Mental Health Care Plan Australia: How to Get One, What It Covers, and What to Expect
If you've been quietly thinking about reaching out for mental health support, please know two things. You're not alone, and the system is built to help you. A Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) is the most common way Australians access subsidised psychology and mental health support through Medicare. It is a written plan, prepared by a GP, that opens the door to rebated sessions with a psychologist, social worker, occupational therapist, or counsellor. This guide explains how a mental health care plan works, who is eligible, what it covers in 2026, and how to start one without leaving home. If this is a medical emergency, call 000 immediately. If you are in crisis, you can also call Lifeline on 13 11 14 at any time.
A Mental Health Care Plan is a written document prepared by your GP under the Australian Government's Better Access initiative, which sits inside the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). It records your mental health concerns, your goals, the supports you currently have, and the kind of treatment your GP and you agree on. Most importantly, it is the form that unlocks Medicare-rebated psychology and allied mental health sessions.
The plan is not a diagnosis label that follows you around. It's a working document. Your GP keeps it on file, and you receive a copy. If you choose to see a psychologist or counsellor, your GP can refer you with the plan, and the rebate flows from there.
A few things a mental health care plan is not:
- It is not a referral to a psychiatrist (that's a separate referral process).
- It is not a hospital admission or any form of involuntary care.
- It is not visible to your employer, Centrelink, or insurers without your written consent. Your GP and any clinician you see are bound by AHPRA confidentiality standards.
Most people don't realise that a GP, not a psychiatrist, is the right starting point. Around 70% of all mental health support in Australia begins with a GP consultation, per the RACGP. It is, quite literally, what GPs are trained to do.
Eligibility for a Mental Health Care Plan in Australia is broader than many people assume. You don't need a severe diagnosis. You don't need to have been to a psychologist before. You don't need to be at crisis point.
Under the Better Access initiative, you may be eligible for a MHCP if your GP assesses that you have a diagnosable mental health condition that would benefit from a structured treatment plan. Common reasons a GP prepares a MHCP include:
- Depression and persistent low mood
- Anxiety, panic, social anxiety, generalised anxiety
- Adjustment disorders (after a job loss, breakup, bereavement, illness)
- PTSD and trauma-related conditions
- Sleep disturbance linked to mental health
- Eating disorders (note: there is a separate, more comprehensive Eating Disorder Plan with up to 40 sessions per year)
- Perinatal mental health concerns
You need to be a Medicare card holder. International students on private health insurance are usually not eligible for the Medicare rebate path, but private health pathways exist.
The GP's role is to determine eligibility, document the condition, and write the plan. This is a clinical decision made in conversation with you, not a checklist. If you are unsure whether you "qualify" because your distress doesn't have a name yet, the right move is to start the conversation. Your GP will help you make sense of it.
Under the current Better Access rules, a Mental Health Care Plan provides access to Medicare rebates for up to 10 individual sessions and up to 10 group sessions per calendar year with an eligible mental health professional, including psychologists, mental health social workers, occupational therapists with mental health training, and certain counsellors. These limits are confirmed by Services Australia.
The structure typically works like this:
- Your GP writes the plan and refers you for an initial course of up to 6 sessions with the chosen mental health professional.
- The mental health professional writes back to your GP after that course with a brief progress letter.
- Your GP then reviews the plan and, if appropriate, refers you for up to 4 more sessions in the same calendar year.
The Medicare rebate covers a portion of each session. The rest is what's known as the "gap fee", and varies by clinician. Some psychologists bulk-bill, particularly in the public sector or community health. Others charge a private fee with a gap.
A Mental Health Care Plan can also be the gateway to:
- Telehealth psychology sessions, with the same Medicare rebates applying as for in-person sessions, provided eligibility criteria are met.
- Group programs run by Medicare-registered providers.
- Connection to free public services like Head to Health, or low-cost services like Beyond Blue and Black Dog Institute digital programs.
The plan does not lock you into a single therapist. You can change providers if the fit isn't right.
A Mental Health Care Plan appointment is a longer GP consultation, usually 30 to 45 minutes. That length isn't accidental. The MBS items that fund the plan (item 2715 for a standard plan, 2717 for a longer one) require enough time to listen properly, per MBS Online. It's a real conversation, not a 10-minute script.
Most GPs will work through something like:
- Your story. What brought you here, when it started, how it's affecting daily life, work, sleep, relationships.
- A validated screening tool, most commonly the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). This is a 10-question survey that helps measure distress over the last four weeks. It is not a label or a verdict. It is one piece of information.
- Risk and safety questions. Your GP will ask about thoughts of self-harm. They ask everyone. It is not a sign you've said something alarming.
- Goals. What would "better" look like in three months. Sleeping through the night. Going back to work part-time. Calling your mum without dreading it. Concrete, achievable, yours.
- Plan. A short list of the agreed steps, including the referral to a mental health professional, any lifestyle suggestions, follow-up timing, and what to do if things get worse.
You'll leave with a copy of your plan, a referral letter, and a follow-up booked. If you want, your GP can also help you find a psychologist who fits your needs (gender, language, focus area) through directories like the Australian Psychological Society Find a Psychologist.
If a face-to-face appointment feels harder than it should, you can do the entire process online with a GP from home. Same Medicare rules apply.
For many people, the question that holds them back is the cost. Let's be clear about how it works.
Under the MBS, the Mental Health Care Plan appointment with a GP attracts a Medicare rebate. The total cost depends on whether the practice charges a private fee or bulk bills. Bulk billed for eligible patients with a valid Medicare card. Strict eligibility criteria apply.
Once you have the plan, the cost of psychology and allied mental health sessions has two parts:
- The Medicare rebate, set by the Government, varies by item number (clinical psychology vs general psychology, individual vs group).
- The gap, set by the individual provider. Public and community-funded services may bulk bill. Private practice often charges a gap above the rebate.
For people who can't afford a gap, options include:
- Head to Health — Government-funded free services, with intake by phone.
- Community mental health teams through your local Primary Health Network.
- University training clinics (often low-fee, supervised by registered psychologists).
- Group programs through Beyond Blue's NewAccess and similar coaching services.
- Lifeline for 24/7 crisis support: 13 11 14.
Cost should not be the thing that stops you. Your GP can help you navigate to the option that fits your situation.
Take the first step from home
A Mental Health Care Plan is not a one-and-done document. It is meant to be reviewed.
The standard review (MBS item 2712) is recommended around the four to six-week mark, after your initial sessions, per MBS Online. At the review your GP will:
- Read the progress letter from your psychologist or counsellor.
- Ask how you're feeling, what's helping, what isn't.
- Adjust your goals if life has shifted.
- Decide whether to refer you for the additional sessions in the calendar year.
If your situation changes significantly, for example a new stressor, a return-to-work issue, a flare in symptoms, your GP can update the plan at any point, not just at the formal review. If you need a medical certificate to take time off, that can happen in the same consultation; many people take a few days of stress leave while they get treatment underway.
A new plan can be prepared if your circumstances are materially different (for example, a new condition or after a long gap). Your GP makes that clinical call. The point of the review process is to keep care continuous, not to put up barriers.
For a lot of people, the problem isn't that mental health care doesn't exist in Australia. It's that asking for it feels like another mountain on top of the one you're already climbing. The waitlist. The waiting room. The "tell me again from the beginning" with a doctor who doesn't know you. The drive home after, feeling more exposed than when you went in.
Abby is an online-first clinic, which means our care network of Australian-registered GPs delivers care from where you are. You can have a Mental Health Care Plan appointment from your bed, your car, your lunch break, or a quiet room in a co-working space. The same GP can see you for the review so you don't repeat your story, and follow-up sessions can fit around work or school.
Abby has clinicians available seven days a week, with same-day consults when capacity allows. 71% of Abby patients rebook with the same doctor (Abby Health internal data, Q1 2026), which matters here more than anywhere else. Continuity is not a luxury in mental health. It's the treatment.
Bulk billed for eligible patients with a valid Medicare card. Strict eligibility criteria apply. If a Mental Health Care Plan feels like a step you've been putting off, you don't have to figure it all out before you book. Your GP will walk you through it.
Knowing someone cares is sometimes the whole battle. We're here for the rest.
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The information reflects guidance available as of the "last updated" date shown above. Medical knowledge evolves, and individual circumstances vary — always discuss decisions about your care with a qualified clinician.
In an emergency, call 000 or attend your nearest emergency department. Abby Health is not an emergency service. For mental health crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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