Mind Horizons is accepting referrals now for when we open our doors - our psychiatrists will be available to see patients from 1 September onwards. Go to this page to check when the next available psychiatric initial assessment appointment for new patients is.

This varies depending on what service is being provided (all of the below prices include GST):

Comprehensive ADHD or Autism initial assessment: $1800

This includes scoring and interpreting psychometric tools and an appointment of up to 90 minutes, as well as the writing of a comprehensive report.

Comprehensive ADHD and Autism initial assessment: $2400

This includes scoring and interpreting psychometric tools and an appointment of up to 120 minutes, as well as the writing of a comprehensive report.

ADHD report review: $200

This is a fee to cover your psychiatrist’s time reviewing reports made by psychologists or by an overseas clinician diagnosing ADHD. Sometimes the threshold to diagnose ADHD by psychologists (or in other countries) is different to the threshold required to start medications in New Zealand. Checking this before the initial appointment reduces the chance that you will be seen and medications will be deemed to be inappropriate. If the report is of acceptable standard to justify a consideration of medications, you will be able to proceed with a standard initial appointment. If the report is not at a level where medications are appropriate based on it, we may be able to offer you a comprehensive assessment to determine if this threshold can be met.

You can request this service before we receive your GP referral by completing this form.

This fee is NOT charged if you have a prior assessment by a NZ paediatrician or psychiatrist confirming the diagnosis of ADHD.

Standard initial appointments: $850

This includes an assessment of up to 90 minutes, as well as the writing of a comprehensive report. Patients with mood disorders, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, eating disorders, already diagnosed Autism, and so on fall under this pathway. If you have been diagnosed with ADHD by a psychologist or overseas (but not yet had a NZ psychiatrist/paediatrician endorse this diagnosis), you need to have had a report review (as noted above) first before booking under this pathway.

30 minute follow-up appointments: $350

Most follow up appointments are 30 minutes, but in rare occasions you may need to book longer follow up appointments.

60 minute follow-up appointments: $700

The most common time that this length of follow up would be needed is if your Mind Horizons psychiatrist has not seen you within the last 2 years, or there have been significant changes to your psychiatric treatment since your last review. This allows extra time for review of your progress since our last appointment so that the care provided to you remains gold-standard.

Prescriptions outside of your regular appointment time: $50

These will only be provided if they are appropriate and can be requested from this page. If you are wanting to start a new medication, or you have not had a review with Mind Horizons in the last 3 months, you may be asked to attend a follow up appointment instead.

3rd party and specialised reports: Price on application

We are able to provide specialist reports for things like immigration, aviation, and insurance. The cost for this varies depending on the time required to produce the report. Please email to ask us for a quote if you require any such report.

It’s so we can help as many young people and families as possible.

Specialist child & adolescent psychiatric care is in really high demand, but the reality of private practice is that "no-shows" happen surprisingly often. When an appointment is missed without notice, it leaves a gap in your psychiatrist’s day—and it means another young person who urgently needed that spot misses out.

Asking for payment upfront significantly cuts down on missed visits. It keeps our calendar running smoothly and ensures we don't have empty gaps, which ultimately helps keep wait times shorter for everyone.

Need to change your plans? We totally get that life is unpredictable! We just ask that you give us 48 hours’ notice of any rescheduling/cancellation requests, so we can make sure these gaps are filled by people on our waiting list.

• To reschedule: You can easily re-book your appointment yourself through our online booking portal.

• To cancel: Just reach out to us directly, and we’ll get it sorted.

We understand that private psychiatric care is a significant financial commitment. However, we strongly believe in getting young people the help they need quickly so that smaller challenges don't snowball into much larger ones while waiting for public care.

If you are looking for financial assistance, there are several avenues that might help:

Government Allowances

• Child Disability Allowance: This is a non-means-tested payment from WINZ of around $60 per week to help parents support a young person with significant health needs. You need to be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident to qualify. If you are eligible, your psychiatrist can complete the medical certificate for you during your appointment. This support generally lasts until your child turns 18, or until their health improves.

• WINZ Disability Allowance: If there are regular healthcare expenses (like psychiatric follow-ups or prescriptions) expected to last for at least 6 months, there is an allowance of up to $80 per week available if you meet certain criteria. This is means-tested, but you do not have to be receiving a benefit to qualify.

  • For patients under the age of 18: Parents apply for this if the young person is financially dependent on them. In some cases, you can receive this alongside the Child Disability Allowance.

  • For patients over 18: Young adults apply for this allowance themselves, entirely independently of their parents.

• StudyLink Disability Allowance: This provides similar financial support to the WINZ allowance, but is specifically designed for students. Just like the WINZ allowance, students who are 18 or older apply for this themselves.

• A quick tip for Disability Allowances: If you need your doctor to complete a medical certificate for WINZ or StudyLink for the Disability Allowance (not just the child disability allowance), you must bring a list of your estimated healthcare costs to our appointment, as the form cannot be completed without them. Your GP is also able to complete this form later on if new costs arise after you have been discharged from our care.

Other Avenues for Support

• Schools: Some schools have social workers who can help families navigate applications for support through things like the Mayor’s Welfare Fund to allow them to access timely psychiatric support.

• Lifelinks: If your child receives a diagnosis of Autism, or another neurological, intellectual, physical, or sensory disability, they might be eligible for extra support. The condition must significantly impact their independence, and they must be an NZ citizen or resident. You can self-refer online by attaching a copy of their diagnostic assessment letter. Please note that eligibility criteria can change, and not everyone with these conditions will qualify.

• Health Insurance: It is highly recommended to check your policy! Many insurers offer partial or even complete coverage for mental health assessments and ongoing treatment.

The Public Health System

If private care isn't a feasible option for your family right now, we highly recommend asking your GP about a referral to the public system. Wait times can be incredibly long (often 12 months or more for patients under the age of 18), so getting them in as early as possible is a good idea.

At present, we are not directly affiliated with any health insurance providers.

Here is how the process works for now: you book and pay for your appointment with us upfront, and we will provide you with detailed taxable supply information at the bottom of your confirmation email (with things most insurers need like the date of the appointment, specialist who is providing care, and what service is being provided). You can then submit that information directly to your insurance company to claim any reimbursement that you are eligible for.

All of our psychiatrists hold Medical Council of NZ vocational specialist registration in psychiatry (as this is often a prerequisite for claiming on insurance policies).

We get it—life is unpredictable, plans change, and illnesses happen. If you need to change or cancel your appointment, here is how our 48-hour policy works:

• To reschedule: You can easily move your appointment time yourself through our secure online booking portal up to 48 hours before your session.

• To cancel: Just get in touch with us directly by email (info@mindhorizons.nz) or phone (022 059 5909) to let us know with at least 48 hours notice.

• To switch to telehealth: Click on the link in your confirmation/reminder email to change to a telehealth appointment (you can do this up to 1 hour before your scheduled appointment time).

As long as you give us at least 48 hours' notice of any changes or cancellations, your upfront payment is fully refundable or can be completely transferred to your new appointment time.

Because specialist child and youth psychiatric spots are in such high demand, cancellations made with less than 48 hours' notice (or missed appointments) mean that another family on our waiting list misses out on a slot they could have used. Because of this, upfront payments cannot be refunded or transferred if changes are made within that 48-hour window unless we can find another young person to fill your appointment spot in time.

Please note: Mind Horizons incurs a fee (2.65% + NZ$0.30) from our payment processor when appointments are cancelled, so we prefer you reschedule if you are planning to use our service again (as this fee isn’t charged when you reschedule your appointment). We absorb this fee for the first time you cancel an appointment, but if you repeatedly cancel and rebook appointments, we reserve the right to deduct this fee from the amount we refund you.

1. Booking and Preparation

Once we receive a referral from your GP, you will be sent a link to our secure booking page where you can pick a time that works best for you. After booking, you’ll get a confirmation email and a few handy reminders closer to the day.

If you are coming in for a full ADHD or Autism assessment, or for possible OCD, there is a little bit of homework before we meet! We will send out some psychometric forms to help confirm the diagnosis. These vary depending on your age and what we are looking at, but here is what you need to know:

• For young people and families: We encourage you to complete your forms at least a week before your appointment. This gives your psychiatrist time to score and interpret them before your appointment.

• For ADHD/Autism in school-aged patients: We will need your teacher to fill out one or two forms. It really pays for you to send this to them as early as possible so they have time to complete it. Getting this back before your appointment gives your psychiatrist the best chance of making an accurate diagnosis on the day.

2. Your First Appointment

Whether we are meeting in person or via telehealth, the session will start with the patient and their support people together. (Note: we do need at least one parent or guardian present for patients under 16, though more support people are always welcome!)

Mind Horizons runs an interruption-friendly space. If anyone in the room disagrees with something that their psychiatrist says—or something someone else in the room says— you are fully encouraged to speak up. It is incredibly important that all perspectives are heard.

Our first visit usually follows this structure:

1. Together: We'll start by chatting as a group and your psychiatrist will ask lots of questions, first about the issue you have been referred for, then about your broader mental and physical health.

2. One-on-one: The patient will have a chance to chat with their psychiatrist on their own.

3. Support people: The parents/guardians will then get the same opportunity to speak with the psychiatrist privately.

4. Together again: We’ll bring everyone back into the room to talk through your psychiatrist’s thoughts and map out our next steps.

3. Follow-Up Appointments

Follow-ups are much simpler! We usually spend the bulk of our time together as a group checking in on how treatment is progressing, and we generally don't split up for one-on-one chats unless someone specifically requests it.

• Follow-up forms: For school-aged patients with ADHD, we will send out a form for your teacher to track how things are going in the classroom. Please ask them to do this about 1 week before your follow-up appointment so we capture an accurate picture of how things are going right now.

• For all other conditions, there usually aren't any forms for follow-ups (and if there are, your psychiatrist will make sure to let you know at your previous session).

• For patients under 16: The patient must be present, along with at least one parent or guardian. (You are always welcome to bring additional support people if you'd like!)

• For older patients (16 and up): You are welcome to attend your appointment on your own. However, our strong recommendation is that you bring someone who knew you well when you were young, such as a parent or older family member. A lot of psychiatric assessments rely on early developmental history, and having someone in the room who can share observations about what you were like as a child is incredibly helpful for making the most accurate diagnosis possible.

A note for split families: We completely recognise that for families who are separated, it isn't always possible or comfortable for both parents to be in the room together. However, getting both parents' perspectives is still incredibly helpful for a comprehensive assessment.

If one parent cannot attend the session or prefers not to be in the same room, we still strongly encourage you to share your insights! You can do this by:

• Completing the psychometric forms (if it's a full ADHD and/or Autism assessment).

• Writing down your perspectives and observations and emailing them to info@mindhorizons.nz at least a week before the appointment so your psychiatrist can review them before the appointment.

Yes, absolutely! Every appointment confirmation automatically includes a telehealth link just in case you need it.

When booking, you can just check a box to let your psychiatrist know you’d prefer to meet online. If your plans change on the day, you can even switch to telehealth up to 1 hour before your scheduled time by going back and changing your answer to the telehealth question on our booking form.

Recommendation for the first visit:

It is best to see you in person for at least your first appointment. We generally see better outcomes with face-to-face psychiatric care, especially when we are just getting to know each other. However, if you live in another part of the country and travelling isn't possible, Mind Horizons is still more than happy to see you via telehealth.

Important note for ADHD and Eating Disorder telehealth appointments:

If we are doing a telehealth appointment (whether it’s your first visit or a follow-up) for ADHD or an eating disorder, we do need a little bit of help from your local GP clinic. Because we can't take physical measurements through a screen, please schedule a quick visit with your GP nurse about a week before our session to get your baseline measurements.

You'll need to bring the following numbers with you to our online appointment so your psychiatrist can record them:

• Height, weight, blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR)

• Temperature (specifically for eating disorder appointments)

• Heart sound auscultation (only needed before your first appointment, not follow-ups)

Tracking these baselines is important for safe medication management.

If Mind Horizons is seeing you for any other condition, you don't need to worry about gathering these measurements beforehand unless we’ve specifically asked you to.

Planning Ahead for Telehealth Appointments:

We use Google Meet for our telehealth appointments. If you join from a computer, you don’t need to login. If you join from a mobile device, you will need to be logged in to the Google Meet App before your appointment starts.

We suggest you test the telehealth link and your device’s speakers, microphone and camera at least 24 hours before your appointment so you have time to troubleshoot any issues.

Generally yes, most patients get prescriptions (if it is clinically appropriate) sent to their preferred pharmacy on the same day that they have their appointment.

Rarely - probably less than 1% of cases - we might need to wait before issuing the prescription so that other things can occur first to ensure it is safe. This might include if you need blood tests, an ECG, or an opinion from another specialist. If this is the case, your psychiatrist will discuss this with you, and will issue the script (if appropriate) once we have the relevant information to confirm it is safe to do so.

We know that getting a GP referral can feel like just another hurdle when you are eager to get help, but it is a crucial part of your long-term care plan.

Our ultimate goal is to work with you until your psychiatric care is stable. Once we reach that point and things are going well, we will discharge you back to your GP's care. Requiring a referral ensures that your GP is looped in from the very beginning, so when it is time for you to graduate from our clinic, there is a clear, fully informed medical professional ready to seamlessly take over your ongoing care.

The other benefit to you of having your GP refer to Mind Horizons, is that several health insurers require this in order to reimburse you.

Already have a referral for somewhere else? We want to make this process as easy as possible for families! If you already have a GP referral that was originally written for a different clinic or provider, you do not need to book another doctor's appointment just to get the name changed.

As long as the referral is dated within the last 6 months, you can simply email it straight through to us at info@mindhorizons.nz and we are more than happy to accept it.

In short, we are medical doctors who specialise in the mental health, emotional development, and behavioral well-being of young people—from early childhood right through to young adulthood (up to age 25).

Because children, teenagers, and young adults are at entirely different life stages than older adults, their mental health needs are incredibly unique. The brain actually continues going through massive developmental changes until around the age of 25. On top of that, young people are navigating huge life transitions—whether that is moving through school, heading off to university, entering the workforce, or stepping into independence.

Here is what sets a child, adolescent, and youth psychiatrist apart:

• Extensive Medical Training: To become a specialist in this area, we first complete full medical school (just like your GP), followed by years of specialised training in general adult psychiatry. From there, we do further advanced training specifically focused on the unique developmental stages of children, teenagers, and young adults.

• The Big Picture: We don't just look at a list of symptoms. We look at the "whole person" by evaluating biological factors, psychological well-being, genetics, and how things are going in their wider world—whether that is at home, in the classroom, at university, or at work.

• Medical Management: Because we are medical doctors, we can prescribe and manage psychiatric medications, order medical tests, and make sure there aren't any underlying physical health issues contributing to a mental health struggle.

• A Team Approach: While we handle the medical and diagnostic side of things, we work closely with psychologists, therapists, teachers, families and GPs to make sure young people have a complete, well-rounded support system.

Ultimately, our job is to help young people navigate their mental health challenges so they can focus on growing, learning, and building a strong, stable foundation for the rest of their adult lives.

This depends on a few different factors, including the complexity of your situation, your age, and how well you respond to treatment.

Our general recommendation is that we continue working together until your psychiatric care feels completely stable. Once things are going well, we will schedule a final discharge follow up appointment. This gives us dedicated time to discuss the long-term plan for managing your condition in primary care and allows your psychiatrist to provide a clear, comprehensive handover to your GP.

For patients under 18: Reaching that point of stability before discharging is especially important for younger patients. Most GPs don’t frequently manage psychiatric medications for young people, and it simply wouldn't be professionally fair of Mind Horizons to do a single assessment and then expect your GP to take over the prescribing from there. We want to make sure your treatment is fully optimised first to ensure things go as well as possible for your mental health in the long run.

For patients 18 and older: For adult patients, many GPs are comfortable taking over prescribing a bit earlier in the process. This is absolutely something you can discuss with your GP. However, we still highly recommend sticking with specialist psychiatric care until you reach a point of stability, as we consistently see much better long-term outcomes when we take this approach.

Yes and no! While all of our psychiatrists are fully qualified to see patients up to the age of 65, their core expertise and primary focus lie in child, adolescent, and youth psychiatry (i.e. people up to the age of 25).

However, there are a few important exceptions where we absolutely see older adults:

• Current and former patients: We don't believe that turning 26 means you should suddenly have to find a new psychiatrist. Long-term care with a clinician who already knows your history is invaluable, so we will always continue to see our existing (or past) patients as needed.

• Parents of our patients: We are very happy to see the parents (or older siblings) of the young people that Mind Horizons has treated. Being able to support the well-being of the whole family unit often leads to better outcomes for everyone.

For all other adult patients: Beyond those exceptions, we only take on new patients over the age of 25 when our schedule allows. Our priority is always to ensure that opening our books to older adults doesn't disadvantage the young people in Christchurch and across New Zealand who urgently need specialised child, adolescent and youth psychiatric care.

• Current Status: At present, we do have the capacity to see new patients above the age of 25. We will keep this page updated when that changes in the future.

Copies of your assessment reports and follow-up letters are emailed directly to you (or your parents) and your GP.

Here is a breakdown of how we handle privacy and information sharing (for the more technical information, please see our privacy policy):

For patients 16 and older: You have the right to request that your parents do not receive copies of your reports. Even if we currently have your parent's email on file, just let your psychiatrist know, and we can update our system to your personal email address to ensure your medical information stays confidential within your family.

For patients under 16: Reports are generally sent to the parent or guardian email address we have on file unless we have good reason to believe that releasing the report (or parts of it) to your parents is not in your best interests.

A note for split families: Under the Privacy Act, if a parent requests their child's (under the age of 16) health information and is acting in their best interests, we generally have a legal obligation to release it. However, if the patient or the other parent feels that sharing this information with a specific parent is not in the child's best interests, please discuss this with your psychiatrist during our session. This allows us to understand the situation and determine if it is appropriate to decline the request.

Need a replacement copy? We have to be incredibly careful about who we release your health information to, to ensure no one is ever able to access your files by pretending to be you. If you lose a copy of a report or letter:

• Please request a new copy in person, or from the exact email address we already have on file for you.

• If it has been a really long time, or if you no longer have access to your original email account, we may occasionally ask you to pop in with a photo ID so we can verify your identity before sending the documents.

• Tip: Your GP also receives copies of all Mind Horizons letters, so reaching out to their clinic is another way to get a replacement if you’ve lost access to your email account.

Schools, workplaces, and other professionals: We generally don't send information directly to schools, workplaces, or psychologists. Instead, we give any letters or reports intended for them directly to you to pass along. we do this so you get a chance to read through the document first. If there is anything incorrect, or any private medical details you would prefer we redact before you hand it over to a third party, you have the opportunity to let us know so we can make those adjustments.

Mind Horizons Limited is committed to providing a high standard of care and protecting your privacy. We comply with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 and the Health Information Privacy Code 2020.

Agency Details

The agency collecting and holding your personal and health information is Mind Horizons Limited.

This policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and share your personal and health information.

1. Collection of Information

We collect personal information from you, including your:

• Name, Date of Birth, and NHI number

• Contact information and emergency contacts

• Medical, developmental, family, and psychiatric history

• GP records, referrer details, and HealthOne records

• Laboratory and radiology results

• Billing and payment information (processed securely via our payment gateway)

Direct Collection: We collect most of this information directly from you (or your parents/guardians) during your appointments and through our intake forms.

Indirect Collection: To ensure we have a complete clinical picture to provide safe and effective child and adolescent psychiatric care, we routinely collect health information from sources other than you. This indirect collection may include receiving referrals, clinic letters, lab results, radiology reports, and school or teacher assessments. We may also occasionally receive unsolicited information from concerned relatives, caregivers, other clinicians, employers, lawyers, insurance companies, Police, Oranga Tamariki, and other government organisations. We collect this information solely for the purpose of informing your medical assessment and ongoing treatment, and you have the same rights to access and correct this information as data collected directly from you.

2. How We Use Your Information

We collect your personal information in order to:

• Provide the best individualised medical and psychiatric treatment.

• Communicate with you and your family.

• Communicate effectively with your family doctor, other specialist doctors, and relevant support networks.

• Process payments for your appointments and services. 

3. Use of AI Transcription Software

To allow us to fully engage with you during appointments and streamline our documentation, we use a Medical AI Software called Heidi. This system assists with clinical transcription, maximising our face-to-face time with you.

We take your privacy seriously when using this technology. Heidi is designed with strict healthcare compliance in mind. Details on how Heidi manages data is available here: https://www.heidihealth.com/en-nz/legal/privacy-policy

Please be assured that while Heidi assists in drafting documentation, all letters, clinical notes, and reports are thoroughly reviewed, corrected, and finalised by a clinician before being saved to your official medical file or sent to other providers.

4. Disclosure and Sharing

Besides our internal staff, we share your information with:

• Other medical professionals and referring agencies to provide the best and most appropriate ongoing treatment.

• When it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent.

• Managing Complaints: If you make a complaint about the care or services we provide, we may disclose relevant health information to our insurers, indemnity providers, or legal advisers for the purpose of managing and responding to the complaint.

• When it is required or authorised by law (e.g. court subpoena)

• With your consent, we may communicate with other organisations such as schools (e.g. providing advice on how to support young people in their classroom), Ministry of Social Development (e.g. completing forms for benefits you are entitled to), ACC, insurers, employers (e.g. providing medical certificates), your lawyers, and police (e.g. if you are being assessed for a firearms licence).

5. Storage and Security

We keep your information safe by storing it in encrypted cloud based software. We only allow authorised staff to access your information for the sole purpose of clinical care and necessary administrative communication. Under the Health (Retention of Health Information) Regulations 1996, we are required to keep your health information for a minimum of 10 years after your last consultation.

We use Stripe as a secure, third-party payment processor. When you pay with them online, your payment details are not stored on our systems. They are collected, encrypted, and processed directly by Stripe in accordance with their own strict privacy and security standards.

6. Your Rights and Choices

Providing some information is optional. However, if you choose not to provide adequate information, we may be unable to deliver comprehensive psychiatric services.

You have the right to:

• Ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you.

• Ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong.

• Seek a second clinical opinion at any time.

If you’d like to ask for a copy of your information, or to have it corrected, please contact us at info@mindhorizons.nz

7. Complaints

You have the right to make a complaint. Please contact our practice manager in the first instance. Should the matter not be resolved to your satisfaction, you may contact the Privacy Commissioner by completing the form here: https://www.privacy.org.nz/your-rights/making-a-complaint-to-the-privacy-commissioner/complaint-self-assessment/

If you have any questions relating to this Privacy Policy, please contact us at info@mindhorizons.nz