Editorial policy

Therapy Guide helps people in Australia understand their options for professional mental health support and choose what to look into next. This page sets out how we decide what to cover, how we judge the evidence, how every page is researched, written and checked, and how we keep it current.

What we cover

We cover therapies and services you can get in Australia that have credible research behind them. Some have a lot of research, and some are newer, with less. Where the research is thin or disputed, the page says so. Approaches without credible research support aren’t covered.

We describe experiences in everyday words, such as worry, low mood, or something that happened that you can’t shake. The site never diagnoses anyone, never scores anyone’s answers, and always shows more than one option, because what people go through rarely fits one label.

We don’t recommend individual therapists, clinics or products.

How we judge the evidence

Every therapy page gives the evidence one of four levels:

Strong. Many good-quality trials and reviews, with consistent results.
Moderate. Good trials and reviews, but fewer of them, or results that vary.
Emerging. Early research that looks promising but isn’t settled.
Limited. Little good-quality research so far.

A level describes how much research there is and what it shows. It can’t tell you how well a therapy will suit you. Research on therapy finds that your relationship with the person you see matters a great deal, whatever Approach (modality) The kind of therapy someone uses, such as CBT or psychodynamic therapy. You'll also see it called a modality. More in the jargon decoder they use. Why who you see matters more than what they do explains why that sits at the centre of the site.

Where our facts come from

We go to the original source wherever we can. That means published studies and reviews, clinical guidelines, and Australian government and professional bodies. For services, costs, Medicare Australia's public health insurance scheme. For mental health, it gives rebates on sessions with psychologists and some other professionals, usually through a Mental Health Treatment Plan. More in the jargon decoder and the law, we use Australian sources only.

When a page describes a study, review or guideline, it links to that source so you can check the claim yourself. Medicare figures come from the government’s current figures.

How every page is made

Every page goes through the same steps, and none of them is skipped.

Planned. Each page starts from a written plan: who it’s for, what it needs to say, what it must not claim, and which facts it may use.
Researched. Every fact and figure is checked against the source it comes from, with the exact supporting passage recorded so it can be checked again. Anything that can’t be verified is left out, or clearly marked as uncertain.
Drafted. Pages are drafted from that research and a set of written rules covering tone, plain language, safety and what the site will and won’t say.
Edited and checked. Each draft is edited line by line against the research. It’s also run through automated checks for wording the site doesn’t use, missing or altered crisis information, broken links and reading level.
Reviewed and approved. Every page is reviewed and signed off by a qualified Counsellor Someone trained to help people talk through and work on difficulties. The title isn't protected in Australia, so it's worth checking a counsellor's training and registration. Medicare doesn't give a rebate for counsellors. More in the jargon decoder before it’s published.

How we use AI

We use AI tools to help with research and drafting, under our direction and within the steps above. They work from the checked research and the written rules, and they don’t decide what the site says. Every page is edited and approved by a person before it’s published, and a person is responsible for everything on the site.

Nothing you read here is generated on the spot. The guide is laid out like a chat, with its messages on one side and your answers on the other. It isn’t a chatbot, though, and no AI writes a response to you. You answer by choosing from set options, and the guide follows fixed paths to decide what to show you. Everything it shows was written, checked and approved in advance, like every other page.

Safety

Therapy Guide is read by people having a hard time, and every page is written with that in mind.

Crisis information. Pages that people are likely to read when things are hard show Australian crisis services. We list only established national services, and we check their details.
Talking about suicide. We follow Australian guidance on communicating safely about suicide.
Younger readers. The site is written for adults, but every page is written so it’s safe and appropriate for someone aged 15. Pages written for people under 18 point to youth services first.

Keeping pages up to date

Medicare Rebate The amount Medicare pays back towards a session. It comes back to you after you've paid, so what you pay yourself is the fee minus the rebate. More in the jargon decoder change each July, so every page that gives a Medicare figure or a cost is checked each year after the new figures come out. Those pages show the date their figures were last checked. Pages are also updated when important new research or a change to a service comes to our attention.

Independence

At the moment, the site carries no advertising, sponsorship or paid listings, and nobody pays to be mentioned. If that changes, this page will say so first.

Corrections

If you think something on the site is wrong or out of date, email hello@therapyguide.com.au. We check every report against the source, and we correct errors as quickly as we can.

What this site isn’t

Therapy Guide gives general information. It isn’t therapy, and it can’t assess or advise anyone about their own situation. This isn’t therapy has more.