Overview of NDIS Services

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The NDIS recognises that psychological support can play a vital role in helping people with disability build skills, improve daily functioning, and increase social and community participation. At Coastal Psych, we provide a flexible blend of walk & talk, online, and mobile capacity-building psychology services for adults across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. Our work focuses on supporting participants to achieve greater independence, develop meaningful relationships, and manage the challenges that impact their everyday lives — all in a way that is flexible, respectful, and tailored to individual goals.

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Who we Support

 

Coastal Psych works primarily with young and older adults (16+) who are seeking support to improve their mental health, build independence, and participate more fully in everyday life. This includes clients living with psychosocial disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, and neurological conditions such as brain injuries and functional neurological disorder. We also support individuals living with physical and other disabilities with difficulties relating to psychological function.

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Ben Waters, our lead psychologist has particular interests in supporting people with complex mental health needs including those living with schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities, including helping these clients to build their participant in social, leisure, work, and relationship aspects of life.

 

We also welcome referrals for people who might not fall neatly into these categories. Ben maintains a varied workload, regularly visits and coordinates with NDIS supported living providers, and prides himself on not turning away clients who have struggled to build a connection with other services.

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Our Focus

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Psychology services through the NDIS are typically funded under the Improved Daily Living budget and focus on building functional skills, confidence, and participation. This could include:

• Developing daily routines, planning, and motivation

• Building skills to self-manage your condition

• Building communication and social skills

• Building social connections and belonging

• Navigating relationships, identity, or sexuality

• Enhancing decision-making and independence

• Community engagement and goal-directed activities

• Functional assessments and reports for plan reviews

 

All support is tailored to the participant’s individual goals and can be delivered in real-world settings that promote generalisation and confidence.

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Fees

 

We have set our fees below those recommended by the Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) and have made a commitment as an NDIA-registered provider not to pass on a gap fee to NDIS participants for psychological supported delivered under a NDIS plan. 

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We have recently updated our fee structure in response to the new 2025/2026 Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits developed by the NDIA.

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Our base fee for psychology sessions and non-face-to-face services such as NDIA-requested reports, resource development and care coordination is charged at $232.99 per 60 minutes.

 

Our fee for provider travel is charged at $116.50 per 60 minutes, up to a maximum of 30 minutes per session. In some circumstances we may also charge for non-labour costs at the rate of $1.00 per kilometre travelled.

 

To ensure fairness, we apply a shared travel policy, where provider travel time is evenly distributed across all participants seen that day. This prevents any single participant—such as the first or last of the day—from bearing the full cost of extended travel to or from the office. We also make every effort to group appointments by location to keep travel time and costs to a minimum.

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Referrals

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Referrals are welcome from support coordinators, plan managers, GPs, allied health providers, or directly from participants and families. We accept referrals for participants with capacity-building funding available under the Improved Daily Living budget.

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To refer someone to Coastal Psych, simply complete our online referral form.

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Once received, we’ll review the referral, contact the participant (or their representative), and provide further information about availability and next steps. If you’re unsure whether a referral is appropriate, feel free to get in touch for an informal discussion.

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