Home Services Mental health care
Anxiety, low mood, sleep that has stopped working, grief, burnout, or something you cannot quite name yet. A GP is a normal place to start, and a Mental Health Treatment Plan is a normal thing to ask for.
Open Monday to Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm. No referral needed to see a GP.
We are a Medicare Bulk Billing Practice. Standard consultations are bulk billed for eligible patients with a valid Medicare card.
We are a Medicare Bulk Billing Practice
Now Accepting New Patients
Walk-ins Welcome
Shop 12, 297–299 Brisbane Water Drive, West Gosford NSW 2250
Open Mon–Fri 8:30am – 5:00pm
Mental health
A lot of people put this appointment off because they are not sure what to call it. You do not need a diagnosis to make an appointment, and you do not need to have hit a crisis. “I have not been myself for a while” is a complete reason.
What usually happens first is a longer appointment where we talk it through properly — what has changed, when it started, how you are sleeping, what is going on at work or home, and whether anything physical could be contributing. That conversation is the assessment.
What it covers
Most people come for one of these. Tap a card for the detail.
A written plan your GP prepares with you, which unlocks a set number of Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist each calendar year.
It is a referral pathway, not a label. It needs a longer appointment, and it is reviewed after the first few sessions to see whether it is helping.
Often it turns up in the body first — a churning stomach, a racing heart, chest tightness, or waking at 3am with your mind already going.
Part of the assessment is checking that nothing physical is driving it, because thyroid problems, iron and alcohol can all masquerade as anxiety.
Not always sadness. Frequently it is flatness, no interest in things you used to enjoy, a shorter fuse, or simply being exhausted by things that used to be easy.
We look at how long it has been going, how much it is affecting your life, and what has helped before.
Sleep and mood run in both directions. If sleep has been broken for months it is worth untangling which came first, and whether something like sleep apnoea is in the mix.
Sustained work stress shows up as sleep, irritability, drinking a bit more, and physical symptoms with no clear cause. It is worth naming rather than pushing through.
Where a certificate or a conversation with an employer is needed, that is part of the appointment.
Grief is not an illness and it does not need treating. It sometimes needs support, and occasionally it turns into something that does need treating. Either way it is worth talking about.
Very common alongside mood and sleep, and rarely raised first. Nobody here is going to lecture you. Cutting back is one of the changes with the strongest evidence behind it, and it usually needs a plan rather than willpower.
Whatever the plan is, it needs reviewing. Medication needs checking early. Psychology needs a look at whether it is the right fit. Book the review rather than waiting to see how it goes.
How it works here
Practical answers to the things people ask reception before they book.
Mostly talking. What has changed, how long it has been going, sleep, work, home, alcohol, and any physical symptoms. Sometimes a short questionnaire, sometimes blood tests to rule out a physical cause. By the end you should have a plan for what happens next, even if the plan is just “come back in two weeks”.
No. Plenty of people are managed with psychology, practical changes and review, and never take anything. Where medicine is worth considering, the conversation covers what it does, how long it takes to work and what to watch for — and it is your decision.
A Mental Health Treatment Plan gives you a set number of Medicare-subsidised sessions each calendar year. Your GP will tell you the current number and write the referral. There may still be a gap fee depending on the psychologist, so it is worth asking them directly.
It is part of your medical record, like anything else. That record is confidential. It is not shared with your employer or your family. There are narrow legal exceptions, mainly where someone's safety is at immediate risk, and your GP will be upfront with you about those.
Yes. Plenty of people bring a partner, parent or friend, and it often helps. You can also ask them to step out partway through if you want to say something on your own.
Ask reception for a long appointment and say it is about your mental health. A standard fifteen-minute consult is not enough to do this properly, and a Treatment Plan needs the longer slot.
Questions
No. Book directly with any of our GPs. A referral is only needed to see a psychologist or psychiatrist, and your GP writes that for you as part of a Mental Health Treatment Plan.
Yes, the appointment is bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card. The psychologist sessions the plan refers you to are Medicare-subsidised, but many psychologists charge a gap on top — ask them what it is when you book.
Longer than a standard consult. Ask reception for a long appointment when you book and mention what it is for, so enough time is set aside.
Yes. Young people can have a Mental Health Treatment Plan, and from around fourteen many prefer part of the appointment on their own. Book a longer appointment and we will work out the right shape for it.
Lifeline is on 13 11 14, any hour. The Suicide Call Back Service is 1300 659 467, and 13YARN is 13 92 76 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In an emergency, call 000.
We can assess and treat what is going on and provide certificates where clinically appropriate. Formal claims and insurer paperwork are a separate process, so mention it when you book so enough time is allowed.
This page is general information for people in the Gosford and Central Coast area. It is not advice about your situation and it does not replace a consultation. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call us on (02) 4311 3800. In an emergency, call 000.
Say it is about how you have been feeling. You do not need to explain it to reception, and you do not need the right words. All Medicare-eligible consultations are bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card.
Open Monday to Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm · Shop 12, 297–299 Brisbane Water Drive, West Gosford · Serving Gosford, West Gosford, Point Clare, Narara, Wyoming, Springfield, Tascott, Koolewong, East Gosford, Erina, Green Point and Lisarow.