Women's Mental Health Services by State

A maintainable guide to official Australian mental health entry points, with links to the government pages that hold the current service details.

Reviewed: 28 August 2026. Service names, phone numbers, eligibility and opening hours can change. Follow the linked official page before relying on a detail in this guide.

This guide is general information. It does not assess which service is clinically appropriate for an individual.

If help is urgent

If someone is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical help, call Triple Zero (000) or go to the nearest emergency department.

For crisis support that is not an emergency:

• Lifeline: call 13 11 14 or use Lifeline's current text and chat options.
• 13YARN: call 13 92 76 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis support.
• 1800RESPECT: call 1800 737 732 or use its online options for domestic, family or sexual violence support.
• PANDA: call 1300 726 306 for perinatal mental health support. Check PANDA's site for current hours.

These services have different purposes. A crisis line is not a replacement for emergency care, and Safe Refuge Counselling is not a crisis or emergency service.

National starting points

You do not have to identify the perfect profession or program before asking for help. These official national services can narrow the options.

Medicare Mental Health

The Australian Government's Medicare Mental Health website brings together mental health information, a service finder, and information about Medicare Mental Health Centres. Use the official finder to check the current location, access requirements and opening hours of a centre.

Healthdirect Service Finder

The government-funded Healthdirect Service Finder lists GPs, hospitals and other health services. Listings and billing arrangements should still be confirmed with the provider.

Better Access

Under the Australian Government's Better Access initiative, eligible people can receive Medicare benefits for up to 10 individual and 10 group mental health treatment services in a calendar year. Eligibility, referral rules, the type of covered practitioner, provider fees and any gap payment must be checked for the individual service.

Safe Refuge sessions sit outside Better Access. Read the practice's current fees and Medicare information before booking.

Language support

TIS National provides interpreting by phone on 131 450. Whether an interpreter can be arranged without cost depends on the organisation and its eligibility. Ask the health service how it works with interpreters before the appointment.

Official state and territory entry points

The pages below are maintained by the relevant government health service. They are more reliable than a long list of individual programs because local teams, eligibility and contact details change.

New South Wales

The NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 connects callers with NSW Health mental health services. The official page also explains language-support options and what to expect when calling.

Victoria

The Victorian Department of Health explains how to find a local public mental health triage service and other entry points on its mental health and wellbeing support page. Use its locality search rather than relying on a single statewide number.

Queensland

The Queensland Government's 1300 MH CALL page lists 1300 642 255 as the statewide access line to Queensland public mental health services.

Western Australia

Use the WA Government's HealthyWA mental health and wellbeing page to find current mental health information and urgent-support contacts. Follow the current government page rather than copying regional numbers into a separate directory.

South Australia

The South Australian Government's crisis helplines and support page links to the current SA mental health service contact and other crisis pathways. Use that government page for the current number rather than relying on a copied directory entry.

Tasmania

The Tasmanian Department of Health's mental health page is the official starting point for current public mental health service and urgent-support information.

Australian Capital Territory

Access Mental Health on 1800 629 354 is Canberra Health Services' entry point for concerns about a person's mental health. Its page explains assessment, referral and eligibility.

Northern Territory

Use the Northern Territory Government mental health page to find current Territory services. Its support-services page lists the NT Mental Health Line on 1800 682 288. Call 000 when life is in danger.

Pathways for particular needs

Pregnancy and the period after birth

PANDA provides information and support for people affected by perinatal mental health concerns. A GP, midwife, maternal and child health service, or state public mental health entry point can also discuss referral options. Safe Refuge's perinatal mental health guide explains common Australian pathways, and perinatal counselling describes the non-crisis counselling offered by the practice.

Domestic, family or sexual violence

1800RESPECT is the national counselling, information and support service. Its website explains phone, text, chat and video options and how to use an interpreter. If immediate safety is at risk, call 000.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support

13YARN provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis support. The Australian Government's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health page links to a current health-service map. Local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations may provide culturally grounded health and social and emotional wellbeing care; confirm services with the organisation directly.

Migrant and refugee women

The national Embrace Multicultural Mental Health resource hub provides multilingual information and community resources. TIS National can help with language access where the receiving service is eligible. Safe Refuge's mental health guide for migrant women includes questions to ask before choosing a practitioner.

Choosing between public care, Medicare-supported care and private counselling

The right starting point depends on urgency, the kind of assessment or treatment required, eligibility, cost, location and personal preference.

• A GP or other eligible medical practitioner can assess health concerns, discuss medical treatment and explain referral pathways.
• A state or territory public mental health service assesses eligibility for its own programs. Entry does not guarantee a particular service or timeframe.
• Better Access may provide Medicare benefits for eligible services with eligible practitioners. A Medicare benefit does not necessarily remove all out-of-pocket cost.
• A private counsellor is booked directly and is paid privately unless a person's insurance policy provides a benefit. Safe Refuge sessions are not Medicare-rebatable and do not require a GP referral.

Professional titles, registration arrangements and scopes are not interchangeable. Instead of relying on a generic comparison table, ask the practitioner or service:

1. What qualifications, registration or professional membership do you hold?
2. Is my concern within your scope and experience?
3. What is the full fee, and does a rebate or concession apply?
4. Is a referral required?
5. What happens if I need medical, specialist or crisis care?
6. How do you handle records, privacy and communication with other providers?

Safe Refuge Counselling

Safe Refuge is a private, appointment-based counselling practice for adult women. It offers counselling services in Mount Barker and online counselling across Australia within Aana Carpenter's counselling scope. It does not provide diagnosis, medication, emergency response or crisis intervention.

Before booking, read:

• services and suitability
• fees, Medicare and referral information
• online counselling requirements
• Aana's background and approach

A free Discovery Call can help you ask practical questions about fit. If Safe Refuge is not suitable, use one of the official entry points above.

How this guide is maintained

This guide deliberately links to official service finders instead of trying to reproduce every local program. Safe Refuge reviews the links and the small number of retained phone contacts, but the linked provider remains the source of truth.

Published: 17 April 2026

Reviewed and materially updated: 28 August 2026

If you find a broken link or changed government entry point, please use the contact form with the subject line "Guide correction". Do not include personal health information in a website correction message.