As a psychologist, a large part of my work is with NDIS participants, and many of them see me by telehealth. Some live hours from the nearest service that fits their needs. Some find leaving the house hard on most days. Others have the transport sorted but not the energy, the support worker hours, or the spare half-day an appointment across town takes.
There are 782,013 participants with approved NDIS plans nationally, and for adults, psychosocial disability is one of the largest disability groups in the Scheme. Access to psychological support is uneven across Australia. Where you live, how you travel and what your week looks like still shape what you can access.
Telehealth reduces many of these barriers. For many participants, it is the format that makes regular, consistent support possible. This article covers what telehealth offers NDIS participants with physical or psychosocial disability, who it suits, and how to get started.
How telehealth helps NDIS participants
These are the benefits participants and their support networks raise with me most often.
| Common barrier | How telehealth helps |
|---|---|
| No suitable service nearby | Your options are no longer limited to what is local. You can work with a clinician outside your area who has the right experience. |
| Finding the right clinician | A wider pool means you can choose based on fit: experience with your presentation, the therapy approach you want, or who you feel comfortable with. |
| Getting to and from appointments | No transport to arrange, no reliance on a lift, no need to use support worker hours on travel. |
| Leaving the house is hard | Sessions happen where you already are. This matters for people living with anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic pain, fatigue or mobility limitations. |
| Busy or unpredictable weeks | A session fits around work, study, caring roles and other appointments without a trip on either side. |
| Sensory load and new places | Waiting rooms, lighting, noise and unfamiliar settings are removed. You attend from a space you know. |
| Using your plan funding | There is no provider travel time to cover, so more of your funding goes to the support itself. |
Video or phone: you choose what works
Telehealth covers both video and phone appointments. Video suits most therapy, as it allows you and your psychologist to see each other and share worksheets on screen. Phone sessions are useful when internet is unreliable, when being on camera is uncomfortable, or on days when a video call feels like too much. Many participants use a mix of both, and that flexibility helps keep support consistent through harder periods.
Finding the right clinician for you
When options are limited to what is nearby, people often take the first available appointment rather than the right one. Telehealth lets you look for a clinician with experience in your presentation and the type of therapy you are looking for. The working relationship between you and your clinician is one of the most consistent predictors of how helpful therapy is.
Your support network can be part of it
With your consent, a support worker, family member or carer can join a session, sit nearby to help with the technology, or take part in planning. For some participants, having a familiar person present is what makes starting therapy possible.
For people with physical or psychosocial disability
Telehealth is useful across a wide range of disability types. How it helps depends on the person.
- Physical disability: chronic pain, fatigue and limited mobility can make travel costly in energy as well as time. Psychological support for adjustment after injury or diagnosis, pain management, identity and mood can happen without the physical demands of travel.
- Psychosocial disability: for people living with anxiety, depression, trauma or severe and persistent mental illness, the effort of leaving home can be the reason appointments are missed. Attending from home supports regular contact, and regular contact supports progress in therapy.
- Neurodivergence and intellectual disability: a predictable format, a familiar environment and the option of a support person can reduce the demands of an appointment, leaving more capacity for the session itself.
Is telehealth right for everyone?
Telehealth suits many participants, and it works best when:
- You have a private space where you can talk without being overheard
- You have a phone, tablet or computer, and a reliable internet or phone connection
- You and your clinician agree it suits your current needs and level of risk
At the start of telehealth care, we confirm where you are and who to contact if you need urgent support, and we review whether telehealth remains the right fit as therapy progresses. Some participants are better served in person for part or all of their care, and our clinic in Charlestown offers that option. Under the NDIS, telehealth delivery is agreed with you in advance as part of your service agreement (see the NDIS Pricing Arrangements).
Telehealth psychology at Mind-Care
Mind-Care is an NDIS-registered provider, part of the Educare Group, with our group office in Charlestown NSW. We provide psychology for adolescents and adults, in person and by telehealth, and we accept NDIA-managed, plan-managed and self-managed participants.
Our clinicians have long-standing experience supporting NDIS participants, including people living with:
- Complex trauma and PTSD, with EMDR-trained clinicians on staff
- ADHD and neurodivergence in adults, including autism and high-masking presentations
- Severe and persistent mental illness, including schizophrenia spectrum and mood disorders
- Intellectual and developmental disability with co-occurring psychosocial needs
- Physical disability with psychological impacts, including chronic pain and adjustment after injury
Functional capacity assessments by telehealth
We can provide psychosocial functional capacity assessments and reports by telehealth. These reports describe how a person’s disability affects their day-to-day functioning, and can support access requests and plan reassessments. Completing the assessment by telehealth means participants in regional areas, or those who find travel difficult, do not need to wait for a local assessor.
Coordinated care
Our intake team coordinates onboarding, including your service agreement and plan details, so you are not managing the paperwork alone. If you use more than one Mind-Care service, such as psychiatry or neurology alongside psychology, your clinicians can work together with your consent. For allied health support such as occupational therapy, speech pathology or behaviour support, our sister service Educare can help.
For support coordinators and other professionals
We work alongside the people already involved in a participant’s care. With the participant’s consent, we collaborate with support coordinators, recovery coaches, case managers, plan managers, support workers and GPs, and keep the relevant people informed so goals and reports line up across the team.
If you have a participant in mind, our team is always happy to talk through whether the service is the right fit for them. You are welcome at any point to send a referral through, and from there the participant moves onto their agreed path with our intake team.
How to get started
- Get in touch. Complete the request an appointment form on our website, or email hello@mind-care.net.au. Mention that you are an NDIS participant. A support coordinator or family member can do this on your behalf.
- Share your plan details. Our intake team will ask for your NDIS number, plan dates, how your plan is managed, and a copy of your plan summary if you have one. No GP referral is needed for NDIS-funded psychology.
- Agree on the format. We confirm your service agreement, including whether you would like video, phone, in-person sessions or a mix, then book your first appointment.
FAQ
Can I use my NDIS funding for telehealth psychology?
Yes. The NDIS allows supports to be delivered by telehealth where it is appropriate for you and agreed in your service agreement.
Do I have to use video, or can I have phone sessions?
Both are available. Your psychologist will talk with you about which suits your needs, and you can change between them as your circumstances change.
Can my support worker or a family member join the session?
Yes, with your consent. Some participants have a support person present for the whole session, and others only for the start or for planning.
Can a functional capacity assessment be completed by telehealth?
Yes. Mind-Care can provide psychosocial functional capacity assessments and reports by telehealth for NDIS participants.
I am plan-managed or self-managed. Can I still see Mind-Care?
Yes. Mind-Care is an NDIS-registered provider and works with NDIA-managed, plan-managed and self-managed participants.
Taking the next step
Telehealth gives NDIS participants more choice in who supports them and how sessions are delivered. If distance, transport, energy or a busy week has kept psychological support out of reach, it may be a practical way to start. You can request an appointment online, or ask your support coordinator to contact us.
If you need urgent support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24 hours) or 000 in an emergency.
Veronica West, Psychologist & Board-Approved Supervisor, Mind-Care
