Mental health support workers and disability-aware psychological services across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, and the Hunter Valley - trauma-informed, NDIS-funded, and focused on connecting emotional wellbeing to everyday participation and your NDIS goals.
Safe Hands does not employ psychologists or counsellors directly. As your Support Coordinator, we find a qualified, disability-aware mental health professional from our trusted network, arrange and manage the referral, and ensure their work connects to your broader NDIS goals - all funded from your Support Coordination budget.
Request Support CoordinationMental health and disability are closely linked - but mental health support designed for the general population does not always fit the needs of someone living with a disability. Standard CBT worksheets may need to be adapted for literacy or cognitive differences. Standard appointment formats may not work for someone with significant anxiety or sensory sensitivities. What works for one person may need to be substantially modified for someone with ASD, ABI, or an intellectual disability.
Our psychology and mental health support is specifically designed for disability contexts. We connect participants with psychologists and counsellors experienced in dual diagnosis (disability plus mental health), trauma in disability settings, behaviour that reflects unmet need, and the emotional and social challenges of navigating life with a disability - including grief over lost function, identity, and relationships, and the exhaustion of advocacy and system navigation.
Therapy goals are written to connect directly with NDIS outcomes - reducing distress that prevents community participation, building coping strategies that support sustained employment, improving emotional regulation that underlies many behaviour concerns. Psychological support is not separate from disability support: it is at its centre.
We work with registered psychologists, counsellors, and behaviour support practitioners - ensuring the right level of clinical expertise is matched to the participant's needs.
Our psychology network has experience across a wide range of presentations that commonly co-occur with or arise from disability:
Generalised anxiety, social anxiety, specific phobias, health anxiety, and OCD - adapted for disability contexts.
Low mood, anhedonia, persistent depressive disorder, and adjustment-related depression following diagnosis or loss.
Complex trauma, abuse history (particularly relevant in disability care contexts), and post-diagnostic grief and adjustment.
Anxiety, depression, and emotional dysregulation in autistic individuals - using autism-adapted approaches.
Emotional dysregulation, rejection sensitivity, impulsivity, and low frustration tolerance alongside ADHD.
Dual diagnosis - mental illness in the context of intellectual disability, often requiring adapted assessment and therapy.
Grief following acquired disability, loss of independence, or diagnosis - including families grieving alongside the participant.
Intense emotional responses, difficulty de-escalating, meltdowns, and emotional flooding - across diagnoses.
Behaviour that reflects unmet emotional, sensory, or communication needs - assessed and supported through a positive behaviour support framework.
Safety planning, risk assessment, and ongoing therapeutic support for participants with self-harm history or suicidal ideation.
Sleep hygiene, insomnia management, and addressing anxiety or sensory factors that disrupt sleep - particularly for autistic participants.
Building and maintaining friendships, navigating social situations, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills.
No single approach works for every person. Our psychologists draw from multiple evidence-based frameworks and adapt them to each participant's cognitive profile, learning style, and goals:
| Approach | What It Involves | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CBT | Identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours. Adapted CBT may use visual tools, simplified worksheets, and shorter structured sessions for participants with cognitive differences. | Anxiety, depression, OCD, phobias, adjustment disorders |
| Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ACT | Developing psychological flexibility - learning to accept difficult thoughts and feelings while committing to actions aligned with personal values. Particularly well-suited to chronic conditions where suffering cannot be eliminated. | Chronic pain, acquired disability, depression, anxiety, ASD |
| Dialectical Behaviour Therapy DBT | Building skills in emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness. Can be delivered as individual therapy or group-based skills training. | Emotional dysregulation, self-harm, borderline presentation, ADHD |
| Trauma-Informed Care TIC | A framework applied across all therapeutic work - recognising the widespread impact of trauma, avoiding re-traumatisation, and creating physically and emotionally safe therapeutic environments. | Anyone with trauma history; mandatory in disability support contexts |
| EMDR Eye Movement Desensitisation | A structured protocol for processing traumatic memories that have become stuck. Uses bilateral stimulation (eye movement, tapping) to help the brain reprocess distressing events. | PTSD, complex trauma, specific phobias, abuse history |
| Positive Behaviour Support PBS | Function-based assessment of behaviour to understand what it communicates, followed by a support plan addressing antecedents, teaching alternative skills, and building a positive environment. NDIS-registered specialist service. | Behaviour of concern in ASD, intellectual disability, ABI |
| Mindfulness-Based Approaches | Present-moment awareness practices to reduce rumination, increase tolerance of difficult experiences, and ground the individual during episodes of distress. Adapted for disability with visual or audio-based formats. | Anxiety, ADHD, ASD, chronic pain, general wellbeing |
| Solution-Focused Brief Therapy SFBT | Strengths-based and goal-focused - spending more session time on what is working and where the person wants to go than on analysing problems. Efficient for time-limited NDIS budgets. | Goal-setting, confidence building, transition planning |
Contact us directly, through a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan, or via your support coordinator. We ask about current concerns, diagnosis, and NDIS plan to confirm appropriate funding is available and match you with the right psychologist or practitioner.
Your first session is primarily an assessment - your psychologist gathers a detailed history, identifies the presenting concerns, and begins to understand your goals. For behaviour support referrals, a functional behaviour assessment is scheduled as a separate process involving observations, interviews, and file review.
Goals are developed collaboratively, written in plain language, and linked to NDIS outcomes. You decide what matters most - whether that is reducing anxiety so you can attend community activities, managing meltdowns to protect relationships, or processing grief to move forward.
A written therapy plan outlines the approach, expected session frequency, who else is involved (family, support workers), and the timeframe for each goal. This is shared with your support coordinator so your entire plan is coherent.
Regular sessions - typically fortnightly - work on the agreed goals using the identified approach. Sessions are adapted to your needs: shorter if concentration is an issue, at home if travel is a barrier, with a support person present if helpful. Progress is tracked continuously, not just at review points.
Where behaviour support or emotional regulation is involved, your psychologist provides practical guidance to support workers, family, or school staff - so strategies are implemented consistently across all environments, not just in sessions.
Progress is reviewed at agreed intervals. At plan review time, your psychologist can provide a report supporting continued or increased psychology funding. When therapy goals are achieved, sessions are reduced and a planned ending - not an abrupt finish - transitions you to independent management with tools and strategies in place.
Psychological support sessions are adapted to the individual - but a typical 50-minute session follows this general structure:
Brief review of the past fortnight - mood, sleep, any significant events, and how strategies from last session have been going in real life.
One or two specific issues are addressed in depth - a recurring anxiety trigger, a conflict that happened, a skill being practised, or a behaviour episode being reviewed.
Your psychologist teaches and practices a specific skill with you - breathing techniques, grounding exercises, thought challenging, social scripts, or distress tolerance strategies.
Where appropriate, a brief check-in with a carer or support worker at session end - keeping everyone aligned on strategies and what to reinforce between sessions.
Specific, achievable activities agreed to practise before the next session - small enough to actually happen, meaningful enough to make a difference.
Session notes recorded for your file. The next session focus is set so you know what is coming and can mentally prepare if needed.
Psychology support is not one-size-fits-all. We offer four distinct pathways depending on what is needed:
One-to-one sessions with a registered psychologist. Focused on a specific presenting concern - anxiety, depression, trauma, or emotional regulation. Goals are participant-directed and reviewed regularly against real-life outcomes.
Sessions that include carers or family members where clinically appropriate - improving communication, reducing home conflict, and ensuring therapy strategies are reinforced consistently in the home environment.
NDIS-registered specialist practitioners conduct a functional behaviour assessment and develop a behaviour support plan. Mandatory for any restrictive practice and for any behaviour that poses risk. This is a separate registration and funding category from general psychology.
Therapy goals directly connected to participation outcomes - attending a community activity, holding a job, maintaining a friendship, or taking public transport. Sessions include planning, graduated exposure, and real-world rehearsal.
Positive Behaviour Support is a specific, NDIS-registered service (Registration Group 0110) separate from general psychology. It is required whenever a support worker uses or considers using a restrictive practice, or whenever a participant displays behaviour that causes risk to themselves or others. A behaviour support practitioner (not just a psychologist) must develop the plan.
The PBS framework views behaviour as communication - it asks why the behaviour happens, not just how to stop it. Plans are built on evidence from functional behaviour assessments and are reviewed regularly. Every restrictive practice in an NDIS plan must be documented, justified, and subject to a plan to reduce and eliminate it over time.
Structured observation, interview, and file review to identify the function of behaviour - attention, escape, sensory input, or access to preferred items or activities.
A detailed written plan covering antecedent strategies, teaching alternative skills, and response strategies for support workers, family, and school staff.
Training support workers and family in how to implement the plan consistently - the most critical factor in whether a behaviour support plan actually works.
Regular review of behaviour data, plan effectiveness, and restrictive practice usage - with a clear trajectory toward reduction and elimination of restrictions.
All restrictive practices are reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. We manage compliance documentation so you and your team are protected.
PBS is a rights-based framework - every plan explicitly protects the participant's dignity and must demonstrate how restrictions will be reduced over time, not maintained indefinitely.
Mental health and behaviour support services draw from several different NDIS funding categories depending on the type of service being delivered:
Covers psychology therapy sessions, counselling, psychological assessments, and mental health skill-building programs. This is the primary funding source for individual therapy under the NDIS.
Specifically for specialist behaviour support - funding the functional behaviour assessment, behaviour support plan development, and team training. Requires registration with the NDIS Commission under Registration Group 0110.
Up to 20 psychology sessions per calendar year are available via Medicare with a GP referral, regardless of NDIS plan. These can run alongside NDIS-funded psychology for additional coverage.
Your support coordinator can help identify the right psychologist, navigate the funding categories, and coordinate psychology with other NDIS supports - particularly where behaviour support and daily support interact.
Anxiety, sensory overwhelm, meltdowns, social difficulties, and depression that commonly co-occur with ASD - using autism-adapted approaches.
Grief over changed function, cognitive-behavioural changes after TBI, adjustment, and family stress - including supports for the carer too.
Anxiety at school, behaviour at home, social exclusion, and transition stress - with family involvement central to the therapeutic approach.
Dual diagnosis - mental illness alongside intellectual disability is significantly underdiagnosed and undertreated without a specialist approach.
Carer burnout, vicarious trauma, relationship strain, and grief are real mental health issues - and we support the people around the participant, not just the participant.
Anyone whose behaviour is creating risk or disrupting participation - supported through a positive behaviour support approach rather than containment.
You can access psychology and behaviour support services through multiple pathways:
Call, email, or submit an online enquiry. You can self-refer, or ask your GP, support coordinator, or allied health team to refer on your behalf.
A 15-20 minute intake call to understand the presenting concerns, diagnoses, and whether NDIS or Medicare funding is most appropriate.
We match you with a psychologist or behaviour support practitioner whose experience and approach fits your specific needs - not just whoever is available.
Your first appointment - a comprehensive intake assessment that informs the therapy plan and goals. Held in person, via telehealth, or in your home depending on your preference.
You receive a written therapy plan with goals, approach, frequency, and expected milestones - ready to be incorporated into your broader NDIS support plan.
For NDIS-funded psychology, yes - your plan needs to include funding under Capacity Building - Improved Daily Living (for therapy) or Capacity Building - Improved Relationships (for behaviour support). However, you can also access up to 20 Medicare-rebated psychology sessions per year with a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan, regardless of your NDIS plan content. If your plan does not currently include psychology funding, this can be raised at your next plan review with supporting evidence from a treating psychologist or your GP.
A psychologist is a registered health professional trained in assessment, diagnosis, and therapy for mental health conditions. A specialist behaviour support practitioner is a separately qualified and NDIS-registered professional who conducts functional behaviour assessments and develops behaviour support plans - they may or may not be a psychologist. Behaviour support is specifically about understanding and addressing behaviour that causes concern; psychology is broader. The two services often complement each other, and some practitioners hold both qualifications.
Yes and no - it depends on the nature of the behaviour and what is required. A psychologist can provide therapy to address underlying emotional and mental health contributors to behaviour (such as anxiety driving avoidance or meltdowns). For a formal behaviour support plan - particularly if any restrictive practices are involved - an NDIS-registered Specialist Behaviour Support Practitioner must be engaged. We can help you understand which pathway is appropriate based on the specific situation.
Yes. Telehealth psychology sessions (video or phone) are available for participants who have difficulty attending in-person appointments due to transport barriers, anxiety, health conditions, or personal preference. Telehealth psychology is just as effective as in-person therapy for most presentations. For behaviour support, in-home observations are still required as part of a functional behaviour assessment, but review sessions and team consultations can be done remotely.
Standard CBT was developed primarily for people without cognitive or communication differences. When delivering CBT to someone with ASD, intellectual disability, ABI, or significant ADHD, qualified psychologists adapt the approach in several ways: sessions may be shorter (30 minutes rather than 50), visual tools and diagrams replace text-heavy worksheets, language is simplified, concrete real-life examples replace abstract exercises, and progress is tracked through behaviour observation rather than self-report questionnaires alone. Role-play and practice within the session is increased. The psychologist checks comprehension actively rather than assuming written or verbal instructions were understood.
Yes - and this is strongly recommended. Research consistently shows that therapy strategies only transfer to daily life when the people around the participant apply them consistently. Your psychologist or behaviour support practitioner can provide direct training sessions to support workers, family members, and school staff. This training is fundable under the NDIS (Capacity Building - Improved Relationships for behaviour support; Capacity Building - Improved Daily Living for general psychology strategies). We encourage this as standard practice rather than an add-on.
The therapeutic relationship is the single strongest predictor of therapy outcomes - if it does not feel right, it is completely valid to request a different practitioner. Please tell us. We take this seriously and will work to match you with someone whose style, background, and approach is a better fit. There is no obligation to continue with a practitioner who does not feel right, and a single assessment session does not lock you in to ongoing therapy with that person.
Yes. Carer mental health is a significant and often overlooked issue - caring for a family member with disability carries a high risk of burnout, anxiety, depression, and grief. Carers can access psychology support through their own GP Mental Health Treatment Plan, private health insurance, or in some cases through NDIS carer support funding. We also incorporate carer-focused sessions within the participant's therapy when the family system as a whole will benefit from a shared understanding of strategies and boundaries. Ask us about what is available at your intake call.
Whether it is individual therapy, behaviour support planning, or understanding your NDIS mental health funding, we are here to help you find the right support.