Counselling is a form of talk therapy designed to support your wellbeing and help you manage stressful life experiences. It can be provided by various mental health professionals—social workers, counsellors, occupational therapists, psychologists, and mental health nurses—depending on your needs.

An Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW) is a social worker who has completed additional training, supervision, and assessment through the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). This accreditation recognises advanced skills in mental health assessment and treatment, and ensures the practitioner meets high professional and ethical standards on an ongoing basis to maintain accreditation. AMHSWs are eligible to provide services under Medicare and are trained in a range of evidence-based therapies to support people with mental health concerns.

A standard therapy session, often called a “therapist hour,” runs for 50 minutes. The extra 10 minutes in a typical hour are reserved for important tasks such as writing session notes, preparing reports, and handling other administrative work.

Yes. A Medicare rebate of $87.20 is available for clients referred under a Mental Health Care Plan. Some private health insurance extras may also cover psychological services—check with your provider to confirm eligibility as this will depend on your level of cover & extras.

Everyone's needs differ. In the first session, we’ll discuss what you’re hoping to achieve and work together to plan how many sessions and how often.

A Mental Health Treatment Plan (sometimes called a Mental Health Care Plan) is a referral from your GP that enables you to access Medicare rebates for psychological or social work services. Under this plan, you are eligible for an initial 6 sessions per calendar year.

After these first 6 sessions, if you and your practitioner agree that ongoing support would be helpful, you will need to revisit your GP for a review. Your GP can then issue a referral for up to 4 additional sessions, bringing the total to 10 sessions per year.

As your practitioner, I am required to provide your GP with a summary report following your sessions. This report generally outlines your progress and treatment goals but maintains your confidentiality and privacy. The purpose is to keep your GP informed so they can continue to coordinate your overall care.

It’s important to keep in regular contact with your GP during this process, as they play a central role in your mental health care and treatment planning.

Yes – we understand that life is busy & regular work and/or family commitments can make attending appointments within business hours difficult. After-hours and Saturday morning appointments are available and can be linked through the online booking portal after your initial session.

Contact 000 immediately.
SJT Counselling does not provide crisis support, so for urgent assistance, please reach out to:

• Lifeline: 13 11 14

• Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

• Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467