Did you know you can get a Mental Health Care Plan for parental support?

Supporting your child also means supporting yourself

When you’re caring for a child with disability, there’s often a lot happening beneath the surface. You’re coordinating appointments, navigating systems, advocating, planning, supporting — and often holding a lot emotionally at the same time. It can be deeply meaningful, but also exhausting, overwhelming, and at times isolating.

 

Many parents and carers tell us they feel like they need to keep going, even when they’re running on empty.

 

If that resonates, it’s worth knowing: support is available for you too. One of the most accessible ways to start is through a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from your GP. It’s a simple step that can open the door to Medicare-rebated psychology sessions — including support focused on parenting, caring, and the mental load that comes with it.

 

What a Mental Health Care Plan actually is

A Mental Health Care Plan is something your GP prepares with you. It gives you access to subsidised sessions with a psychologist, so you can get support without carrying the full cost.

 

With a plan, you can access up to 10 Medicare-rebated sessions each year. These sessions can support you with things like stress, anxiety, low mood, burnout, and the ongoing pressure that can come with caring responsibilities.

 

Importantly, you don’t need a formal diagnosis. And you don’t need to wait until things feel unmanageable.

 

“Does this really apply to me as a parent?”

In short — yes.

Mental Health Care Plans are about your mental health. And parenting a child with disability often comes with layers of responsibility that can take a toll over time.

That might look like:

• Constant decision-making and emotional load
• Navigating NDIS, health, and education systems
• Ongoing fatigue and disrupted sleep
• Pressure on relationships, work, and identity
• Feelings of worry, grief, or even guilt for finding things hard

 

Support that focuses on how you’re coping — as a parent and as a person — is completely valid under Medicare. It’s not taking anything away from your child. It’s helping you sustain the care you’re already giving.

 

Starting the conversation with your GP

For many people, this is the hardest part — not because it’s complicated, but because it can feel like a big step. 

 

When you book, ask for a longer appointment and let them know you’d like to talk about a Mental Health Care Plan. You don’t need to prepare anything formal. Just having a sense of how things have been feeling for you is enough. If it helps, you could say something like:

“I’m caring for a child with disability and I’m finding the ongoing stress is affecting me. I’d like some support and was hoping to get a Mental Health Care Plan.”

 

That’s enough to start the conversation.

 

Finding the right psychologist

Your GP may recommend someone, or you can choose a psychologist yourself.

Many parents find it helpful to work with someone who understands disability, neurodiversity, and the realities of being a carer. It’s okay to ask for that. And it’s also okay if the first person you see isn’t quite the right fit — sometimes it takes time to find someone you connect with.

 

What these sessions can look like

There’s no one “right” way to use your sessions. For some parents, it’s about having space to talk openly. For others, it’s learning practical strategies to manage stress, emotions, or day-to-day challenges.

 

Sessions might focus on:

• Managing stress and emotional overwhelm
• Preventing or recovering from burnout
• Coping with challenging behaviours
• Working through feelings like guilt, grief, or uncertainty
• Setting boundaries and finding sustainable ways to care for yourself
• Supporting family relationships

 

What matters is that the space is focused on you.

 

How this fits alongside NDIS supports

A Mental Health Care Plan is funded through Medicare, not the NDIS. That means you can access it alongside your child’s NDIS supports. It won’t impact their funding, and it can work alongside the supports your family already has in place. Many families use both — because looking after your own wellbeing and supporting your child go hand in hand.

 

You don’t have to wait until it’s too much

We often hear from parents who say they wish they had reached out sooner. Not because things were “bad enough” — but because having support earlier would have made things feel more manageable.

 

If you’re feeling stretched, tired, or emotionally worn down, that’s enough of a reason to seek support.

 

At Karista, we see every day how much of a difference it can make when parents and carers feel supported too. Because when you’re supported, it flows through to your whole family. Read more about Mental Health Care Plans here