Welcome to Therapy Shmerapy

Two friends smiling while holding sensory toys.

Bookings are open!

We are a neurodivergent and gender-diverse led Counselling and Peer Mental Health support service.

We take pride in being lived and living experience-focused, with all our practitioners having personal experiences navigating mental health challenges. This approach allows us to embrace an atheoretical model, where the emphasis is not on specific therapeutic techniques but on genuinely listening to you and responding as a fellow human being.

We take a depathologising and mad pride approach. We work with the understanding that a lot of our “mental illness” is actually appropriate reactions to life, and that some things that cannot be changed about us (eg. chronic health, neurodiversity) are worsened by our surroundings, not by its own existence.

We are available via Telehealth, Australia wide.

Here are some of the many areas we work within:

Autism

Executive functioning, sensory needs, autistic burnout, socialising and relationships, unmasking, meltdown, shutdown, emotional regulation.

ADHD

Executive functioning, emotional regulation, work anxiety, hyperfixating, rapid stream of consciousness.

LGBTQIA+ issues

Navigating relationships, discrimination, oppression, gender dysphoria, self-expression, connecting with community, chosen family.

Trauma

Complex traumas, assault, intergenerational trauma, breaking cycles, vicarious trauma.

Neurodivergence

Any state in which your brain may not respond in the way that neurotypical society expects it to. Neurodiversity is not just Autism, ADHD, and learning differences. This can include any form of difference in thinking or processing.

Empowerment and Compassion

Advocating for yourself and increasing; self-compassion, self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-confidence, and self-worth. We also focus on addressing internalised abelism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, etc.

 FAQs

  • Counselling is a therapeutic approach that involves active listening, empathetic responding, and unbiased perspective. Counsellors are mental health professionals, often with a Bachelors or Masters degree in the field, and are regulated through a registration body. Counsellors cannot provide diagnoses, and instead they collaborate with you to enhance your mental wellbeing and foster self-understanding. Counselling is often a great approach for you to gain fresh perspectives on situations.

    Peer Mental Health Support, sometimes called Peer Support or Peer Work, is a newer approach to mental health care. Guidance provided is by people who have lived/living experience with mental health challenges. Peer Mental Health Workers utilise insights gained from their own recovery journey to help others through similar challenges. Peer Work is cemented in connecting to each other through relatable experiences and having a deep understanding of the emotions and thoughts you may experience. Peer Work does not currently sit under a registration body in Australia and peer workers can have a variety of qualifications.

    At Therapy Shmerapy, counselling and peer work are very similar. This is due to the fact that all of our counsellors have lived/living experience with mental health challenges, and all of our peer workers have experience using therapeutic techniques in sessions. Both approaches at Therapy Shmerapy are designed to support you through your mental health journey through connection and building skills. One is not considered “more clincal or professional” than the other. As a result, we offer the same price for our counselling services and peer work 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 or degree.

  • 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 counselling and peer-work is often time limited (eg. 10 sessions maximum, or for 3 months maximum) but this is not true for us. We believe that as long as we are working together well and it feels like we are getting somewhere, we will continue to work with you if that is what you would like.

    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.

  • Shorter Sessions - 30mins - $65

    Standard Session - 50mins - $100

    Longer Session - 80mins - $160

    We offer a 25% reduced rate to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and anyone with no or low income. Please contact us prior to booking to access this rate.

    We are able to invoice NDIS plans (please see Can I use NDIS to pay? FAQ).

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

  • Unfortunately, no. The Australian Government does not classify counselling and peer work services as clinical 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 - $156.16/hr.

    The item we will invoice under for Peer Mental Health Support is 07_101_0106_6_3 - Psychosocial Recovery Coaching - Weekday Daytime - $101.42/hr, however there are other items that peer work can fall under 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 usual fees? The service we provide under the NDIS has to be different so that we can comply with NDIA regulations. This includes but is not limited to requiring set durations for sessions, developing service agreements, and additional admin time spent on invoicing or liasing with plan managers. The pricing set complies with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2024-25.

  • Last updated: 19 October 2024.

    Our books do fill quickly, but generally we are able to book you into regular appointment times within a week or two. For a better understanding of our availabilities, you can view our available appointments by navigating to our online booking system, here.

  • We are currently offering our services via Telehealth (video and phone) to anyone located within Australia.

  • You will receive a 50% refund of the session fee if you cancel your appointment at least 48 hours in advance. However, no refunds will be provided for cancellations made within 48 hours of the appointment.

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