A GP Mental Health Treatment Plan, NDIS funding, a reduced rate, private cover or an employer EAP — the ways to reduce the cost of counselling, and where to get help if money is the wider problem.
A GP Mental Health Treatment Plan gives a Medicare rebate for sessions with a registered psychologist or an AASW-accredited mental health social worker. It does not cover counsellors, because counselling is not a Medicare-rebatable profession in Australia.
NDIS funding can pay for counselling depending on how a plan is managed: self-managed and plan-managed participants can engage an independent practitioner, NDIA-managed participants cannot.
Private health extras may cover some practitioners depending on the fund and the practitioner's membership. An employer EAP is usually free to the employee and separate from all of this.
Some practitioners on groundpath offer a reduced fee where the standard rate is a barrier. You can ask when you book, and you will not be asked to explain your finances.