There is a common misconception that you can only be referred to a Psychologist or Psychiatrist for your mental health. With long waiting lists for these professions it is even more important to understand the full list of available to treat you, many who have immediate availability and charge less.
GPs can write mental health treatment plans and, depending on your needs, might refer you to a counsellor, psychologist, psychiatrist or other mental health professional.
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/servicesandsupport/whos-who-in-mental-health-services
There are actually many Mental Health Services available, depending on what your needs are.
The full list of Mental Health Services are:
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Mental Health Nurses
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health workers
- Social Workers
- Counsellors
- Peer Workers
- Mental health occupational therapists
- Mental health recovery and rehabilitation workers
A longer list than you would have imagined? If you or someone you support is accessing treatment for a mental health condition, you will probably come across a range of mental healthcare and welfare professionals who will have a role in the treatment.
Many of our Counsellors are in fact Accredited Mental Health Social Workers (AMHSW), the Accreditation that gives social workers the ability to provide services under Medicare. As Counselling is the service they offer it is common to use the term Counsellor so they can be found by people seeking Counselling. You can see their credentials by clicking on them in our Team Page.