A Mental Health Care Plan is a structured plan your GP prepares with you when you’re experiencing a mental health issue such as anxiety, low mood or ongoing stress, setting out your treatment goals and, in many cases, opening access to Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist or other mental health professional. At Shire Family Medical, your Sutherland GP practice, mental health care plans are prepared by your regular GP as part of general practice care, alongside the same team who knows your broader health history.
Shire Family Medical, a GP medical centre at 154 Flora Street, Sutherland, has supported patients across the Sutherland Shire with general practice care for more than 11 years. For many patients, a conversation about mental health starts as part of a routine appointment rather than a dedicated visit, and a Mental Health Care Plan is simply one of the tools a GP may use once that conversation identifies a need for structured, ongoing support.
A Mental Health Care Plan is intended for ongoing, non-urgent support. If you or someone you know needs help right now, Lifeline (13 11 14) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) are available 24 hours a day, and in an emergency you should call 000.
What Is a Mental Health Care Plan?
A Mental Health Care Plan (sometimes called a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan) is a written plan a GP prepares for a patient experiencing a mental health condition, documenting the presenting issue, agreed treatment goals, and the type of support that may help, which can include a referral to a psychologist or other allied mental health provider. It is prepared under the Australian Government’s Better Access initiative, which allows Medicare rebates for a set number of sessions with an eligible mental health professional each calendar year.
The plan itself is a clinical document, not a prescription or a diagnosis on its own. It’s built around a conversation: what’s been happening, how long it’s been going on, and what kind of support might help. Common reasons patients raise this with their GP include anxiety, low mood or depression, ongoing stress, grief, adjustment to a difficult life change, or a mental health condition that’s already been diagnosed and needs an updated plan.
Who Can Get a Mental Health Care Plan?
Any patient experiencing a mental health condition that a GP assesses as suitable for the Better Access initiative can be considered for a Mental Health Care Plan, regardless of age. There’s no fixed list of qualifying conditions and no requirement to already have a formal diagnosis before raising it with your GP: eligibility is a clinical judgement your GP makes based on your individual circumstances during the consultation.
Patients often assume a plan is only for a diagnosed mental illness, but in practice, GPs prepare plans for a wide range of presentations, from a first conversation about feeling persistently anxious or low, through to ongoing management of an established condition. If you’re unsure whether what you’re experiencing “qualifies,” raising it with your GP is the appropriate first step rather than trying to self-assess beforehand.
How to Get a Mental Health Care Plan From Your GP
Getting a Mental Health Care Plan starts with booking a longer GP appointment specifically to discuss your mental health, since this consultation covers more ground than a standard visit. Let the practice know when booking that you’d like to discuss your mental health, so enough time can be set aside for the conversation.
During this appointment, your GP will typically:
- Ask about what you’ve been experiencing and for how long
- Discuss how it’s affecting your daily life, work, study, relationships or sleep
- Use a standardised screening tool, such as the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), to help structure the conversation and understand how you’ve been feeling
- Agree on treatment goals with you
- Discuss whether a referral to a psychologist or other allied mental health provider may help
- Prepare the written plan and referral, where appropriate
Some patients are comfortable working through this in a single appointment, while others prefer to take a little more time. There’s no obligation to have all the answers ready. Your GP’s role in this conversation is to understand what’s going on and help identify a reasonable next step, not to have a checklist you need to pass.
How Many Psychology Sessions Does a Mental Health Care Plan Cover?
Under the Better Access initiative, Medicare currently provides a rebate for up to 10 individual and 10 group allied mental health sessions each calendar year, once a Mental Health Care Plan is in place. An initial GP referral typically covers up to 6 individual sessions in the first instance, after which your GP reviews your progress before providing a referral for further sessions, up to the yearly total.
Session numbers and rebate details are set by the Australian Government and can be reviewed or adjusted over time, so it’s worth confirming the current figures with your GP or checking the Better Access initiative page on the Department of Health website directly. Out-of-pocket costs for sessions with a psychologist depend on the individual provider’s own fees and billing practices, which are separate from Shire Family Medical’s GP consultation fees, outlined on our fees and billing page.
The Review After Your First 6 Sessions
The review that typically follows an initial course of sessions is a genuine check-in, not a formality, giving your GP the chance to discuss how the sessions have gone before deciding on next steps together. This might mean referring you for further sessions under the same plan, adjusting the treatment approach, or discussing whether other support would be more suitable.
This is also a natural point to raise anything that’s changed since your first appointment: new stressors, a shift in symptoms, or simply how you feel the sessions are working for you. Your GP can only make a well-informed decision about further sessions with accurate, current information, so this review appointment is worth attending even if things feel like they’re going reasonably well.
Does a Mental Health Care Plan Expire?
A Mental Health Care Plan doesn’t have a fixed expiry date, but it’s generally intended to be reviewed and, where needed, updated by your GP as your circumstances change, rather than left in place indefinitely. In practice, many patients revisit their plan with their GP around the time their initial course of sessions is completed, or whenever their needs shift significantly.
If it’s been a while since your plan was last reviewed and you’re still using allied mental health sessions, or considering starting again after a break, it’s worth booking an appointment with your GP to confirm your plan still reflects your current situation.
Mental Health Support at Every Life Stage
Mental health support needs look different at different ages and life stages, and a GP who has cared for you or your family over time is well placed to notice how those needs are shifting.
Children and Teenagers
Children and teenagers can be considered for a Mental Health Care Plan when a GP identifies a need, often in the context of anxiety, school-related stress, low mood or behavioural changes a parent has raised. Paediatric mental health conversations frequently sit alongside broader paediatric GP care, since a child’s emotional wellbeing is rarely separate from the rest of their health and development. A parent or carer is usually involved throughout the process, from the initial appointment through to any referral.
Men’s Mental Health
Men are often less likely to raise mental health concerns with a GP unprompted, even when symptoms such as irritability, withdrawal, sleep changes or persistent fatigue are present. A regular GP relationship can make this conversation easier to start, particularly when it happens as a natural extension of an existing appointment, such as a general health check, rather than requiring a patient to book a visit specifically labelled “mental health” before they feel ready to use those words.
Women’s Mental Health, Including Perimenopause
Hormonal changes across a woman’s life, including the perimenopause transition, can affect mood, anxiety levels and emotional wellbeing alongside the more commonly discussed physical symptoms. Our article on perimenopause symptoms and what’s worth discussing with your GP covers this overlap in more detail. A GP who is already familiar with a patient’s broader hormonal and reproductive health history can consider mental health changes as part of that same picture, rather than in isolation.
Older Adults
Mental health support remains relevant well beyond midlife, and older adults are just as able to access a Mental Health Care Plan as younger patients. Life changes such as retirement, bereavement, reduced mobility or managing a chronic condition can all affect mental wellbeing, and continuity with the same GP over years can make it easier to notice when something has genuinely changed, rather than dismissing it as an expected part of ageing.
Mental Health Care at Shire Family Medical
Mental health conversations tend to go better with a GP who already knows your history, rather than starting from scratch each time, which is part of why continuity of care matters as much for mental health as it does for any ongoing physical condition. With a team of doctors caring for patients and families across the Sutherland Shire, that continuity is a practical, everyday part of how appointments are structured here, not a one-off consultation with a doctor you may never see again.
Some patients raising mental health concerns are also managing a related condition such as ADHD. If that applies to you, our article on GP-led ADHD prescribing in NSW may also be useful background, alongside the practice’s dedicated ADHD Management service.
If you’ve been thinking about raising your mental health with your GP, it’s a reasonable thing to bring up at your next appointment, or to book a longer GP health check specifically to talk it through. Book an appointment with Shire Family Medical →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Mental Health Care Plan?
A Mental Health Care Plan is a written plan a GP prepares for a patient experiencing a mental health condition such as anxiety, low mood or stress, documenting treatment goals and, where appropriate, a referral to a psychologist or other allied mental health provider. It is prepared under the Australian Government’s Better Access initiative, which supports Medicare rebates for eligible sessions.
How do I get a Mental Health Care Plan from my GP?
Getting a Mental Health Care Plan starts with booking a longer GP appointment to discuss your mental health. During the consultation, the GP discusses what you’ve been experiencing, may use a screening tool such as the K10, agrees on treatment goals with you, and prepares a written plan and referral where appropriate.
How many psychology sessions does Medicare cover under a Mental Health Care Plan?
Under the Better Access initiative, Medicare currently provides a rebate for up to 10 individual and 10 group allied mental health sessions each calendar year. An initial GP referral typically covers up to 6 sessions before a review, after which further sessions may be referred up to the yearly total. Current figures should be confirmed with a GP or the Department of Health.
Does a Mental Health Care Plan expire?
A Mental Health Care Plan does not have a fixed expiry date, but it is generally intended to be reviewed and updated by a GP as a patient’s circumstances change. Many patients revisit their plan around the time an initial course of sessions is completed, or whenever their needs shift significantly.
Do I need a referral to see my GP about a Mental Health Care Plan?
No referral is needed to see a GP about a Mental Health Care Plan. Any patient can raise a mental health concern at a GP appointment. A referral only comes into play afterwards, if the GP and patient agree that seeing a psychologist or other allied mental health provider would help.
Can children get a Mental Health Care Plan?
Yes. Children and teenagers can be considered for a Mental Health Care Plan when a GP identifies a need, often relating to anxiety, school-related stress, low mood or behavioural changes. A parent or carer is usually involved throughout the process, from the initial GP appointment through to any referral for further support.
What happens after my first 6 sessions with a psychologist?
After an initial course of sessions, typically up to 6, patients return to their GP for a review appointment. The GP discusses how the sessions have gone and decides, together with the patient, on next steps, which may include a referral for further sessions under the same plan, up to the yearly Medicare-subsidised total.
Can any GP prepare a Mental Health Care Plan?
Most GPs are able to prepare a Mental Health Care Plan as part of general practice care, though the appointment usually needs to be longer than a standard consultation to allow time for the assessment and discussion involved. It’s worth mentioning when booking that you’d like to discuss your mental health, so appropriate time can be set aside.
This article provides general health information only. It is not a substitute for personalised medical advice and does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Any treatment, test, procedure or vaccination mentioned is for illustrative purposes only — suitability depends on individual circumstances and assessment by a qualified health professional. Medical information can change; always speak with your GP about your specific symptoms, health history and care options. In an emergency, call 000.
