NewAccess - Find a mental health coach
NewAccess is a confidential guided 6-session mental health coaching program for anyone feeling stressed or overwhelmed about everyday life issues.
Learn more about the NewAccess programs that we offer.
Who can enquire?
- are 12 years or older (or 16 years or older in some regions)
- are feeling stressed or overwhelmed about everyday life issues such as work, study, relationships, health, finances or loneliness
live in the area where the Primary Health Network has chosen to fund the service
- aren't currently seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Am I eligible for NewAccess?
NewAccess is currently available in parts of:
New South Wales
Queensland.
Delivery options vary because different organisations fund and run the program in each area.
Find NewAccess Services
New South Wales
Queensland
Who is NewAccess for?
Working one-on-one with a mental health coach over 6 sessions, you’ll learn practical strategies to manage stressors such as:
- coping with stress and anxiety - including study and work stress or increasing motivation at work
- life changes – moving house, changing jobs, becoming a parent or losing someone close
- sleep or concentration issues
- natural disasters – recovering from fires and floods
- financial worries.
NewAccess program structure
Initial assessment – up to 60 minutes
talk through your challenges – choosing one or two issues to focus on
develop a problem statement – defining exactly what the issues are
create a plan based on your needs – including practical actions to tackle the issues.
Difference between mental health coaching and counselling
Just like counselling, your coach will support you to develop and work through your own tailored plan.
However, mental health coaching is different to counselling because:
- you don’t need a GP referral or mental health treatment plan to access the program
it’s funded by the government so there’s no cost to you
it’s easy to access without long delays.
Alternatives to NewAccess
If NewAccess isn’t available for you in your area:
- check if a similar program is available through your local Primary Health Network
- Find a mental health professional near you
- learn about other options to Get mental health support.
Alternatives to NewAccess
A government agency called the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in HealthCare wrote the Digital Mental Health Standards to help people identify high quality digital mental health services. They worked with people who use digital mental health, mental health experts and industry to make sure that accredited services pay attention to the things that keep services safe.An accredited service keeps your information private and they will ask for your feedback to make the service better. They also make sure their services are based on strong evidence.
A service gets accredited by an approved agency that has been trained to check for safety and quality issues. They check evidence to show the service meets the Digital MentalHealth Standards so you can know that the service keeps people safe. The Commission has more information on the Digital Mental Health Standards and what accreditation means.