Primary victims are eligible for financial assistance to pay for reasonable counselling services that have already been paid for, or that are likely to be paid in the future.[21] These services include counselling reports and counselling sessions. Evidence requirements for counselling expenses are explained further below.
Secondary and related victims are also eligible for assistance to pay for counselling expenses.
Counselling services may be delivered by:
- an Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) registered psychologist
- counsellors who are a level 3 (minimum) member of the Australian Counselling Association or who are a ‘full clinical member’ or ‘certified practising member’ of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia,
- mental health social workers who are accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers,
- social workers who are accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers, or
- other mental or allied health professionals providing appropriate therapeutic services.
The FAS will consider other counselling professions who may not fit the above requirements, where the applicant has provided details about their skills and qualifications and the FAS considers them to be an appropriate counselling service provider. Examples include provisional and non-accredited psychologists and social workers, mental health nurses, psychiatrists and other providers that deliver therapeutic services (including art therapy and play therapy for children) who would be broadly eligible for accreditation but may not necessarily be formally accredited.
As outlined in the interim assistance section, the FAS can pay for up to 5 counselling sessions to meet a victim’s immediate needs for counselling, without the need for a victim to provide documentary evidence of a psychological injury.
The number of counselling sessions the FAS may provide to a victim will be based on the victim's needs and the information and evidence provided in the application.
Counselling sessions and evidence required
| Counselling sessions | Required information |
|---|---|
Initial counselling sessions and interim assistance. The FAS will provide up to 5 sessions as interim assistance for applicants’ immediate needs. See the interim assistance section for more information.
| Applicants must provide details in the application form to show the need for counselling, including an explanation of the psychological injury resulting from the violent act and the number of requested counselling sessions. Where the applicant is applying for interim assistance, they must also explain how the assistance will meet their immediate needs. Applicants must provide one of the following for the cost of the counselling expense:
|
Additional counselling sessions (more than 20 sessions)
| Applicants must provide a report which details the ongoing need for counselling. The report must be produced by an accredited mental health social worker, a non-psychologist/accredited social worker, a registered psychologist or psychiatrist and include:
The FAS may request and pay for the applicant to obtain a counselling report after 20 sessions have been used.
|
✅ FAS request and payment for a counselling report Example: Rafiq had been granted assistance for 20 counselling sessions and has nearly attended all 20 sessions. Rafiq submits a variation application for additional assistance to access further counselling beyond the 20 sessions initially approved. The FAS requests further information, including pre-authorising a counselling report outlining Rafiq’s mental health needs, proposed treatments including cost and the practitioner’s opinion on the need for additional sessions and whether the need is directly as a result of the violent act. Rafiq obtains the counselling report requested by the FAS that meet these requirements, and the FAS pays for the counselling report in accordance with the FAS counselling expenses payment schedule. |
Sometimes the FAS will approve an applicant’s future counselling expenses, rather than paying an applicant’s expenses that they have already paid for. In applications where the FAS has decided to pay future assistance for expenses likely to be incurred, the FAS will pay for each service provided (such as a counselling session) once the service has been delivered and notice of its delivery has been provided to the FAS. This is different to applications where the FAS is reimbursing an applicant directly for expenses which were already incurred and paid for.
Footnotes
[21] Section 10(2) of the Act.
Updated