Counselling support for students and their families.
Shine Assist connects families and schools with medical practitioners to address the psychological and emotional well-being of primary and secondary students across Victoria.
If a student is experiencing difficulties such as bullying, depression, attention deficit disorder or bereavement, and meets the eligibility requirements of Medicare’s Better Access Initiative, they may be helped by a Shine Assist psychological counsellor.
Shine Assist is accessed by a referral from a general practitioner, paediatrician or psychiatrist and students may be eligible for up to ten individual sessions and ten group sessions per calendar year.
There is no gap fee charged for Shine Assist counselling, so there is no cost to the student, their families or the school.
- Identify students who would benefit from counselling and discuss getting a GP referral for with their parents/carers.
- Write a letter/email to the student’s GP outlining the parent and school’s concern.
- Arrange with the parent/carer to make an appointment with the child’s GP and ask the parent to provide you with:
- a Health Treatment Plan from the GP
- Referral Letter from the GP
- Completed OzChild Referral Form
Once your school has four or more students with this completed paperwork, OzChild can provide your school with a psychologist or a mental health social worker.
DOWNLOAD:
Download a Shine Assist printable flyer
Contact:
Education Services Team on (03) 9695 2200 or educationservices@ozchild.org.au