Medicare FAQs

Medicare and Mental Health Plans

How do I use a Medicare Mental Health Care Plan?

Sweet. You’ve seen your GP and you’ve got a Mental Health Care Plan (MHP).

Here’s how it works:

  1. Find a provider you’d like to work with (they need to be a psychologist, psychiatrist, or an accredited social workers)

  2. Check they have availability

  3. Book your first session

  4. Ask your GP to complete your MHP and include your provider’s name

That’s it. Your provider will talk you through rebates, session limits, and the admin bits.

How do I know which providers offer Medicare rebates?

Short answer: look for this on their profile:

👉 “Medicare rebate available”

Longer answer:

Medicare rebates are available with:

  • Psychologists

  • Psychiatrists (some also offer psychotherapy, not just medication)

  • Some accredited social workers

We’ve made it easy — if it’s available, it’s clearly listed.

What’s the difference between a psychologist, psychiatrist, counsellor and psychotherapist?

We know. It gets confusing quickly.

Here’s the grounded version:

  • Psychiatrists → medical doctors who can prescribe medication and may also provide psychotherapy

  • Psychologists→ provide assessment and therapy, and can offer Medicare rebates

  • Social workers (some) → can also provide therapy with Medicare rebates

  • Counsellors / Psychotherapists → provide therapy, but don’t offer Medicare rebates

These are different training pathways, not a hierarchy.

All of these professions can offer thoughtful, effective therapy. The differences are in training models, areas of focus, and how the work is approached.

Why don’t all providers offer Medicare?

Australia’s Medicare system is… specific.

Only psychologists, psychiatrists, and some social workers are eligible.

That means many highly trained counsellors and psychotherapists — often with years (or decades) of advanced training — simply aren’t included.

Are there benefits to working with a counsellor or psychotherapist instead of using Medicare?

Short answer: yes. And not in a “second best” kind of way.

While psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers play an essential role in mental health care, many counsellors and psychotherapists are extensively trained, highly experienced, and doing very deep, relational work.

Choosing a therapist isn’t just about rebates — it’s about fit, approach, and the kind of work you want to do.

A few things worth knowing:

  • Different training, different strengths
    Psychologists are trained within structured, evidence-based frameworks. Counsellors and psychotherapists often train in depth-oriented, relational, and long-form approaches. Both are valuable — just different.

  • More flexibility in how therapy works
    Medicare-supported therapy often needs to fit within certain models. Outside of that, therapy can be more tailored, exploratory, and responsive to you.

  • Privacy matters to some people
    When you’re not using Medicare, your therapy isn’t part of a broader medical system. For some, that feels important.

  • No fixed session limits
    Medicare plans come with caps. Private therapy allows the work to unfold at the pace it actually needs.

  • Fit matters more than people expect
    The relationship is the work. Many clients choose the person first — and then decide how they want to pay.

We see people do excellent work with psychologists, psychiatrists, and counsellors/psychotherapists alike. The key is finding the right fit for you.

Can I use Medicare for couples counselling?

Short answer: no.

Medicare does not cover couples or relationship therapy in Australia.

(We wish it did. It would make a lot of sense.)

Do you offer bulk billing?

We don’t.

All practitioners here are in private practice, and most do not offer bulk billing.

Who is Here Completely for?

Here Completely is for people who don’t want generic therapy.

We’re a women-led collective of independent practitioners working from a shared, purpose-built space in Sydney CBD.

Most of our clients are:

  • High-functioning (on paper), but quietly struggling

  • Dealing with burnout, identity questions, or relationship complexity

  • Wanting something deeper than “just coping”

  • LGBTQI+, neurodivergent, or simply wanting a space where they don’t have to explain themselves

If you want therapy that feels human, thoughtful, and actually useful — you’ll probably feel at home here.

Who might we not be the best fit for?

We’re not a clinic or an agency.

And we’re not set up for:

  • Bulk billing

  • NDIS-funded services

  • Crisis or acute care

If that’s what you need, public or community services may be a better fit.

We genuinely wish there were more options in that space.

How does Here Completely work?

Here Completely is a shared community of independent practitioners in private practice.

Each therapist runs their own business, manages their own clients, and brings their own training, approach, and areas of focus.

We provide a purpose-built space, a considered environment, and a community of like-minded practitioners who care about doing good work.

It’s not a clinic. It’s not an agency. It’s something a bit more human than that.