Counselling & Mental Health
If you are experiencing challenges in life, it’s important to know you’re not alone. Many people feel impacted by difficult situations and life pressures, and these can have a detrimental affect on your mental health and wellbeing. We can help you.
How we help
Our team of experienced and dedicated mental health clinicians provide short-term individual counselling sessions to support you with a range of life’s challenges, including:
- Child and family conflicts
- Relationship issues
- Stress, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem
- Making decisions and resolving issues
- Feelings of isolation
- Grief and loss
- Coping with difficult life stages or events, such as the birth of a child, unemployment, chronic illness, retirement and disability
- Making sense of complex and conflicting feelings
- Cultural and sexuality issues
- LGBTIQA+ issues
- Clinical mental health issues
- Diagnosed health conditions
Our mental health clinicians provide support, counselling, mental state assessments, health monitoring and connection with other services involved in your care.
How our services work
This service is open to all people over the age of 18, inclusive of all genders, sexualities and cultural backgrounds.
If you are new to our service, please begin by filling out an initial intake form, which will be sent directly to our Mental Health Intake Team.
We will then contact you directly. This may take a few days. We may then ask you further questions over the phone to ensure we are the correct service to help you.
If our service is appropriate, we will allocate a counsellor to you as soon as possible. Please be aware, there may be a wait list for this service.
If it is assessed that we are not suitable, we will guide you to another service.
Appointments are usually one hour.
This is a fully funded, free service, however, a mental health plan from your GP will be required for some services. Please call us for further information.
Anything you talk about with your Bendigo Community Health Services counsellor is confidential, unless a significant risk of harm to yourself or others is evident.
Our counselling service does not cover any of the following:
- Court reports or residency issues
- Educational or diagnostic assessments
- Centrelink disability assessments
- Family or couples counselling
- NDIS services
- Complex mental health needs – please contact us if you are unsure if this applies to you.
We can also help with...
We have a team of bilingual counsellors specifically for people of refugee background. The team provide one-on-one counselling sessions, plus attend schools and tertiary education settings to help make the community aware of the service.
Our clinicians can provide mental health support in relation to the unique challenges of settling into a new country.
If you are a new client of refugee background, please begin by filling out an initial Culturally Sensitive Counselling intake form, which will be sent directly to our Mental Health Intake Team.
Our general counselling service does not cater for people under the age of 18, however we have other services which do.
Young people aged 12-25 can access mental health services via headspace Bendigo.
headspace staff help with issues such as anxiety; problems at school, home or with peers; depression; sexual health; bullying; and physical health. headspace also offers support for parents and carers of young people.
Children aged 0-11, their families and carers, can access mental health support via the Loddon Children’s Health and Wellbeing Local.
Our Health Promotion Team run education sessions in schools promoting positive mental health.
Our Workplace Health and Wellbeing Team visit workplaces to deliver group sessions on mental health, stress management, work-life balance, sleep and fatigue management.
From time to time, Bendigo Community Health Services offers free group art therapy sessions for the community. Art Therapy students from La Trobe University run the sessions while on work placement.
Read more about our Art Therapy sessions and see what's on.
Bendigo Community Health Services’ Forensic Mental Health Team ensures people in the justice system can access mental health support in a timely manner.
See more information on our Forensic Mental Health Services.
Find us and get in touch
Opening Hours and Locations
Counselling appointments are offered between 9am and 5pm Monday to Thursday and 9am and 4.30pm Friday.
Appointments are primarily at our Kangaroo Flat site, at 19 Helm Street.
We also offer appointments in Heathcote, as well as telehealth appointments on request.
Contacts
New clients should first complete our Mental Health Intake Form
To make an appointment with our counselling team call (03) 5406 1200.
Mental Health Care Plans can be faxed to us on (03) 5441 4200.
We are not a crisis service. If you have an emergency, call 000 immediately.
For other mental health support in a crisis contact:
Bendigo Health’s Regional Triage Service (24/7) on 1300 363 788.
Lifeline on 13 11 14
Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800
For non-emergencies after hours contact:
Nurse-on-Call on 1300 606 024
healthdirect GP Helpline on 1800 022 222
Testimonials
“My counsellor is amazing. I would not be as well as I am today without her help. She has given me all the tools, advice, encouragement and strength to manage my anxiety on a daily basis.”
“My psychologist is a very caring person who I immediately felt comfortable with – she is very approachable, and I feel she is there for me if I need help.”
