Information for NDIS Participants & CoastMind.

If you’re seeking mental health/psychosocial disability support, navigating the free-market-style landscape of the NDIS in its’ current form can be daunting.

That’s why, in addition to offering what can be explored through us in terms of support, I’ve also elected to add some information here for Participants irrespective of who you go with - see ‘Resources’ further below.

I’d like to begin by specifying exactly what types of support you can expect from CoastMind, as an NDIS Participant. We offer an inclusive service which is structured around self-empowerment and having a mindful eye on ‘intersectionality’. Essentially, this term means we will be working alongside yourself and your formal/natural circumstances with a respectful and mindful approach towards where your lived experience may be challenged by conditions in society - policy, discrimination, resource access, etc.

With extensive experience in the disability sector, both as a support worker/service manager, advocate and other roles, as Lead Practitioner I’ve had involvement with everything from direct support work, advocating for Funding reviews/appraisals and assisting in support linkages, referrals and direct work to assist interfacing with the NDIA.

We look to working with you alongside your existing/upcoming support teams where your judgement and consent deem it best.

Rather than over-extend ourselves, our disability services are tailored to providing specialist supports as part of your existing Plan/Review, but are always happy to work alongside staff, Plan Managers, Support Coordinators and other allied health supports where you deem it appropriate.

We’ll never pressure Participants or consumers into joining with us, but we’re always open to discussions around how our services might help boost your recovery, community participation, skills-building and increased independence.

See below for information on our NDIS service delivery, and also some great take-home resources for all Participants further down!

(Note: If you’re considering engaging a Participant with our services, we ask in first instance for consent to share information being provided ahead of any service contact/ahead of considering referrals. Please refer to the ‘Contact Us’ section for our contact details/business hours).

We prefer any opportunity to speak with Participants directly alongside supports - if additional communication assistance is required, please be in touch to discuss how we can help support best methods of contact/communication).

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CoastMind - NDIS Services:

Ahead of time, I’d like to encourage you to check out the NDIS Pricing Guide as of July 2025.

We encourage having a discussion with your own natural supports, Support Coordinator/s, Plan Manager or the NDIA to get a sense of what services may be most appropriate for you at this time & relevant to your Funding Package, goals and needs.

You can access the latest Pricing Arrangements guide via this link.

Further down, we’ve also included some great and accessible resources to help inform these decisions without getting too overwhelmed in the details!

Services Provided By CoastMind For NDIA Participants (as of July, 2025):

You can expect our services to work alongside you to help build on the following:

• doing activities of daily living – that is, go about your daily life

• taking part in your community, your social life, study and work

• regaining and rebuilding skills and confidence in your usual activities of daily living.

• therapeutic supports built around the above goals, to assist you in improving independence, quality of life and community access as part of your plan.

• working with your natural/formal supports where requested, to help exist as part of your overall NDIS care team. Your information and data in our sessions remains confidential and private, aside from that you choose to be shared.

What our supports in this space do not include, as per NDIA guidelines:

• Formal diagnosis, assessment or re-formulation of mental health disorders, neurological conditions, intellectual disability etc.

• Support Coordination services.

• Specific Positive Behaviour Planning/Functional Capacity Assessment reporting. We will, however, work alongside any Behaviour Support Planning and Capacity Assessments, naturally!

• Capacity for Participants under NFIS funding streams - at present, we are open to referrals from Self-Managed/Plan-Managed Participants.

• Medication management, review and monitoring.

• Community-based direct support work, i.e. assistance with transport, etc.

Where these supports are identified, we will discuss options both within your existing support team and/or provide suitable resources to explore further. We are also open to assisting you in having conversations with your support team where gaps have been identified with the above support needs.

To be eligible for therapeutic support under Social Work, you will need: 

• To be 16 and over 

• Have a NDIS Package with psychological therapies / social work funded through Improved Daily Living included in your capacity building funding.

In-Person (Face-To-Face) Support:

Therapeutic Interventions (Disability-Focused Counselling/Psychosocial Skills Development):

Under NDIS Item 15_621_0128_1_3 (Assessment Recommendation Therapy or Training - Social Worker) - $193.99 per hour (GST not included/charged).

Travel costs are not incurred as part of our in-person fees for Participants, generally. This will be discussed with Participants ahead of time where such costs may be incurred.

Please note that face-to-face availability within the Bellarine Peninsula/Greater Geelong Region is subject to availability depending on time/distance required, to help us accommodate our waitlist and appointment schedule.

Remote (Virtual) Support:

Offering our services virtually/via telehealth incurs an adjusted fee, at $156.16/hr under the Pricing Guidelines.

Under NDIS Item 15_621_0128_1_3 (Remote: Improved Daily Living Skills - Counselling)

TBA - Game Therapy : Therapeutic Gaming Supports

We are still determining our capacity and scope to provide Game Therapy supports. These will involve direct support for game-therapy related community support and other interventions, either in the local region and/or online.

We will be releasing more information on the website about what Game Therapy involves soon.

In short, Game Therapy involves a specialist blending of recreational, play and art therapies, and is delivered by trained professionals within the community + online.

For more information ahead of time on what ‘game therapy’ entails, you can check out The Game Therapy Network’s website. This is an alliance of Australian human services workers providing therapeutic support, with a high focus on (but not exclusive to) NDIS participants and those living with disability, mental illness and/or similar.

We reasonably foresee that fees will align with the following category, for gaming-therapy services provided in community locations (such as GUF Geelong, community centres, in-home, etc):

Type of Support: Access Community Social and Recreational Activities - Standard

Item: 04_104_0125_6_1

Hourly Rate: Varies, based on time of support provided (e.g. Weekday Daytime - $70.23, Weekday Evening - $77.38, etc).

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NDIS/Disability-Focused Resources

NDIS - Support Guides:

The NDIS has provided a number of great easy-to-read, accessible guides to help break down what can often feel like a lot of terms and information - including our article! If you’re after something to have on hand that you can easily stick up on the fridge or somewhere that has a clean visual and isn’t too full of lengthy, hard-to-understand terms, these guides may help in both understanding and communicating your needs and wishes.

Link to NDIS Support Guides (includes ‘easy-read’ versions) - available in PDF and Word (.doc) formats for free download.

NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission:

Acts as a channel through which you can resolve disputes, lodge complaints and formally request a review of any part of support provided to you. This is especially useful in situations where you feel unable to resolve an issue with a service provider or other NDIS-facing providers (Support Coordination, external services, etc) via negotiating between parties.

See here for information about your rights to have an independent advocate involved in your care.

See here for a step-by-step process breaking down how to lodge a complaint if you have had issues with your support.

Individual Advocacy Support (Disability Gateway):

A highly-recommended resource for NDIS Participants, individuals living with disabilities and important stakeholders (carers, families, advocates, etc). Disability Gateway also provide opportunities for individual advocacy, perfect for anyone requiring additional advice, advocacy, information or services related to navigating the NDIS, support services and the like.

Link: https://www.disabilitygateway.gov.au/

Contact: 1800 643 787.

DARU (Disability Advocacy Resource Unit):

A fantastic state-wide resource that combines services, advocates and other important opportunities for Victorians living with disability.

If you’re unsure where to start in getting additional information on services and resources in Victoria, I would highly recommend contacting this service, as they’re networked with many fantastic agencies and advocacy groups. I can vouch for them as helping me a lot in my time down here as a Social Worker, too, so they’re also useful for your support team too!

Link: https://daru.org.au/

Location: VCOSS Level 8, 128 Exhibition Street Melbourne Vic 3000

Contact: (03) 9639 5807

Our Practice Framework, Part 2: Theory.

Let’s start with a little more of a dry definition of what a ‘theory’ involves.

Further down, I’ll be applying theory to one of my personal favourite interests (and a good analogy) - music!

A good definition of theory is considered as follows:

A theory is a systematic set of ideas or principles that explains, predicts, and helps understand patterns or relationships within a specific area of knowledge or practice.

For those in professions such as Psychology, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Psychiatry and the like, theory is very important.

Whether it’s case management, advocacy, counselling, intake, medical, social or other interventions, theory provides a knowledge-base and capacity for mental health professionals to form appropriate treatment plans, use the latest available scientific and clinical

Put more simply, and in less clunky wording - it’s the toolkit from where we can identify the most effective, efficient, safe and relevant techniques, skills and ways of working with you.

Theory is based upon many years (decades, often!) of repeated studies in the community/professional settings, in both trial and real-world situations. It involves skills, research and training that has been time-tested to best suit clinical practice, academia and more.

Applying Theory To Example - Music:

Another nice way of thinking about theory is like learning the guitar, bass, or any other instrument - I’m showing my musician bias, here!

I’m not sure about you, but there aren’t that many people out there who’d expect someone who had never heard of, learnt or seen chords being played, to know where to place their fingers on the fretboard, how to hold the guitar neck, and the like, to produce the desired outcome (music)!

Applying that to counselling practice - you’re likely wondering where this is going - you can think of your desired outcomes, and how someone such as myself might be able to work alongside you to produce the outcomes you define with your therapy goals.

It’s a combination of years of intensive training, study and real-world practice (and just like a musician, always keeping that practice going) that helps establish a successful outcome.

And, like music, there’s all sorts of styles and flavours to suit different tastes. From blues, rock and heavy metal to funk, disco and R & B, we might have our own opinions or thoughts about which style is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ but essentially, it’s about which style suits the listener.

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I could talk at length about theory, truly I could! I’m a bit of a nerd in that department, which might sound strange but I also take ownership of, too.

When providing you a service, my process is treated with diligence. That is, I won’t be borrowing techniques just taken from a random Youtube user or one of the many online courses floating about. Not, at the very least, without such a source being ‘fact-checked’ thoroughly for having an evidence-base behind it.

Not to say this makes my style rigid or mechanical. If anything, I have an eclectic and creative approach to therapy. There’s a lot that can be done and adapted working within the boundaries theory provides, and counselling itself is as much an art-form and learning experience for the practitioner as it is for the consumer.

If you’re to engage with me as a consumer, whether that’s as a member of the general community, a mental health/disability peer/Participant/consumer, or a coaching client, I take this responsibility very seriously. After all, I am operating a service and would expect similar of myself as a consumer, as I would walking into a public/private clinic elsewhere.

So, all that said - let’s dive into my theoretical model and the main pillars of knowledge that guide how I work with individuals, groups and the wider community!

Broad-Strokes: The ‘All Of Us’ Model/s Which Inform My Practice.

1. The Multidimensional Approach to Social Work (Harms, 2005)*

See below for a lecture on the multidimensional approach, care of Cassie Dinecola on Youtube - note, this is an American context and thus refers to the NASW not AASW, but the principles and theory align to this article:

You’ll see this slightly less used/referenced to in American/overseas literature ,as this primarily an Australian grown and refined strategy, but it exists as a solid academic principle the world over.

Multidimensional theory is a bit of a whopper. Simply put, it’s ensuring that, as best as possible, practitioners have an awareness of how individual-level factors (occupation, family, physical environment) interact with much broader variables (government policy changes, law, social trends, culture, etc) to inform what’s going on for the person, how these may be intersecting to cause issues, and where these may be addressed with techniques, resources, referrals and advocacy.

Paulin & Matis (2019)’s fantastic resource Social Work: A Competency-Based Approach includes a number of neat diagrams to help all these intersecting lines connect a bit better visually.

Below is a great diagram to demonstrate the multiple dimensions involved in everyone’s lives:

Obviously, not all of these will apply at all times to everyone’s circumstances, but it helps to have both the ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ systems in mind when working in the community. It helps guides appropriate mindfulness of broader issues, direct consumers to appropriate external formal/natural resources which may help improve conditions, and more.

If you yourself have been involved with care in the community, e.g. through a public mental health service, private practice, working with a case manager/NDIS Support Coordinator etc, the following model you might’ve seen around the place or even described to you in some form about how a service aims to work with you.

Bringing the focus lens down a little, the next model I feel accurately represents how I ‘see’ a person’s circumstances - from assessment, formulation and treatment planning, through to the factors I’m looking to keep an eye on during our work together where relevant to you and your goals.

2. Biopsychosocial Model

The biopsychosocial model is a holistic framework that, like the multi-dimensional model above, recognises that our lives are dynamic and shaped as much between internal (biological/psychological) as social-envionmental factors in determining our overall health and wellbeing.

From a social-work and counselling perspective, using the biopsychosocial model allows us to explore the person as whole, assessing and addressing immediate symptoms and presenting problems with additional useful perspectives such as genetic predisposition/familial health history, chronic illness, up social conditions such as unemployment, poverty and stigma/discrimination/isolation in the community.

It also helps mental health professionals to work alongside consumers to plan and enact collaborative care that is empowering, thought-out and relevant for the person in their immediate and broader social environment. Having an overview of your home environment, social relationships, community connectedness and other factors can help us work together on any related barriers, as well as tailor care towards goals you might have in this space, prompt appropriate referrals and resources, etc.

Some common sayings we have are things like “no man is an island” and “it takes a village to raise a child”; sayings you’ve probably heard said aloud/in media. Well, the aim of the biopsychosocial model is also to ensure this is put into both consideration and action! As well, it helps ensure every person worked alongside CoastMind receives relevant, appropriate support, as opposed to more generic one-size-fits-all interventions.

Going a bit further - these above two models also help social workers and our consumers take the next step to look to solutions beyond ourselves and the immediate counselling session. Whilst this may not be part of our direct work together, having this model in mind at all times often spurs both practitioners and community alike to self-advocate and challenge the powers-that-be where needed. Additional funding, resources, service gaps, systemic issues - this model is purpose-built to assist there, too, and so can be powerful for consumers, carers and natural/formal supports alike.

Together, we can work where possible to empower ourselves and each other!

See below for Self-Love Rainbow (a fantastic resource in general, by the way)’s diagram which puts all the terms into a neater and nicer graphic.

See here for link to the related article - credit to Self-Love Rainbow.

It should be noted, too, that both of these models are examples of what is defined with Social Work academic circles as ‘ecological’ systems-theory.

For a neat explainer on Ecological Systems Theory, see this link here!

3. Getting More Specific - Models That Inform My Counselling Practice:

So as to not to take up too much more of your time, here’s a list of some of many models that inform my clinical practice, philosophy, ethics and more in any potential working relationship - be that yourself, a trusted carer/advocate, related services, etc.

I encourage you to have a read of the links below, and if you have further queries don’t be afraid to get in touch!

a) The PERMA Model/Strengths-Based Practice:

Positive psychology can leave a bit of a cynical taste in one’s mouth at times, however it’s important to note that this field of psychology doesn’t discount the challenges, symptoms and barriers consumers and society often face.

It’s more readily thought of as an additional lens in practice, where we can look at any person’s case and identify existing or potential strengths within the person and their support network.

The five core factors as per the acronym are: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Positive Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishments/Achievements.
From Maslow’s work in the 1960’s through to Martin Seligman’s more recent academic and clinical work, strengths-based practice has grown from a fringe idea to a commonplace default in many public and private human-services settings. Turns out, identifying and validating, strengthening and building the innate resources, character traits, behaviours, relationships that you have and/or want to develop works well alongside treating symptoms! Who’d have thought?

See here for an explainer on the PERMA Model, and here for a follow-up on the Strengths-Based Approach, both courtesy of clinical/research initiative PositivePsychology.com.

See below for a great diagram from the University of London that demonstrates some specific examples of PERMA in action for wellbeing, by a range of life-domains:

Link to the original document/source, care of The University of London.

b) The Cognitive-Behavioural Model - CBT/ACT/DBT

The cognitive behavioural model of psychology posits that thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are interconnected, and that changing maladaptive thoughts and behaviors can improve emotional well-being and functioning. This model focuses on identifying and challenging negative or distorted automatic thoughts, restructuring core beliefs, and modifying unhelpful behaviors through techniques such as cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, and problem-solving skills.

More recently, therapeutic modalities such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy expand on these core CBT skills to suit a broader and/or more complex range of situations and consumer demographics.

ACT uses mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based action to increase psychological flexibility—the ability to be present, open to experience, and to act in line with one’s values even in the face of difficult thoughts or emotions. This is an approach based in cognition and behaviour, but often takes a very different slant in practice such as cognitive defusion and acceptance, to help build skills around natural thoughts and emotions that may arise in both day-to-day and challenging circumstances alike. I’m trained in this model as well as CBT, and often find it very useful for consumers who may not gel with the more thought-challenging approach of traditional CBT.

DBT integrates standard cognitive-behavioural techniques with mindfulness and distress tolerance skills, emotion regulation strategies, and interpersonal effectiveness training. DBT was developed specifically for individuals with borderline personality disorder but is now widely used for other emotional regulation difficulties. While CBT focuses on changing maladaptive thoughts and behaviours, DBT places special emphasis on accepting and validating current emotional states while simultaneously working toward change.

DBT can be a bit more intensive, but is highly useful for situations where there is a high degree of difficult challenges in regulating emotions, or engaging in behaviours that may be beyond the scope of traditional CBT to address. Again, I am trained in and have experience in delivery of this modality, however am upfront and selective around where it is utilised.

See here for a great article that pieces apart both shared factors and differences between CBT and ACT, via PsychCentral.

See here for a useful explainer on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, via Harvard Health.

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I could keep going, with examples such as the solutions-focused model, Motivational Interviewing and the like, but today’s article is more to provide you with a thorough background around how theory drives everything we do regarding consumers of CoastMind and the broader community.

Stay tuned, as with Part 3 I’ll be detailing specific tools and techniques (such as those listed above) that may be agreed upon in counselling to use as the most appropriate for your care.

In the end, it’s the relationship between counsellor and consumer that is of utmost importance, which is why collaboration and input is baked into every step of the CoastMind journey.

Once again - if you’ve got any questions about the contents of this article, please feel free to reach out to us!

Kind Regards,

Brady Irwin, CoastMind.

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References:

Harms, L (2005). Understanding Human Development: A Multidimensional Approach. (See here for a link for an academic article doubling as a review/summary of said book, by Frank Tesoriero (2005)).

Paulin, J. & Matis, S (2019). Social Work: A Competency-Based Approach. (See here for link to summary of the book, courtesy of Springer Publishing).

Our Practice Framework, Part I: Personal/Professional Values.

An example diagram outlining the main elements of strengths-based practice framework.

Source: Manchester Metropolitan University (2019).

For a great breakdown on what a Practice Framework involves, check out the following link here.

The current article focuses on CoastMind’s Values-base, both from a personal and professional perspective.

We will explore Theory & Modality/Practice (knowledge models and specific therapeutic schools/techniques, aka my clinical ‘toolbox’) in Parts 2 and 3.

Values:

a) Personal

b) Professional

2. Theory/Philosophy

3. Modality/Practice

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VALUES:

a) My Personal Values

b) Professional Values

Before We Begin - A Useful, Science-Backed Tool for Identifying Your Strengths:

Let’s break down my values-base in accordance to the Personal and Professional. Values can often feel like wishy-washy, nebulous terms, particularly in the media.

If you have trouble identifying/putting names to those attributes? That’s okay, and not a fault on you as a person. Everything from mass-communication media and pop psychology and everyday speech offers wildly varying definitions of what ‘values’ are.

Clinical psychologist and influential researcher Martin Seligman is as well-known within academic circles for his work on theories such as learnt helplessness as he is being a founding academic behind the Positive Psychology movement - a theoretical orientation backed by a large body of research.

In developing a way to ‘operationalise’ (make measurable/usable in clinical practice and research) the Character Strengths and Virtues (CSV) Manual, based on many large-scale studies, Seligman and co created the Values in Action - Strengths (VIA-S) questionnaire.

This tool is being increasingly in both clinical practice and in peer communities, and works quite well.

What it does is categorises 24 positive character strengths/attributes, in terms of behaviour and self-identification, tying

If interested, here’s a link to the survey, which is free.

Out of interest and at the time of writing, I took the VIA-S again. See below for how these align to my personal Core Values.

a) Personal Values:

I personally identify my Core Values as:

Respect, Justice, Compassion, Integrity, Creativity and Curiosity.

How these align with the Values in Action results (as stated in the Character Strengths Survey):

Fairness (Value: Justice):

Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting feelings bias decisions about others; giving everyone a fair chance.

Curiosity (Value: Wisdom):

Taking an interest in ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discovering.

Humor (Transcendence):

Liking to laugh; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side; making (not necessarily telling) jokes.

Creativity (Wisdom):

Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things; includes artistic achievement but is not limited to it.

Love of Learning (Wisdom):

Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one's own or formally; related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knows.

b) Professional Values:

As a Social Worker - in addition to the strengths and attributes above, the AASW Code of Ethics (2020) outlines the ways in which our profession translates our personal values-base into committed and profession-wide action for individuals and the broader community.

Above all else, social work in Australia is guided by three major overarching principles - Respect For Persons, Social Justice and Professional Integrity.

2.1 Respect for Persons:

We hold that every human being has a unique and inherent equal worth and that each person has a right to wellbeing, self-fulfilment and self-determination, consistent with the rights and culture of others, and a sustainable environment. The social work profession:

• respects the inherent dignity, worth and autonomy of every person

• respects the human rights of individuals and groups

• provides humane service, mindful of fulfilling duty of care, and duty to avoid doing harm to others

• fosters individual wellbeing, autonomy, justice and personal and social responsibility, with due consideration for the rights of others

• recognises and respects group identity, interdependence, reciprocity and the collective needs of particular communities.

2.2 Social Justice:

The AASW holds that social justice is a core principle that its members are obliged to promote and uphold for society in general and for the people with whom they work. The social work profession:

• promotes policies, practices and social conditions that uphold human rights and that seek to ensure access, equity, participation and legal protection for all

• promotes justice and social fairness, by acting to reduce barriers and to expand choice and potential for all persons, with special regard for those who are disadvantaged, vulnerable, oppressed or have exceptional needs

• advocates change to social systems and structures that preserve inequalities and injustice

• opposes and works to eliminate all violations of human rights and affirms that civil and political rights will be accompanied by economic, social and cultural rights • promotes the protection of the natural environment as inherent to social wellbeing

• promotes community participation, including service users, in the development and implementation of social policies and services.

2.3 Professional Integrity:

We are guided by principles of honesty, trustworthiness and good character in all aspects of professional conduct. The social work profession:

• prioritises the needs of others over personal gain

• advocates responsible use of power and authority in ways that serve humanity

• supports considered and reflective self-awareness in making and justifying decision making

• promotes propriety, transparency and accountability in professional judgements and actions

• promotes and facilitates lifelong learning, education, training and supervision to maintain professional competence and commitment to integrity • ensures that any participation in research activities are governed by ethics regulations and guidelines from relevant governments, universities, research institutes, agencies and funding bodies.

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Summary:

As a mental health professional and social worker, I am guided by both my personal strengths/values base and that of my profession.

Like rudders and sails, values help us to steer practice both in the right direction, course-correct and help navigate the often turbulent waters of life.

To break down that analogy even further, this shall be explored in in Part 2 (Theory) and Part 3 (Modality/Practice) where we discuss the specific models, modalities and techniques implemented in working together.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding Part 1, do feel free to be in touch via the Contact section, top-right.

Yours Truly,

Brady.

CoastMind - Schedule of Fees (as of June, 2025)

1. Counselling (Fee-For-Service/General & NDIS):

Please note that, as mentioned in our What to Expect From Counselling section, at this time we are unable to provide Medicare-rebated support.

This is subject to change in the near future, and in the same post we have provided links for pathways to obtaining support via Medicare. Please discuss further with your treating GP/doctor.

The Australian Association of Social Works’ latest recommended hourly rates as of 2025 are as follows:

Link to original document, via the Australian Association of Social Workers (PDF File, Download)

As a social worker, I am mindful of the recent cost-of-living crisis and thereby also the impact this has on consumers. Thus, I offer competitive rates against this fee-schedule, as follows:

• Individual Counselling: $200AUD per consultation (50 minutes, virtual/in-person*)

• NDIS: Item Number: 15_621_0128_1_3 - Assessment Recommendation Therapy or Training - Social Worker ($193.99, as set by the NDIA)

*Additional Travel Fees: Outreach visits more than 10km from postcode 3223 will incur an additional travel fee to cover expenses. This is priced at $0.97 per kilometre of travel, which is competitive with industry rates.

These rates reflect additional time factored into each session, such as documentation and follow-up, as per the Australian Association of Social Worker’s Schedule of Fees guidelines (viewable here).

For NDIS Participants/Stakeholders:

Please note that CoastMind is able to accept NDIS referrals for participants with Self-Managed funding packages, and/or via a Plan Manager (such as a dedicated Manager, a Support Coordinator, etc). NFIS participants are recommended to search for providers via this link.

Future Referral Pathways to be announced in the near future also include:

• TAC (Transport and Accident Commission)

• WorkCover/Worksafe (VIC)

• DVA (Department of Veteran’s Affairs)

• Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (VIC)

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2. Coaching (Services TBA):

At present, I am working on developing and finalising our suite of coaching programs and opportunities. Be sure to follow this space!

Based on my own research, having quantified and analysed a large pool of coaching practitioners’ rates across the Melbourne Metro/Greater Geelong region in 2025, the average fee for personal/vocational coaching amounts to approximately $250/hr.

For instance, the Australian Institute of Coaching notes that industry rates can vary anywhere up to $650/hr at the higher end! (Link)

As with Counselling services, I offer a rate that is competitive with this average:

• Individual Coaching (Personal/Vocational): $200/hr (Virtual/In-Person)*

*Additional Travel Fees: Outreach visits more than 10km from postcode 3223 will incur an additional travel fee to cover expenses. This is priced at $0.97 per kilometre of travel, which is competitive with proposed travel fees from competitors (often ranging in the $1.00-2.97+/km range).

Please note that, whilst I endeavour to provide a lower-cost alternative to the above pricing recommendations, these are guidelines set for the current year. Consumers will be advised of any price increases, which will also be reflected by the above governing bodies and guidelines.

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TBA:

• Complex Care - Consulting for Organisations

• Social Work Student/Practitioner Supervision

• Workshops and Training Programmes

• GP Referral Pathways (via Better Access Scheme)