Medicare Funded Online Counselling (Telehealth)
Medicare subsidises video sessions with a psychologist anywhere in Australia. Telehealth is now a permanent part of the Medicare Benefits Schedule, which means you can be seen from home under the same Better Access arrangements that apply to face-to-face appointments.
Who Can Access Telehealth Sessions
Any patient eligible for Better Access can have individual sessions by video, no matter where you live in Australia, where it is safe and clinically appropriate to do so. The location rules that once restricted telehealth to regional and remote areas no longer apply to individual therapy. They do still apply to group therapy.
What You Need Before Your First Session
You need a mental health diagnosis and a Mental Health Treatment Plan, together with a valid referral. The plan and the referral must come from a general practitioner or prescribed medical practitioner at the practice where you are registered for MyMedicare, or from your usual doctor. Referrals from a psychiatrist or paediatrician are also accepted.
How Many Sessions Medicare Subsidises
Up to ten individual sessions per calendar year. The limit is the same whether you attend in person or by video. Your first referral covers up to six sessions. After those, you return to your doctor for a review, and they decide whether a further course of treatment is needed. Up to two sessions involving a family member or carer can be included within the same ten.
How the Sessions Work
A telehealth session runs over a video and audio link, on a platform that meets Australian requirements for the privacy and security of health information. You need a device with a camera, a stable internet connection and a quiet, private space where you will not be interrupted.
Book a Telehealth Session
You can book an appointment through our client portal or call us on (03) 9802 4654. There is more detail on our Telehealth page.