication decisions are made with an eye to the whole picture — physical health, alcohol and other drug use, and the practical realities of your life — not the symptom in isolation. Where the evidence suggests a non-pharmacological option is as good or better, we will say so. And where medication has stopped helping, we offer a structured, supervised deprescribing pathway rather than indefinite renewal.
Mindora Health is led by Tammy Tran Merrick, a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with a Master of Philosophy in Addiction Medicine from the University of Sydney and published, peer-reviewed research on the care of people living with co-occurring mental health and substance use problems. Read about our practitioner →
Fees
| Appointment | Duration | Fee | Medicare rebate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial comprehensive assessment (new clients) — diagnosis, medication review, treatment plan | 60 min | $250 | $117.20 |
| Long follow-up — medication review and treatment plan revision | 40 min | $150 | $75.60 |
| Standard follow-up — medication review and monitoring | 20 min | $100 | $52.55 |
| Brief follow-up — script renewal, quick check-in | 10 min | $50 | $27.80 |
Telehealth follow-ups attract the same Medicare rebates as in-person follow-ups under the relevant Nurse Practitioner item numbers. Pathology monitoring is billed by the pathology provider, usually with a Medicare rebate. Fees are charged after your appointment. See all fees and Medicare item numbers →
