If you have considered applying for the Disability Support Pension (DSP) due to long standing mental illness, intellectual and learning disabilities, or brain injury-related psychosocial challenges, you will require medical evidence from a psychologist or a psychiatrist. See here or more about medical evidence.

Your Disability Psychology specialises in disability assessment, support recommendations, and reporting that is compliant with the requirements outlined by Services Australia.

See full list of assessments here.

The assessment process will follow the following format:

• 90 mins of initial clinical interview to establish mental health history and treatment history.

• 90 to 120 mins of assessing symptoms and functional impact.

• 120 mins of cognitive assessment IF applicable.

• Filling out paper and pencil or online assessments where applicable.

• Comprehensive report establishing the nature of disability, impact on daily functioning, treatment history and outcomes, prognosis, and support recommendations.

  Please note: Reports are finalised approximately 2-4 weeks after the last session concludes.

Reports vary in complexity and detail, and accordingly impact fees charged.

For the DSP, medical evidence needs to cover the following:

• Nature of the disability

• Impact on daily functioning in the areas of cognition, learning, communication, social interactions, self-management, self-care, mobility, capacity to engage in work and education.

• Past treatment record and outcomes of each treatment undertaken.

• Future prognosis.

• Clinical opinion on permanence and stability of features.

The DSP medical evidence is a comprehensive report that is approximately 12-20 pages long.

No. Your Disability Psychology is a clinical service and its reports may be used as evidence, but do not constitute the full application. The full application will need to be compiled by you.

The psychologist can assess for mental illness, cognitive functioning, and daily functional impact of particular disorders. The report generated will be a clinical commentary on assessment findings keeping in mind criteria set out for what constitutes a permanent disability.

Getting a diagnosis or functional assessment from Your Disability Psychology DOES NOT guarantee DSP acceptance.

This is because having a mental illness or cognitive challenges, though disruptive and challenging, and even debilitating at times, may not necessarily reach the threshold set out for a disability. See here for more on criteria set by Services Australia.

All evidence provided by the applicant are evaluated in its totality by Services Australia, in accordance with the guidelines they have set out.