To see a psychologist, Gold Coast residents typically start with their GP, who can prepare a Mental Health Treatment Plan so sessions attract a Medicare rebate. Since November 2025, that plan has to come from the practice where you’re enrolled in MyMedicare, or from your usual GP. After that, sessions can take place in a clinic, by telehealth, or at home with a mobile service like ours.
That covers the basic steps. The harder part is choosing a psychologist who suits you, getting an appointment in a reasonable time, and fitting sessions around school runs, work, mobility limits or a health condition. This guide explains how the system works in 2026, where the rules recently changed, and how to think about fit. It’s written from our point of view as a mobile allied health service that offers psychology on the Gold Coast and by telehealth Australia-wide, alongside occupational therapy and speech pathology.
Why so many people are looking for support
Mental health conditions are common. Nationally, 42.9% of people aged 16-85 have experienced a mental disorder at some point in their life, and anxiety disorders are the most common group in any given year, affecting 17.2% of people (ABS, 2023). Young people carry a heavier load still: 38.8% of 16 to 24 year olds had a mental disorder in the previous 12 months (ABS, 2023).
Psychologists work with a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, stress, grief, trauma, and behavioural or emotional difficulties in children. A first session is mostly about getting to know you. Your psychologist will ask what’s brought you in, how things are affecting daily life, and what you’d like to change. Together you’ll start setting goals, which usually build on the ones in your Mental Health Treatment Plan, and agree how often to meet.
The Gold Coast’s own health planners have noticed. The region’s Joint Regional Plan for Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and Alcohol and Other Drugs (2025-2028) names children and young people, First Nations people, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, LGBTQIAP+ communities and people at risk of homelessness as priority groups (Gold Coast Health, 2025). In our experience, many people in these groups find that a clinic waiting room is the hardest part of getting help, which is one reason we think how and where you get support deserves as much thought as who provides it.
How Medicare’s Better Access program works in 2026
Better Access is the Medicare program that subsidises psychology sessions. Eligible people can claim rebates for up to 10 individual and 10 group sessions each calendar year, from 1 January to 31 December, and the two limits are counted separately (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026).
Sessions come in two blocks. Your first referral covers up to six sessions. After that, your psychologist writes back to your GP, and if the GP agrees, they issue a new referral for the remaining sessions up to the annual cap. Your psychologist can’t add sessions on their own. There’s one useful exception to the GP route: a psychiatrist or paediatrician can refer directly without a Mental Health Treatment Plan (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026). That matters for families whose child already sees a paediatrician, because it can save an extra appointment.
People often still call the plan a “Mental Health Care Plan”. The official name is now Mental Health Treatment Plan, or MHTP, and it works the same way: it’s a document your GP prepares with you that sets out your goals and the support you need.
What changed on 1 November 2025
This is the change we see catching families out most often. From 1 November 2025, MHTPs and Better Access referrals must come from the GP practice where you’re enrolled in MyMedicare, or from your usual medical practitioner. The separate MHTP review items were also removed from the Medicare Benefits Schedule. Referrals written before 1 November 2025 stay valid until their sessions are used (MBS Online, 2025).
In practice, if you’ve recently moved to the Gold Coast, use bulk-billing walk-in clinics, or don’t have a regular GP, it’s worth enrolling in MyMedicare with one practice before you ask for a plan. A plan from a GP you’ve never seen before may not qualify for the rebate, and it’s frustrating to find that out after your first session.
Registered or clinical psychologist: does the title matter?
Both are university-trained and registered with Ahpra, the national regulator. A clinical psychologist also holds an area-of-practice endorsement in clinical psychology, which takes further postgraduate study and supervised practice. Medicare pays a higher rebate for their sessions.
Our view is that the title is one factor, and rarely the deciding one. Both groups deliver evidence-based therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy. Whether a psychologist has worked with your particular concern, whether they see children or adults, and whether you feel comfortable talking to them tend to matter more to how therapy goes than the endorsement alone. The rebate difference is real, so compare the out-of-pocket cost (the fee minus the rebate) rather than the headline fee.
What to look for in a psychologist on the Gold Coast
A good match makes therapy easier to stick with. Before booking, it helps to ask a few direct questions. A reputable practice will be happy to answer them.
- Have you worked with people with concerns similar to mine, or with children of my child’s age?
- What is the fee, what is the expected gap after Medicare, and is there a cancellation policy?
- Do you offer sessions at home, at school, by telehealth, or only in a clinic?
- How soon can I start, and how often would sessions usually happen?
- How do you involve parents, carers or support coordinators, if I want that?
- If I’m an NDIS participant, can you work with my plan-managed or self-managed funding?
Pay attention to how you feel after the first session or two. Feeling a bit uncomfortable is normal when you’re talking about hard things. Feeling unheard or rushed is a different matter, and changing psychologists is a reasonable step. Your GP can update the referral.
The best psychologist on paper won’t help much if getting to the appointment takes more out of you than the session gives back.
Mobile psychology and telehealth: who each suits
Our psychologists offer mobile sessions on the Gold Coast, so they come to your home or another familiar place in the community, and they offer telehealth to clients anywhere in Australia.
Home visits can suit people for whom travel is the barrier. That includes older people who no longer drive or who tire easily, NDIS participants with mobility or sensory needs who find clinics overwhelming, and parents juggling young children. Seeing someone in their own home also gives the psychologist a picture of daily life, including the routines, the pressures and the supports that are already there. Because we also provide occupational therapy and speech pathology, those observations can be shared with the rest of a client’s team when the client agrees.
Telehealth suits people who are comfortable on a screen, have a private space to talk, and want the shortest path from “I need help” to a session. Better Access video sessions, and phone sessions in some circumstances, attract rebates equal to in-person sessions under their own item numbers. Medicare, DVA, the NDIS and private health insurers all recognise telehealth. Your psychologist still needs to assess suitability, protect your privacy and agree a safety plan with you, just as they would in person.
The Tweed side of the border is worth a mention. Medicare is national, so residents of Tweed Heads, Kingscliff and surrounds use Better Access exactly the same way as Queenslanders, and telehealth psychology is open to them. We also provide mobile occupational therapy and speech pathology across the Tweed. Psychology there is delivered by telehealth.
Paying for sessions: Medicare, NDIS and other funding
Cost is the main barrier to psychological care in Australia. In a 2025 survey of more than a thousand private-practice psychologists, 96% said they had turned away or delayed clients who couldn’t afford treatment, and 92% named cost as the biggest barrier (Australian Association of Psychologists Inc, 2025). Knowing which funding route applies to you before you book can save you from an unexpected bill.
| Funding route | How you access it | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| Medicare (Better Access) | MHTP from your MyMedicare-enrolled or usual GP, or a direct referral from a psychiatrist or paediatrician | The gap between the fee and the rebate, and how many sessions you’ve already used this calendar year |
| NDIS | Psychology funded within your plan’s capacity building supports; Astrad works with plan-managed and self-managed participants | Whether your plan is plan-managed or self-managed, and whether psychology fits your stated goals |
| Private health insurance | Extras cover that includes psychology | Your annual limit and per-session benefit; Medicare and private health rebates can’t be claimed for the same session |
| DVA or WorkCover | Approval through the relevant scheme | Whether the claim or card covers psychology, and any approval needed before sessions start |
| Private (self-funded) | Book directly, no referral needed | The full fee and cancellation terms |
A note for NDIS participants: Astrad is not a registered NDIS provider, so we can’t work with NDIA-managed (agency-managed) funding. If your plan is plan-managed or self-managed, you can choose us. Your support coordinator or plan manager can confirm how psychology sits within your current plan. Decisions about what’s funded rest with the NDIA, and no provider can promise a particular plan outcome.
Waiting lists, and where to turn in the meantime
Psychology waitlists are a national problem, and the Gold Coast isn’t immune. More than a quarter of psychologists (27%) say new clients wait a month, and 15% report waits of nearly two months. The workforce meets only about 35% of projected national demand (Australian Psychological Society, 2025). In a separate member poll, 31% of psychologists said they couldn’t take new clients at all (Australian Psychological Society, 2025).
We’d suggest three practical things. Put your name down with more than one practice if waits are long, and tell the others once you’ve started somewhere. Ask whether telehealth or a mobile appointment is available sooner than a clinic slot, because it often is. And keep your GP in the loop, since they can monitor how you’re going and talk you through other options while you wait. Gold Coast PHN funds free programs for people experiencing mild-to-moderate distress after events like job loss, relationship breakdown or grief, and your GP can tell you what’s currently running.
A waitlist isn’t the place to sit out a crisis. If you or someone you care about is at immediate risk, call 000. Lifeline is available any time on 13 11 14.
Everything in this article is general information, not advice about your own situation or your child’s. Your GP or a psychologist can talk through what suits your needs.
If you have questions about mobile or telehealth psychology, or about how sessions could fit around your family’s routine, we’re happy to talk it through. Call us on 0468 552 997, email [email protected], or get in touch through the contact page on our website.
Can my child see a psychologist at school instead of at home?
Mobile allied health services can sometimes run sessions at a child’s school, but this depends on the school’s policies, a suitable private space and consent from parents or guardians. Some families prefer school sessions because they cut down on travel and time off class. Others prefer home so school stays separate from therapy. Ask the provider and the school what arrangements are possible before you decide.
What usually happens in a first psychology session?
The first session is mostly about getting to know each other. The psychologist will typically ask what brought you in, about your background, daily life and goals, and explain how confidentiality works. For children, parents or carers are usually involved at the start. You won’t be expected to share everything at once. It’s also a good chance to ask questions and see whether the psychologist feels like a good fit.
Is what I tell a psychologist kept confidential?
Psychologists in Australia are bound by professional and legal confidentiality obligations, so what you discuss is generally kept private. There are limits. These include situations where someone is at serious risk of harm, where a court orders records, or where the law requires reporting, such as some child safety concerns. Your psychologist should explain these limits at the start, and you can ask them to go over it again at any time.
