Help wanted : what should I do to seek mental care?

[hello9899]

Hello, just wondering if I could get some tips on where to start looking for counsellor / etc.

I'm failing uni student finally accepted that I am actually falling apart and need some serious help to hopefully wrap me back up. As far as I know no one around me has any knowledge about where to seek for help in my situation, partly because I don't have many close people... so I was wondering if I could get some help here.

I did some google search and all they recommended was contacting my GP, but I'm not too confident to break this out to my family yet... so if theres some other way it would be great.

Also if anyone got an advice on how to talk about depression and anxiety without.. making others upset, that will be amazing. Thank you. Have a nice day.

[Sophie_M]

Hi hello9099,

We’re so grateful to have you reach out to our community this morning, and so sorry to hear about what you’ve been going through. We hope that you find our forums to be a safe and supportive space to talk through your thoughts and feelings. Our community is here for you. There are options for you regarding your concerns. Your GP would be the best person to speak with as they will need to provide you with a referral to see a counsellor/psychologist. If this is an issue for you, there is "Headspace" which requires no referral. Also, your university will have a wellbeing department, which should offer you free counselling. We recommend that you take a look at the APS website as this can help you locate a psychologist in your area and narrow down your search to fit your needs.

Keep checking in to let us know how you’re going, whenever you feel up to it.
 

[romantic_thi3f]

Hello hello9899 (I like how that sounds!)

Welcome to the forums and I'm glad that you decided to join us.

So, this is a great question but can also be a tricky one because often there's lots of different options.

- Sophie_M recommended the APS website which has a directory of psychologists. Unfortunately unless you are willing to go to GP for a MHCP, you'll be required to pay out of pocket to see them privately.

With seeing your GP though, it's not necessary to talk to your family about it if you aren't ready. If you are under your parents Medicare card you can apply for your own so that things can stay private.

- https://www.theaca.net.au/find-registered-counsellor.php This one is the counselling association, which can still help with mental health but are counsellors and not psychologists so the rebate will not apply here. I'm recommending this site though that as they are not psychologists, their prices are also significantly lower.

- A local charity. This really depends on your state, but there are quite a few non-for-profits that do offer short term counselling. Relationships Australia could also be an option here https://www.rasa.org.au/services/couples-families/personal-counselling/ which are fee-free (no cost to you).

- Your university directly. With many universities they have their own counsellors which are also free - generally the best way to find this would be to look on the uni website or contact student/campus support.

I hope this helps! Feel free to check back in and ask more questions anytime.

rt