Overseen by Peter Saltamaras, Co-Founder and COO of Lanara · Last reviewed 15 October 2026

Lanara provides psychology-informed NDIS support for adults living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) across Sydney. We help with the practical side of life: routines, daily tasks, getting out of the house and getting to appointments. We support self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants, as well as private clients.

Is OCD covered by the NDIS?

OCD can be covered, but the diagnosis alone doesn’t decide it. The NDIA makes every eligibility decision, and it looks at how your impairment affects your everyday life.

To meet the NDIS disability requirements, your impairment needs to be permanent or likely to be permanent. It also needs to substantially reduce your ability to do everyday activities, such as socialising, looking after yourself or managing your life. The NDIA understands that the impact can go up and down and come in episodes.

People living with OCD usually apply under psychosocial disability. The NDIA explains that a psychosocial disability isn’t a diagnosis in itself. It means reduced capacity to do daily activities because of your mental health. OCD isn’t on List A or List B in the NDIA’s Applying to the NDIS guideline. You’ll need evidence of how it affects you.

That evidence usually includes a statement from a treating professional and a functional capacity assessment. The statement covers your diagnosis, the treatments you’ve tried or not tried and why, and how OCD affects your daily life. The NDIA lists this on its disability evidence page. It usually considers permanence after available and appropriate treatments, so your treatment history matters.

Under new NDIS laws, from January 2028 eligibility for new applicants will be decided using a new standardised assessment of functional capacity.

How OCD can affect daily life

OCD looks different for everyone. For some people, compulsions such as checking, washing or ordering take hours out of each day. Others spend a lot of energy on intrusive thoughts that nobody else can see. SANE estimates that around 3% of Australian adults experience OCD each year.

In day-to-day terms, OCD can mean:

  • morning routines, showering or getting dressed taking much longer than planned
  • leaving the house late, or not at all, because of checking or rituals
  • missing or arriving late to appointments, work or study
  • avoiding places, people or tasks that trigger distress
  • falling behind on cooking, cleaning, bills or shopping
  • feeling tired, ashamed or isolated, and losing touch with friends

Healthdirect notes that OCD can be lifelong, and some people become housebound. It can also ease and flare, and support can flex with it.

How our support can help

Our support is practical and non-clinical. It fits around your goals and the plan you’ve made with your treating team.

Every Lanara support worker holds a university degree in psychology or a related discipline. They have all completed mental health and trauma-informed training. We match you carefully and aim for the same support worker each time, so you aren’t explaining yourself to someone new.

Depending on your plan and goals, support might include:

Support workers follow your treating team’s plan. If your psychologist is doing exposure work with you, your worker won’t run therapy sessions themselves. They can still support the goals you’ve agreed, such as practising a trip to the supermarket you’ve planned together.

We don’t make our own rules about compulsions. Your worker only changes how they respond, for example to requests for reassurance or checking, in ways you and your clinician have agreed. They won’t push, test or surprise you.

Hoarding difficulties

Hoarding disorder is a separate condition, though healthdirect lists OCD among the conditions it can occur alongside. If clutter has built up at home, practical help can still make a difference.

We work at your pace, with your decisions at the centre. Nothing is thrown out without your agreement, and there are no surprise clean-ups. Your worker might start with one small area, such as clearing a path or a kitchen bench. Where your clinician has a plan for sorting and letting go of things, we follow it. If something is a safety concern, we talk about it openly with you.

An example of how this can look

Example from our work. Names and details are changed to protect people’s privacy.

Andrew is 46 and lives in Concord, in the Canada Bay area. Checking the stove, taps and locks can take him over an hour before he leaves the house. He had started missing his psychologist appointments and rarely went out.

Andrew’s goal was to get to his appointments and do his own weekly shop. With his consent, his support worker learned the approach Andrew and his psychologist had agreed. The worker arrives early, keeps an eye on the time and waits calmly. They don’t check the stove for him, because that was part of Andrew’s plan.

At first, they focused only on appointments. After a couple of months, they added a short trip to the local supermarket. Some weeks still go off track. Most weeks, Andrew now gets to his sessions on time and comes home with groceries.

Working alongside your treating team

Lanara isn’t a clinical service. We don’t provide therapy or diagnosis, and our support workers aren’t psychologists, even though they hold psychology or related degrees.

We work alongside the people already supporting you, such as your GP, psychiatrist, psychologist, occupational therapist and support coordinator. With your consent, our team can share what your support worker sees day to day.

If you take medication, your worker can remind you and sit with you while you take it. They never administer or handle medication.

Getting started

Call us on 1300 152 627 or get in touch through our contact page. We’ll talk about what you need, then send an intake form and service agreement.

Matching you with the right support worker usually takes 3 days to 2 weeks. Your first session is a meet-and-greet with your worker. It runs for at least 2 hours and is paid like any other session. After that, regular sessions begin at times that suit you.

We support adults across six areas of Sydney. We support self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants, as well as private clients. We can’t support NDIA-managed plans.

If you’re new to the NDIS, our guide to your NDIS journey explains each step. You can also browse the other conditions we support.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Is OCD covered by the NDIS?

A: It can be. The NDIA decides based on whether your impairment is likely to be permanent and substantially reduces your everyday functioning. A diagnosis alone isn’t enough, so evidence about your daily life matters.

Q: Is OCD a psychosocial disability?

A: OCD is a mental health condition. When it causes lasting difficulty with everyday activities, people usually apply to the NDIS under psychosocial disability. Our guide to psychosocial disability explains more.

Q: Will a support worker do exposure therapy with me?

A: No. Exposure work is therapy, and it belongs with your psychologist or other clinician. Your support worker can help with practical goals you’ve agreed with your clinician, and follows the approach you’ve all agreed.

Q: Can a support worker help with hoarding or clutter at home?

A: Yes, in a practical and respectful way. We go at your pace, and nothing leaves your home without your agreement. Where you have a clinician, we follow their plan.

Q: What if I feel nervous about a support worker coming to my home?

A: That’s very common. We take time with matching and the first visit. Our article on having a support worker in your home may help.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 000. For urgent mental health advice, call the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 (24 hours, 7 days) or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Sources