Mental Health Occupational Therapy Under Medicare
Focussed Psychological Strategies
Focussed Psychological Strategies are evidence-based treatments recognised under Medicare’s Better Access initiative. We connect these treatments with your daily activities, relationships and circumstances.
We take time to understand you and what matters to you, considering your surroundings and supports to guide how we work together.
How We Can Help
- Anxiety and avoidance: understand worry and practise approaching situations that matter to you.
- Low mood: rebuild involvement in meaningful activities and routines.
- Strong emotions: recognise responses, manage distress and communicate.
- Stress: develop coping and problem-solving strategies for everyday situations.
Recognised Strategies
Under Better Access, Focussed Psychological Strategies include:
- Psychoeducation, including motivational interviewing.
- Cognitive and behavioural strategies, including exposure and activity scheduling.
- Relaxation strategies.
- Skills training for problem solving, communication, managing emotions, stress and parenting.
- Interpersonal therapy.
- EMDR.
- Narrative therapy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Our Approach
We integrate counselling and occupational therapy using recognised psychological strategies. Depending on your needs and the therapist’s training, these can draw on approaches such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) skills, and somatic and sensorimotor approaches.
We apply strategies to everyday life through activities, routines, structure and changes to surroundings or supports. Each therapist’s skills and approaches vary with their training and experience.
Training and Endorsement
Occupational therapists providing Focussed Psychological Strategies under Medicare must hold mental health endorsement through Occupational Therapy Australia and meet Medicare’s provider requirements.
Endorsement recognises demonstrated mental health knowledge, skills and experience. Maintaining it requires ongoing professional development and supervision. Medicare also requires at least 10 hours of Focussed Psychological Strategies professional development each year.
Meet our clinicians · Endorsed Mental Health Occupational Therapy · Mental Health Capability Framework
Medicare Access
Eligible clients can claim rebates for up to 10 individual Better Access sessions per calendar year with an appropriate referral. This limit is shared across eligible providers. A gap payment applies.