Treating psychologist or independent assessor? The two roles in a NSW CTP claim

Two different roles can be part of a NSW motor accident claim: a psychologist who treats you, and an independent assessor, often a psychiatrist, who gives an opinion for the claim. Here is what separates the two, who actually arranges an assessment, and where to look in this directory for each.

If you are seeing a psychologist as part of a NSW CTP claim, there is a good chance you will only ever deal with one role: the psychologist who treats you. But some CTP claims also involve a second, different role: an independent assessor who examines you for the claim rather than treating you. Confusing the two causes real problems, like turning up expecting a therapy session and instead sitting through a one-off assessment interview, or assuming you get to pick who carries out an assessment the way you picked your treating psychologist. This guide sets out what separates the two roles, who actually arranges an assessment, and where to look in this directory for each.

Treating psychologist vs independent assessor, side by side

Why the distinction matters

The two roles serve different purposes, and it helps to know which one you are in front of before an appointment starts. A treating psychologist's focus is your recovery: what you tell them is part of your ongoing care, and the sessions are meant to help you get better. An independent assessor's focus is different. They are not treating you, and the report or opinion that comes out of the appointment is written for the claim, not for your ongoing care.

In this directory, the practitioners we list are grouped by what their own public listing describes. Most carry a "SIRA-experienced" or "Motor accident experience" badge and do treatment work. A smaller number carry an "Assessments and reports" badge and focus on independent psychological assessment and medico-legal report work instead of ongoing therapy. Every practitioner we list is a registered psychologist. Anyone's current registration can be checked for free on the public AHPRA register.

Two different ways an independent assessment gets arranged

Finding an independent assessor is not like finding a treating psychologist, and which pathway applies depends on where your claim is up to. For a lump sum (common law damages) claim, SIRA's own guidance on medico-legal assessments says: "Independent assessments can be arranged separately by the insurer or your lawyer, or the insurer and your lawyer can agree to jointly instruct a health practitioner to conduct a joint assessment." SIRA does not say what profession that practitioner has to be.

If your claim instead goes to the Personal Injury Commission as a formal medical dispute, the pathway is different again. The Commission's own description is: "The medical disputes pathway involves an assessment of the injury or condition by a medical assessor, an independent medical specialist appointed by the Commission." On the Commission's own published list of medical assessors, the division covering psychiatry for motor accident matters includes far more names than the division covering psychology. In practice, that means a Commission-appointed assessor for a motor accident psychological injury dispute usually specialises in psychiatry, not psychology, consistent with how this directory's own guide to disputed claims already describes the role.

Either way, the choice of who actually conducts the assessment sits with whoever arranged it: the insurer, your lawyer, or the Commission, not with you browsing a directory. That is different from finding a treating psychologist, where you (often with a GP referral) choose who to see.

Where to look in this directory

Of the 50 psychologists we currently list for NSW CTP support, 3 carry the "Assessments and reports" badge: Dr Alex Knopman in Bondi Junction, Tracy Cahn in Woollahra, and Dr Linda Thomas near Newcastle. Each is a registered psychologist whose public listing describes independent assessment and medico-legal report work rather than ongoing therapy, the kind of practitioner a lawyer or insurer arranging a lump-sum medico-legal assessment might engage.

None of the three is the Personal Injury Commission's own appointed assessor for a formal dispute. As set out above, the Commission appoints its own assessor directly, and for a motor accident psychological injury dispute that assessor is usually a psychiatrist rather than a psychologist. Browsing this badge is useful if you want to understand the kind of assessment work these practitioners do, for example if your own lawyer asks you to see one for a lump-sum report, not as a way to choose a Commission-appointed assessor.

For ongoing treatment instead, browse the psychologists listed by region, for example Sydney's CBD and Eastern Suburbs or Illawarra and regional NSW, or use the Find a psychologist form to tell us what you need. Either way, confirm CTP acceptance and the specific service you are after directly when you make contact, since motor accident work is arranged practitioner by practitioner and this directory does not make funding or clinical decisions.

If your claim is already disputed

An independent assessment often comes up specifically because a claim is contested, for example a dispute about the nature of a psychological injury or whole person impairment for a further claim. See the disputed treatment guide for the full process, including when a Commission-arranged medical assessment happens and what free help is available while a dispute is sorted out. For the ordinary treatment pathway instead, from lodging a claim through to an approved Allied Health Treatment Request, see the referral and approval process guide.

This directory and your claim

Motor Accident Psychology NSW is an independent information resource and directory. We are not SIRA, not the Personal Injury Commission, and not an insurer, and we do not make clinical or funding decisions on any claim. What is set out above is the difference between two roles, in plain language, who typically arranges each, and where to look in our listings for each one. It does not tell you which one your specific claim needs, since that depends on your situation and on instructions from the insurer, the Personal Injury Commission, or your own legal adviser.

This guide is general information, not legal, medical, or crisis advice. If you are struggling right now, you do not have to wait: Lifeline is on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue is on 1300 22 4636, 13YARN (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) is on 13 92 76, and in an emergency call 000.

Sources

State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA): "Medico-legal assessments", a page scoped to lump sum compensation (common law damages) claims (https://www.sira.nsw.gov.au/motor/for-individuals-and-their-families/what-you-can-claim/lump-sum-compensation-common-law-damages/medico-legal-assessments), on what a medico-legal assessment is and who arranges an independent or joint assessment; Personal Injury Commission: "Medical dispute" (https://www.pi.nsw.gov.au/types-of-disputes/motor-accidents-disputes/motor-accidents-2017-scheme/medical-dispute), on the medical disputes pathway and the Commission-appointed medical assessor; Personal Injury Commission: "Medical Assessors by Specialty" (https://www.pi.nsw.gov.au/about-us/medical-assessors-by-specialty), the Commission's own published list of its medical assessors by specialty division; Ahpra "Register of practitioners" (https://www.ahpra.gov.au/registration/registers-of-practitioners.aspx), on the public register anyone can use to check a practitioner's current registration. Practitioner names, suburbs and badges are drawn from this directory's own listing data. This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and does not describe any individual's actual claim.

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