In person
Telehealth
As an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, my sessions are recognised under two Medicare pathways. Both require a referral from your GP.
Also still commonly called the MHCP. Covers anxiety, depression, trauma, body image and a wide range of clinically diagnosed mental disorders. Your GP creates the plan and refers you to me. The Medicare rebate is the same whether we meet in person or by telehealth.
For eligible patients with a diagnosed eating disorder. You get up to forty psychological therapy sessions across twelve months, plus dietetic support and GP review appointments. Sessions are referred in blocks of ten with GP reviews along the way.
If you don't have a referral, would prefer not to involve a GP, or simply want to get started sooner, you're welcome to pay the full session fee privately. Some clients choose to begin this way and move onto a Medicare plan later if and when it feels right for them.
A valid GP referral, and either a Mental Health Treatment Plan or an Eating Disorder Treatment Plan. Most GPs can do both in a longer appointment, often bulk-billed. I'll walk you through what to ask for in your 15-minute call.
As Accredited Mental Health Social Workers, my sessions are Medicare-recognised under the Better Access initiative, alongside psychologists and mental health occupational therapists. Rebate amounts are set by the Australian Government; for the current figures see Services Australia and MBS Online.
There's often confusion here, particularly when a GP recommends a psychologist under a Mental Health Treatment Plan or Eating Disorder Treatment Plan.
Both psychologists and clinical mental health social workers are qualified mental health professionals who provide treatment for eating disorders, body image concerns, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Both can also offer Medicare-rebated sessions in Australia when referred by a GP under the appropriate plan.
Clinical mental health social workers (including myself) are accredited to provide Medicare-rebated therapy in the same way as psychologists, which means access to rebates is not limited to one profession.
Where differences tend to sit is in training background and therapeutic lens. Social work training places particular emphasis on context: not only the individual's symptoms, but the systems, relationships, environment, and life stressors that shape how those difficulties develop and are maintained.
If you've been told you "need a psychologist," it's still worth knowing there are options. The most important factor is not the title, but the therapeutic fit: finding someone you feel able to speak openly with, and do this work in a way that feels workable and safe for you.
I support people living with chronic health conditions, including invisible illnesses such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, long COVID and other complex health presentations.
Having lived experience of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I understand how complex this can be. It can be frustrating and isolating when you look "fine" on the outside, while internally there is a real physical, cognitive, and emotional toll that others may not fully see or understand.
In our work together, we focus on working with your body rather than against it, learning to listen to its cues without judgement, while also recognising the very real barriers that can make it hard to honour those signals in day-to-day life. Therapy can support you to reduce self-blame, make sense of your experience, and build a more sustainable way of living within your capacity.
No. You don't need to be severely depressed, highly anxious, or formally diagnosed with a condition like an eating disorder to seek support.
People come to therapy at all different stages of change. Some are in crisis, but many are simply noticing that things feel "not quite right," overwhelming, or harder than they want to manage alone. Others are curious about their patterns, want to prevent things from getting worse, or are looking for a space to understand themselves better.
If you've found yourself searching for a therapist, that in itself is often a meaningful signal that some support could be helpful.