Mental Health Care Plans

 What is a Mental Health Care Plan-and How Do I Get One?

A Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) is a support plan prepared by your GP that helps you access subsidised psychology services through Medicare. If you require psychology supports, a MHCP can help make receiving this support more affordable and accessible.

How Does a Mental Health Care Plan Work?

With a valid MHCP and referral from your GP, you are eligible to receive Medicare rebates for up to 10 individual psychology sessions per calendar year.

Key benefits of a Mental Health Care Plan:

Medicare rebates: Reduce the out of pocket cost for psychology sessions.

Access to professional support: Connects you with a psychologist or other mental health professional.

Collaborative care: Ensures your GP and psychologist work together to support your wellbeing.

Please note: Our practice does not offer bulk billing services. This means there will be an out of pocket cost for each session, even after your Medicare rebate is applied. If you have any questions about fees, please contact our admin team for more information.

How Do I Get a Mental Health Care Plan?

1. Book an appointment with your GP: Some GP’s require a longer appointment to complete a Mental Heath Care Plan so you may need to advise the doctors clinic that your looking to have a Mental Health Care Plan completed to avoid any delays.

2. Discuss your concerns:
At your appointment, talk with your GP about how you’re feeling and any symptoms you’re experiencing. Your GP will assess your situation and determine if you’re eligible for a Mental Health Care Plan.

3. Receive your plan and referral:
If appropriate, your GP will create a Mental Health Care Plan and provide you with a referral to see a psychologist. You can request to be referred to our practice, or your GP can provide an open referral if you haven’t chosen a psychologist yet.

4. Book your psychology sessions:
Once you have your plan and referral, you can contact our practice to being the processes of booking in your first appointment.

5. Ongoing support:
An MHCP will initially allow you to receive a Medicare rebate for 6 sessions, following that you will need to return to your GP to review your progress. The GP can then provide access to an additional 4 sessions within that calendar year.

If you have any questions about using a Mental Health Care Plan at our practice, or about our fees, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.