A mental health care plan is a plan developed between yourself, your doctor and allied mental health team. It details your mental health conditions and your personal goals and treatment journey. It is designed to support you to achieve your mental health goals and optimise your mental health and well being.
Am I eligible for a mental health care plan?
To be eligible for a mental health care plan you must have a mental health condition that has been diagnosed by a doctor.
How can a mental health care plan help me?
A mental health care plan can help you to establish and realise goals for your mental health. It can teach you more about the condition you have and how to self-manage your symptoms and what parts of your health journey can be supported by your doctor and psychologist.
How do I get a mental health care plan?
You can get a mental health care plan from your usual general practitioner via a telehealth consultation. If you don’t have a usual general practitioner, choose a doctor who has a special interest in mental health and whom you feel safe and comfortable with.
How much does it cost to have a mental health care plan?
If you have a medicare card then mental health care plans are bulk billed. Bulk Billed means the medical centre claims the cost of the service directly from medicare on your behalf and you have no out of pocket cost for the service. If you don’t have a medicare card these appointments will cost $72.50.
How many sessions do I get to a psychologist with a mental health care plan?
At the beginning of your mental health care plan you will be able to access medicare rebates for up to ten individual and ten group appointments with allied mental health services. You cannot access all ten sessions at once. After you have completed six sessions you must return to your doctor for a review of the plan and then you can access the other four sessions. Recently, due to impacts of COVID-19 on mental health, the federal government announced another ten sessions that can be accessed for people who have already used their ten sessions. You must see your doctor to access these sessions.
