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Mental health support in Australia
The Mental Health Care Plan gives you Medicare-rebated psychology sessions with a GP referral. Bulk-billed options, Headspace for young people, and when to call Lifeline.
Published 17 May 2026 · Last reviewed 17 May 2026
There's a federal mental health framework that gives you Medicare-rebated access to psychology, with a GP referral.
Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP)
- Your GP can write you a Mental Health Care Plan (also called Better Access plan).
- This entitles you to up to 10 Medicare-rebated psychology sessions per calendar year (the COVID-era boost to 20 has ended; verify the current cap at https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/better-access-initiative).
- The rebate covers part of the session fee — verify the typical gap with practices in your area.
- After 6 sessions, you go back to the GP for a review before continuing.
Bulk-billing psychology
- Hard to find in capital cities. Headspace (under 25), Mensline Australia, and community mental health centres are the usual options for low- or no-cost.
- Telehealth options have expanded — sometimes easier to find an appointment.
Headspace (12–25 year olds)
- Free or low-cost mental health support for young people. 150+ centres across Australia plus eHeadspace online.
- https://headspace.org.au/
Community health centres
- Each state runs networked community health centres offering some free counselling and chronic disease management.
When to call Lifeline
- Any time. Lifeline (13 11 14) is for crisis and suicide prevention but they also support people who are distressed for other reasons.
This is a sensitive topic. If you're researching this for someone else — partner, child, friend — Beyond Blue has resources specifically for people supporting someone through mental ill-health: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/. The full list of crisis lines is in crisis numbers.