The General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration has provided information about Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) requirements.
It is a requirement for GPs to include the number of sessions in any psychologist referral to avoid any assumptions.
If the number of sessions is not written down, the psychologist needs to contact the referring GP, which can cause a delay to the patient accessing care as well as additional administrative burden.
A patient can continue the same MHTP indefinitely, with the GP updating the original plan over the years if appropriate.
In a calendar year (1 January to 31 December), your patient can receive the following services:
- up to 10 individual Medicare-rebated mental health services for psychological therapy or focused psychological strategies
- up to 10 group therapy services (involving four to 10 patients as part of psychological therapy or focused psychological strategies)
If there are remaining unused sessions, referrals can be carried over into the next calendar year.
If you have any questions, phone 03 8699 0978 or email gpmhsc@racg.org.au.
This article appeared in Practice Pulse on Wednesday, 29 April 2026. If you are a GP, practice nurse or practice manager in South Western Sydney and do not get the weekly Practice Pulse email, speak to your Practice Support Officer.
