Getting started
The practical side of starting: who does what, how to find someone, and what it costs, including what Medicare covers. There's also what to expect when you book and at the first session, free and low-cost options, and youth services for people aged 12 to 25. If you need help urgently, crisis and emergency support is first in the list below.
- UseCrisis and emergency supportWho to call, what each service is for, what happens when you ring, and what to do if you'd rather not talk or you're worried about someone else.
- ReadWho does whatWhat each profession is trained to do, which titles are protected and which anyone can use, which ones Medicare gives a rebate for, and how to check that someone is who they say they are.
- UseHow to find a therapistWhere to search for a psychologist, counsellor or social worker in Australia, how to check in two minutes that someone is registered, what to do when every practice has closed its books, and how to get seen faster.
- ReadWhat therapy costsHow therapy fees and Medicare rebates work in Australia, what practitioners typically charge, what people actually pay on top, other ways to pay, and what to ask about cost before you book.
- UseMental Health Treatment PlansWhat a Mental Health Treatment Plan is, what it gets you, who can have one, how to ask your GP for one, the rules that aren't obvious, and what happens when the sessions run out.
- UseFree and low-cost optionsTherapy and support in Australia that costs nothing or close to it — phone and chat services, headspace, community health, university clinics, workplace programs, Open Arms and free or low-cost online courses.
- Useheadspace and youth servicesWhat headspace centres offer, what they cost and when a Medicare card matters, how to get an appointment without a referral, what happens at a first visit, how eheadspace works, and what to do about the wait.
- UseWhat to say when you bookWhat to say on the phone or in an email, what a practice will ask you, what you don't have to explain, what to ask about fees and waiting, and what to do if a phone call is the thing stopping you.
- ReadWhat happens in a first sessionWhat to bring, the forms you'll sign, what your therapist will ask, the safety question and what it does and doesn't lead to, how paying and claiming work, what telehealth first sessions are like, and how to decide whether to go back.
- ReadGetting a diagnosisHow you find out officially whether a condition fits: what a diagnosis is needed for, who can diagnose, what an assessment involves, where it's harder to get, and what to weigh up before deciding.