Unfortunately, no. The Australian Government does not classify counselling and lived experience services as treatment eligible for coverage under the Medicare model. This means Mental Health Care Plans also cannot be used with us as it is a service provided through Medicare. To be clear, this is not our choice and we hope that this changes in the future.

Yes, we can invoice anyone who is self-managed or plan managed.

The item we invoice under for Counselling is 15_043_0128_1_3 - Improved Daily Living Skills - Assessment Recommendation Therapy or Training – Counsellor - $140 for a 50min session, or $200 for an 80min session (you choose).

The item we will invoice under for our Lived Experience Practitioners is 01_741_0128_1_3 - Disability-Related Health Supports - Other Professional - $140 for a 50min session, or $200 for an 80min session (you choose). However there are other items that we can use, and you’re welcome to get in touch with us if there is a different item number you’d like to be invoiced under.

Why is the price different to the private-paying fees? The service we provide under the NDIS is different to our private-paying services, so that we can comply with NDIA regulations. This includes but is not limited to; developing and managing service agreements, admin time spent on invoicing management, liasing with plan managers, and care teams.

The pricing set complies with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26.

No. You do not require any referrals at all to use our services.

Last updated: 13 October 2025.

Our books do fill quickly, but generally we are able to book you into regular appointment times within a fortnight. However, we are starting to wrap up for the year and most of us will be taking some time off over the summer. We recommend getting in contact sooner rather than later if you’d like to chat with us before the end of the year.

You can view our available appointments by navigating to our online booking system, here.

At Therapy Shmerapy, the distinction between a Counsellor and a Lived Experience Practitioner is minimal in practice, and this is by design:

• All of our Counsellors intentionally use their lived/living mental health experience in their sessions.

• All of our Lived Experience Practitioners have extensive experience working in mental health and supporting people through complex mental health experiences.

Regardless of their title, both roles are designed to support you by prioritising connection and skill-building. The distinction between a Counsellor and a Lived Experience Practitioner at Therapy Shmerapy is based purely on formal qualifications and registration status. Their differing credentials don't change their shared value. We consider both approaches equally vital, and charge the same price for both services.

If you’re unsure which to choose from, we recommend looking through our Meet the Team page to see which practitioner you feel most drawn to work with. Research has shown time-and-time-again that having a good connection with your practitioner is invaluable in comparison to their job title.

We do not generally suggest a minimum or maximum amount of sessions for our services. They can be as long-term, short-term or sporadic as you like.

There is a connotation that mental health support is time limited (eg. 10 sessions maximum, or for 3 months maximum) but this comes from government services that will only fund a certain amount of support per person. This does not apply to our service, and is a big reason why we do not pursue a government funded model. We believe that as long as we are working together well and you are finding it helpful, we will continue to work with you as you see fit.

Similarly, we do not have a minimum amount of sessions. This means you can try one or two sessions, and if you're not feeling it you do not need to book back in. It is completely up to you.