Important
InnerHub is not a crisis service. If you are in immediate danger, call 000. For support at any hour, Lifeline is on 13 11 14.
Short answer
There is a lot of free and low-cost mental health support in Australia, including Medicare Mental Health Centres, community services and helplines. Many people use these first, and they are worth using. When you want a regular hour with the same person, soon and without a referral, InnerHub offers online sessions at $59.90 AUD for 50 minutes.
You are not sure whether you need a counsellor, you would rather not spend money you do not have, and every search seems to lead to a price that makes you pause. It helps to see all the routes in one place, including the ones that cost nothing.
This is not a pitch to pay. For plenty of people, free support is exactly right. The aim here is to show what each route is good for, so you can pick the one that fits this week.
What free mental health support can you get in Australia?
The Australian Government's healthdirect service lists several free routes. Medicare Mental Health Centres are free walk-in clinics, and healthdirect says you need no Medicare card or referral. The phone number is 1800 595 212.
healthdirect also says community mental health services and non-government organisations are usually free. Your local Primary Health Network can help you find them.
Then there are helplines, which are free at any hour:
- Lifeline: 13 11 14, for anyone in a personal crisis, also by online chat.
- Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636, for support and information, also by online chat.
- Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467, for anyone affected by suicide.
- healthdirect: 1800 022 222, where a registered nurse is available at any hour.
If you need urgent help, call 000.
What is free support good for, and where does it stop?
Free support is good at the first conversation. If you need to say something out loud today, or you are not yet sure what kind of help you want, a helpline or a walk-in centre is a fast and sensible place to start.
It is less suited to a long, regular run of sessions with one person. Walk-in centres and helplines are built around the moment you reach out, not around seeing the same face each fortnight. Community services can also have waiting lists, and what is on offer varies a lot by area.
None of that is a criticism. It is simply a different job.
How does Medicare lower the cost?
Under the Better Access initiative, a GP can assess you and write a Mental Health Treatment Plan. healthdirect says the plan covers Medicare rebates for up to 10 individual and 10 group sessions per calendar year, with eligible providers, and that telehealth is supported.
Two cautions from the same page. Providers may charge a gap fee on top of the rebate, and healthdirect says almost all specialist providers do. Bulk billing, where Medicare covers the whole cost, is the exception. Ask for the full out-of-pocket cost before you book.
Our guide to therapy without a mental health plan explains how this fits with private sessions, and affordable counselling in Australia compares the routes by cost.
When is it worth paying for counselling?
People tend to pay when one of these is true:
- They want the same person every week or fortnight, so they are not retelling their story.
- They need a time that fits around work or family, including evenings and weekends.
- They do not want to wait for a referral, a plan or a place on a list.
- They want to choose someone themselves, and switch if it is not a fit.
If that sounds like you, InnerHub is built for it. A session is $59.90 AUD for 50 minutes by video. There is no referral, no subscription and no waitlist, and you book one session at a time. Practitioners are experienced and qualified in their own countries. They are not AHPRA-registered, which is why sessions sit outside Medicare and no rebate applies. Each profile shows the degree, the country it came from and years of practice before you book.
Talk to someone this week
Get matched with your therapist and book a session in minutes. $59.90 flat, no referral, no subscription.
Find a therapistCan you use free and paid support together?
Yes, and many people do. A common pattern is to ring a helpline or visit a walk-in centre this week, start regular online sessions while a Medicare plan or a community place comes through, and keep the free service as a back-up for bad days.
Nothing about one route closes the door on another. If a GP plan later suits you, book the GP visit and carry on.
What counselling cannot do
Counselling is a place to work through what you are carrying. It does not replace a doctor, and it is not an emergency service. InnerHub practitioners work within their training and refer honestly. If what you are carrying needs a GP or specialist care, they will tell you.
Not sure where to start?
Take the two-minute quiz to see what kind of support fits, or read how matching works.
Take the quizWhen to get help sooner
If you are in immediate danger, call 000. For support at any hour, Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Your GP is a good first stop for a medical check.
This article is general information for adults 18 and over, based on healthdirect's published guidance as at October 2026. It is not financial, clinical or medical advice, and not a substitute for professional care.
General information, not clinical or medical advice. For adults 18 and over. InnerHub is not a crisis service: in an emergency call 000, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
