Therapy? Shmerapy

Therapy Shmerapy is a neurodivergent and trans/gender-diverse team offering peer mental health support and counselling. We show up for our community with real talk, not textbook answers.

Every one of us has lived through it - mental health systems, misdiagnoses, masking - and we’re using our experiences to stand with you.

Forget the clinical scripts and jargon. We don’t follow a one-size-fits-all model. Instead, we offer real, human conversations rooted in mad pride, neurodiversity, and the radical belief that a lot of what gets called “illness” is actually a valid response to a broken world.

Our total fees are lower than the average Psychologist out of pocket cost, and other counselling services, making us a more accessible and affordable alternative to clinical services that just don’t get it.

We are telehealth-based, Australia wide.

Book an Appointment

How to Start

Choose a Practitioner

Visit our Meet the Team page, read about us, and choose who you would most like to work with.

2. Book and Pay Online

Read about our Pricing Options, and book online through our portal.

3. Show Up

No referrals needed, and no judgement.

Our Focus Areas

Autism

Burnout, shutdowns, meltdowns
Executive functioning support (planning, energy, time-blindness)
Honouring special interests (SPINs) and routine as regulation
Navigating systems that weren’t built for us
Sensory processing, overload, and access needs
Social differences, boundaries, and misattunement
Unmasking, identity grief, and late discovery

ADHD

Building neurodivergent-friendly routines & boundaries
Executive functioning support (working memory, tasks, motivation)
Exploring non-linear productivity & rest cycles
Reframing “procrastination,” motivation & burnout
Rejection sensitivity & impulsivity
PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder)
Work anxiety.

Trauma

Complex trauma from childhood, families, institutions, or cultural systems
Experiences of dissociation, self-harm, or suicidality
Healthcare trauma, misdiagnosis, institutionalisation, gaslighting
Intergenerational trauma and breaking cycles
Navigating trauma that doesn't fit into neat boxes (e.g. spiritual abuse, system fatigue)
Rebuilding self-trust, boundaries, and a sense of safety
Vicarious trauma

LGBTQIA+ Issues

Coming out, navigating family or cultural expectations
Experiencing discrimination and oppression
Gender dysphoria
Gender exploration, questioning, transition support
Internalised homophobia or transphobia
Navigating queer relationships
Queer/trans community connection and grief

Neurodiversity

Living with Tourette’s, OCD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, PDA, or other neurotypes
"Not-quite-right" experiences of thinking, feeling, or perceiving
Navigating misdiagnosis
Reframing neurodivergence as difference, not disorder
Sensory processing differences that don’t fit diagnostic criteria
Support for people questioning or relating to psychosis, plurality, or dissociation
Unpacking internalised ableism and shame

Wellbeing

Burnout and exhaustion from capitalism, activism, or identity-based harm
Building regulation tools that honour your nervous system
Creating space for grief, anger, or numbness
Guilt around rest, asking for help, or saying no
Holding trauma, injustice, and world collapse without shutting down
Reconnecting with pleasure, play, and creativity
Rejecting self-optimisation, hustle culture, and toxic positivity
Wellbeing rooted in access, justice, and collective care

Free Sessions

Running from July - October 2025

We're excited to offer free sessions with our student counsellor, Darcy (they/them), as part of their placement at Therapy Shmerapy.

Darcy brings their own lived and living experiences to their work, with a focus on:

Grief and loss
Suicide bereavement
Friendship and relationship loss
Grief related to disability and chronic illness
Alternate experiences of reality and unusual or unshared beliefs (sometimes referred to as psychosis or delusions)

To participate in this free service, you’ll need to meet all three of the following criteria:

Be aged 16 or older
Be located in Australia
Be available for video calls

Because this is part of a placement, Darcy can only work with people who meet those requirements and who are seeking support around the areas listed above. If that’s not quite the right fit for you, we encourage you to connect with another member of our team, we’d love to support you in another way.

Book an appointment with Darcy

FAQs

Unfortunately, no. The Australian Government does not classify counselling and peer work 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 Peer Mental Health Support 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 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 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: 21 June 2025.
Our books do fill quickly, but generally we are able to book you into regular appointment times within a fortnight.
You can view our available appointments by navigating to our online booking system, here.
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 mental health work 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.