Therapy & Behaviour Support Fees
Therapy and Behaviour Support Fees
Our fees and the way in which we charge are important to ensuring we can provide the highest quality support to children, young people and families, now and into the future. The current pricing structure is aligned to the current NDIS pricing guide and reflects the professional work required to deliver effective and consistent therapy and behaviour support.
Our standard hourly rates for each therapy are as below:
| Allied Health Clinician | Hourly Rate |
| Occupational Therapist | $193.99 |
| Speech Pathologist | $193.99 |
| Physiotherapist | $183.99 |
| Behaviour Support Practitioner | $232.99 |
| Therapy Assistant – available for resource development and supporting group programs only | $86.79 |
Where to Start
To begin your child’s therapy with Lifestart, you will be required to undertake two initial appointments so we can best understand how to empower your child to reach their full potential. These appointments are important in our assessment of your child’s needs and what support they may require. Please note that these sessions also incur indirect costs and/or travel fees.
1. Child and Family Introductory Session
Located in the home, in the community, or online, this 1.5 hour session is an initial appointment to get to know all about you and your child. We take time to build rapport with your child, learn about your family, understand what works well, and explore what you’d like us to support you and your child with.
During this session, we’ll work together, gather important background information, and make some initial observations of your child in everyday situations. This helps us build a shared understanding of your child’s strengths, interests, and support priorities, and ensures any next steps are guided by what matters most to your family.
2. Goal Setting and Family Support Plan Session
In this 1.5 hour online appointment, we work together to identify what outcomes you and your child want to focus on. We’ll explore your family’s values, priorities and goals, and make sure your child’s voice is included wherever possible.
Together, we’ll develop a Family Support Plan that clearly outlines goals, and we will make decisions on agreed strategies, and how support will be delivered — including the type of support, where it will happen, who will be involved, and how often sessions will occur. This plan helps ensure everyone is working toward the same outcomes and can be updated as your child and family grow and change.
3. School Engagement Process (if applicable)
This process includes the work required to engage with your child’s school and establish an Engagement Agreement. This may involve gathering consent, developing a Schedule of Support, and providing or reviewing relevant documentation.
Time spent communicating with your child’s school (e.g. phone calls and emails) is part of your child’s therapy support and will be billed in line with our service rates.
Communication with your child’s school is required before therapy can begin. In some cases, a school induction visit may also be required onsite prior to the first therapy session.
Please note, this process is only required if your child will be receiving therapy at school.
Next Steps – Your Therapy and Support Plan in Action
Once you and your child have completed the required initial appointments, your therapist will work with you to organise your core therapy and support sessions. In these sessions we assist you and your family’s journey by prioritising what’s important to you, working together to identify and achieve meaningful goals.
Therapy and Supports Pricing
| Appointment type | Face‑to‑face time | Indirect time (Preparation, planning and documentation) | Total billed time | Total fee |
|
30 minute session **Please note this consult length is only available for sessions in clinic locations or online |
30 minutes | 15 minutes | 45 minutes | OT/Speech therapy = $145.49 Physio = $137.99 Behaviour Support = $174.74 |
| 50 minute session | 50 minutes | 25 minutes | 1 hr 15 min | OT/Speech therapy = $242.49 Physio = $229.99 Behaviour Support = $279.24 |
| 1 hour session | 1 hour | 30 minutes | 1 hr 30 min | OT/Speech therapy = $290.99 Physio = $275.99 Behaviour Support = $349.49 |
| 1.5 hour session | 1.5 hours | 40 minutes | 2 hr 10 min | OT/Speech therapy = $420.31 Physio = $398.65 Behaviour Support = $504.81 |
| 2 hour session | 2 hours | 50 minutes | 2 hr 50 min | OT/Speech therapy = $549.64 Physio = $521.31 Behaviour Support = $660.14 |
Early Childhood Education and Care and School Visit Pricing
(including before and after school care / Out of School Hour (OOSH) settings)
| Appointment type | Face‑to‑face time | Indirect time (Preparation, planning, school processes, and documentation) | Total billed time | Total fee |
| 45 minute session | 45 minutes | 30 minutes | 1 hour 15 minutes | OT/Speech therapy = $242.49 Physio = $229.99 Behaviour Support = $279.24 |
| 1 hour session | 1 hour | 30 minutes | 1hour 30 minutes | OT/Speech therapy = $290.99 Physio = $275.99 Behaviour Support = $349.49 |
Additional Support Fees
| Service planning and research | Researching and planning the most appropriate supports tailored to your child and family. |
| Collaborative teamwork | Our clinicians work together to coordinate, plan and review supports for your child and family, either by speaking with each other or by visiting your family together. Collaboration may occur without your family being present and helps ensure supports are well aligned. When two clinicians are involved, either through collaboration or a joint visit, fees are charged for the time spent by each clinician. |
| Resource development | Creating individualised resources to support your goals, such as visual schedules, home programs, or other therapy resources. These may be completed by a Therapy Assistant at their hourly rate. |
| Communication with you | Communicating with you about goals, progress, or therapy supports including communication in person, by phone, text message, or email. |
| Communication with others | Communicating with people who support your child and family, such as school staff, early educators, family members, or support workers, including communication in person, by phone, text message, or email. |
| Meetings with schools and other services | Attending meetings or case conferences with schools, early education settings, or other services involved in your child’s support, when your family is not present. |
| Connections | Linking you with other mainstream, community, or specialist services to support you and your family to achieve your goals. |
| Assistive Technology and Home Modifications | Supporting assistive technology, equipment, or minor home modifications, including research, trials, prescriptions, report writing, delivery, training, and completion of required documentation to support safe use. |
| Progress Monitoring and Data Review | Reviewing therapy information, progress data, or behaviour tracking to monitor outcomes and inform next steps in your child’s supports. |
| Report writing and plans | Completing assessments, analysing results, and writing reports, including NDIS progress reports, Functional Capacity Assessments (FCAs), and Functional Behaviour Assessments (FBAs). |
| Quality Assurance of reports and plans | Time spent by Clinical Supervisors (Advanced Practitioners) to clinically review and endorse Behaviour Support Plans, FCAs, FBAs, or other reports and plans. |
| Behaviour support implementation activities | Activities that support the safe and effective implementation of behaviour supports, including reviewing information, updating strategies, and completing required documentation. |
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a query you cannot find the answer to below, please ring 1800 953 390 and talk to one of our friendly team members.
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How do we charge?
What is included in the pricing?
- preparing and planning therapy activities
- reviewing progress and goals
- completing required clinical documentation
- writing the session summary you receive
This applies to both face‑to‑face and online sessions and reflects the professional work required to deliver safe, effective and consistent therapy.
Are there any travel costs?
Many of our therapists support children and families in homes, early childhood settings, schools and community locations. To make this possible, we charge for travel in line with NDIS guidelines.
Travel charges include:
- Travel time (labour costs): We charge for the time it takes your therapist to travel to your appointment. This is charged at a reduced rate in line with NDIS rules, and is capped.
- Travel costs (non‑labour): This includes a per‑kilometre rate, as well as any tolls, parking or public transport costs.
Travel charges may vary depending on how far your therapist needs to travel and their schedule on the day. Where possible, we group appointments in the same area to help reduce travel costs for families.
If you would like to reduce or avoid travel costs, you can choose to have your appointment at one of our offices or via telehealth.
What is the cancellation policy?
If an appointment is cancelled with less notice, a cancellation fee will apply if our staff cannot replace this time with other paid work.