A mental health support worker helps someone living with a mental health condition manage everyday life and work towards their goals. That can mean help with routines at home, getting to appointments, going out into the community, or simply having a steady person alongside you on harder days. Support workers do not diagnose, treat or provide therapy. Their job is practical, everyday support that fits around the rest of your care.
This guide explains what a mental health support worker does, what they don’t do, how the role is different from a psychologist, recovery coach or support coordinator, and how support workers are funded through the NDIS. It is written for NDIS participants, families and anyone helping someone find psychosocial support in Sydney.
What does a mental health support worker do?
The NDIA describes a support worker as someone who helps you build your skills and work towards your goals. What that looks like depends on your goals, your needs and the supports in your plan. For someone living with a mental health condition, support often includes:
- Daily routines: getting into a rhythm with meals, sleep, household tasks and keeping track of the week.
- Skills at home: planning a shop, writing a list, cooking a simple meal or keeping on top of cleaning, done together so you build confidence to do more yourself.
- Appointments: help to plan for, get to and get home from appointments, which can feel like a lot when your mental health is up and down.
- Getting out and about: a walk, a café, a class, a library visit or a community group, at a pace that suits you.
- Confidence and connection: practising things that feel hard, such as catching public transport or joining a group, with someone you trust nearby.
- Noticing and adjusting: recognising when you are having a harder day and changing the plan, rather than pushing through a list of tasks.
Mental health support is about doing things with you, not for you. A good support worker follows your lead, respects your choices and helps you build skills and independence over time.
What a visit can look like
No two visits are the same, because support is built around the person. A visit might start with a short chat about how the week is going. Then you might do what you planned together, such as a trip to the shops, tidying one room, or going to a community activity you have been wanting to try. If it is a harder day, the plan might shrink to a cup of tea and a short walk, and that is fine.
Many people feel nervous about having someone new come into their home. If that sounds like you, our guide on overcoming anxiety about having a support worker in your home may help.
What a mental health support worker doesn’t do
Knowing the limits of the role helps you get the right support from the right person. A mental health support worker does not:
- diagnose mental health conditions or provide therapy or counselling
- change your treatment, or replace your GP, psychiatrist, psychologist or mental health team
- make decisions for you
- act as a crisis service.
Support workers work alongside your treating team. With your consent, they can help carry what you are working on with your clinicians into everyday life. If there is ever an immediate risk to someone’s safety, the right step is to call 000.
Support worker, recovery coach, support coordinator or psychologist?
These roles often work together, but each one does something different.
- Support worker: hands-on, everyday support with routines, the home, appointments and community activities.
- Recovery coach: an NDIS-funded worker for people with psychosocial disability. A recovery coach helps you plan and organise your supports, build resilience and connect with services, including mental health services outside the NDIS.
- Support coordinator: helps you understand and use your NDIS plan, choose providers and connect with community and mainstream services. Read the NDIA’s guide to what a support coordinator does.
- Psychologist or other clinician: provides assessment and treatment, such as therapy, as part of your health care.
For example, a psychologist might work with you on strategies for anxiety, a support coordinator might help you find providers, and a support worker might help you practise those strategies on a trip to the shops each week.
How support workers are funded through the NDIS
If you have an NDIS plan, support workers are usually paid for from your Core supports budget, under categories such as Assistance with daily life and Assistance with social and community participation. Core supports are flexible, so you can usually use your funding across these categories. What you can use depends on your plan. If you are not sure, your support coordinator or plan manager can help, and so can we.
Some mental health conditions can lead to a psychosocial disability, which is when a mental health condition has a significant, long-term impact on daily life. Our guide to understanding psychosocial disability explains this in more detail.
All NDIS providers and workers, registered or not, must follow the NDIS Code of Conduct. It requires them to respect your rights and privacy and to deliver supports safely, with care and skill. The NDIA also suggests making a service agreement with your provider, so it is clear what you have agreed to.
What to look for in a mental health support worker
Kindness matters, but so does understanding mental health. When you are comparing providers, it is worth asking:
- What qualifications and mental health training do your workers have?
- How do you match a worker to a person, and will I usually see the same worker?
- What happens if I am having a very hard day?
- How do you work with my GP, psychologist or treating team?
Our article on why mental health training matters for support workers goes into this in more depth.
Mental health support workers at Lanara
Lanara is a family-owned provider of psychology-informed support across Sydney. Every one of our support workers holds a university degree in psychology or a related discipline and has completed mental health and trauma-informed training. That background helps them communicate well, notice when someone is struggling and adjust their support on harder days.
We match each person with a support worker based on their preferences, interests and what they would like help with, and we aim for you to have a regular support worker. We agree with you how and how often you would like updates, and we only share information with your consent. Our support includes psychosocial support, social participation, daily living assistance and personal care support. You can also read about the conditions we support.
We support self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants and private clients across Sydney’s Inner West, Inner City and South Sydney, Canterbury-Bankstown, St George and Bayside, Burwood, Strathfield and Canada Bay, and the Eastern Suburbs. See our service areas.
Frequently asked questions
Is a mental health support worker the same as a counsellor?
No. Counsellors and psychologists provide therapy. A mental health support worker provides practical, everyday support, and can work alongside your counsellor or psychologist.
Can the NDIS pay for a mental health support worker?
Yes, if support workers fit your goals and the supports in your plan. Support work is usually funded from Core supports. Your support coordinator or plan manager can help you check what your plan covers.
Can I choose my support worker?
Yes. The NDIA says you are in control of who you work with and when. At Lanara, your first session is a meet and greet, so you can get to know your support worker. If the match doesn’t feel right, we talk with you about what didn’t work and look at other options.
What if I don’t have NDIS funding?
Lanara also supports private clients. Get in touch and we can talk through your options.
Talk to us about support
If you are looking for a mental health support worker for yourself or someone you care about, contact Lanara for a no-obligation conversation. Call 1300 152 627 (1300-1-LANARA) or email info@lanara.com.au. We aim to respond within one business day. Support coordinators and other professionals can make a referral.
Lanara is not a crisis service. If you or someone else is at immediate risk, call 000.
About Lanara: Lanara is a family-owned and operated psychosocial support service provider serving the Sydney region. With a psychology-informed team and over 30 years of combined expertise, we provide person-centred support that empowers individuals to live with confidence, independence and purpose. Our services include psychosocial support and personal care support, all delivered with a focus on building capacity and fostering genuine connections. For more information, contact us at info@lanara.com.au or call 1300 152 627 (1300-1-LANARA).