A Mental Health Care Plan from your GP can give you access to Medicare rebates for therapy. Here's exactly how to ask for one — including what to say if you're not sure where to start.
One of the most common barriers to accessing therapy is cost. In Australia, a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from your GP allows you to access Medicare rebates for sessions with eligible mental health professionals — including our accredited mental health social workers and psychologists at Bloom.
What is a Mental Health Care Plan?
A Mental Health Care Plan is a document prepared by your GP that identifies your mental health concerns and outlines a plan of treatment. Having one makes you eligible for Medicare rebates for up to 10 individual therapy sessions per calendar year. After the first 6 sessions, your GP will conduct a review before you access the remaining 4.
How to ask for one
When you book your GP appointment, you can say: "I'd like to book a longer appointment to discuss a Mental Health Care Plan." Most GPs are very familiar with this request. At the appointment, you'll talk briefly about what's going on for you mentally and emotionally — you don't need to have a formal diagnosis, and you don't need to go into extensive detail.
If you find it hard to talk about these things verbally, you can write a few dot points before your appointment. Things like: "I've been struggling with anxiety / low mood / trauma / stress for [timeframe]. It's affecting [sleep / relationships / work]. I'd like to see a therapist." That's genuinely enough.
What happens next
Your GP will issue a referral, usually on the same day. You then bring this referral to your first appointment at Bloom, or we can hold it on file. The Medicare rebate is applied when you claim after the session — your therapist can walk you through exactly how this works at your first appointment.
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