Support from a health professional

It can help to talk to a health professional about managing anxiety. You can talk with:

• your GP (general practitioner) or local doctor. To find a general practice (doctors’ surgery), pharmacy, or hospital near you, you can visit the National Health Services Directory

• your community health centre (go to the website of your local council to find yours)

• a psychologist – these are registered mental health professionals. To find a psychologist in your local area who can help with managing anxiety, the Australian Psychological Society provides information on psychologists throughout Australia. With a referral from your doctor (see below), you can get a Medicare rebate for 10 sessions per year with a psychologist.

• a counsellor – look for a registered counsellor so you can see someone who has done an approved course in counselling

• a social worker

• a youth worker.

Talking with your GP or local doctor

Your GP or local doctor may be able to help you with managing anxiety, if they have training in this area.

Medicare rebates are available for up to 10 counselling sessions with a psychologist under a Mental Health Care Plan. Your family doctor can provide you with a mental healthcare plan. They may suggest a psychologist they know, or you can contact the Australian Psychological Society to find a psychologist near you.

Sometimes people need to take medication to help to manage their anxiety. You can discuss this with your GP and they can help you to work out if they need to prescribe you a medication, or if you need to see a psychiatrist.

Remember ……

We are all different. The approaches that work best for each of us to manage our anxiety will differ. We may need to try a few different approaches to find one that helps us to manage anxiety. We can talk with our health professional about the approach we are using and whether an alternative may work better for us. There will be an approach that can help you.