Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) focuses on providing support for people experiencing a significant and permanent disability with the goal of improving their lives and increasing their independence.
As such, the NDIS does cover psychology services when a mental health condition is severe enough to be considered a long-term (or lifelong) disability. This is because of the profound, positive impact psychological support from a trained therapist can deliver.
Psychology services can be accessed through the NDIS via the ‘Capacity Building’ section of a NDIS participant’s plan as part of the ‘Improved Daily Living Skills’ category. Further to this, this type of intervention must have the potential to support the goals NDIS participants have outlined in their plan.
What type of mental illnesses are covered by the NDIS?
People with long-term disability resulting from a mental health condition can become an approved NDIS participant. This means the disability must be having a negative impact on your daily living (such as affecting your learning, behaviour, communication, mobility, self-care, self-management, coping mechanisms, or social interaction), but a diagnosis of a specific condition is not essential; it may be enough to provide evidence that a mental health issue exists.
A mental health condition may not necessarily cause a disability but, it can, and the type of condition that can cause a psychosocial disability varies. A person may be impacted by:
- Schizophrenia
- Depression
- Anxiety (ie. PTSD, agoraphobia, OCD)
- Mood disorders (ie. bipolar)
- Psychosis
- Personality disorders
- Autism
- Stress
- Burnout
- Family issues, and more.
It’s important to note that the diagnosis of mental health conditions and the treatment of those conditions is normally the domain of the mental health system, not the NDIS. Find out more here
What psychology therapies are covered under the NDIS?
There are a great number of psychological therapies that can improve the wellbeing of NDIS participants and participants must work with a NDIS registered therapist, like our Armadale-based team at LifeLift, when accessing support.
Some services that may be covered include:
- Rehabilitation counselling
- Relationship counselling
- Trauma counselling
- Cognitive psychology
- Clinical psychology
- Developmental psychology
- Coaching
A psychological assessment is an integral part of providing these types of services and can be funded through the NDIS
How can psychology services support people with autism?
People living with autism (also known as autism spectrum disorder or ASD) can experience challenges in social situations and managing their behaviour and may deal with anxiety and depression, amongst other issues.
Psychological treatments including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) have been shown to assist people with autism in a variety of ways by helping them shift the way they react to or perceive certain situations. Applied Behaviour Analysis has also been linked to positive outcomes in dealing with specific behaviours
Ready to arrange Psychology Help around Perth and Armadale?
If you have any questions about accessing psychological therapy services at LifeLift with your NDIS funding, get in touch with our friendly, person-centred team today.
We’re ready to lift you and your loved ones up!
