6.5.3.4 Counselling

Legislative authority

The Military Rehabilitation and Compensation (Family Support) Instrument (No.2) 2018 [1]

Section 12 - Counselling
(1) A member or former member, or a nominated person of the member or former member, may be provided with counselling.
(2) The family group of a member or former member (see subsection (6)) may be provided with up to 4 counselling sessions per year during the 5 year period starting on the date of the first counselling session.
(3) A counselling session may be provided to an individual member of a family group, or to more than one member or all members of the family group.
(4) Counselling is to be provided by a counselling provider and any amount for counselling is to be paid to the counselling provider.
(5) To avoid doubt, an amount for counselling is not payable by way of reimbursement.
(6) In this section, “family group” means the group consisting of a member or former member and any nominated persons of the member or former member.

DVA’s existing counselling policies

DVA provides for a range of counselling support for veterans through a psychosocial rehabilitation plan - section 6.5 psychosocial activities for DVA clients and their families [2]. DVA also has specific policies for the consideration of brief intervention counselling, generally 6-8 sessions, for veterans:

• under a psychosocial rehabilitation plan, to provide early intervention counselling to assist a veteran to adjust to disability or injury by teaching them a range of self-management strategies for coping with the life changes that a disability or injury can bring. Counselling aims to provide options and alternative ways for looking at and managing situations in their daily life, and to provide support to a person during their rehabilitation.
• under a psychosocial rehabilitation plan, to provide early intervention counselling to assist a veteran to learn how to manage their pain, so they are able to function the best they can in their life despite the presence of pain. Counselling can focus on helping a person to predict their patterns of pain and to learn how to manage their pain through the use of psychological and behavioral strategies - 6.5.1 Brief intervention counselling to assist with adjustment to disability or injury and/or pain management [3]

Counselling provided under the Family Support Package is additional to the policies outlined above and are aimed at the families of veterans.

Nominated family for counselling

The Military Rehabilitation and Compensation (Family Support) Instrument (No.2) 2018 [1]

Section 12 - Counselling
(1) A member or former member, or a nominated person of the member or former member, may be provided with counselling.

As outlined in section 6.5.3.1, an eligible veteran is able to nominate the following family members to receive counselling support under the Family Support Package:

• the veteran’s partner,
• the veteran’s parent or step-parent,
• the parent or step-parent of the veteran’s partner;
• the veteran’s grandparent;
• the veteran’s child or stepchild;
• the veteran’s grandchild;
• the veteran’s sibling including brother, sister, half-brother or half-sister;
• the child or stepchild of the veteran’s partner;
• a person in respect of whom the veteran stands in the position of a parent; or
• a person who stands in the position of a parent to the member.

In the last two instances, where the nominated person is not actually a family member, but stands in as a family member, veterans will only need to clearly articulate their relationship with the person, and do not need to provide any evidence.

While technically the veteran is entitled for counselling under The Military Rehabilitation and Compensation (Family Support) Instrument (No.2) 2018 [1], they are already able to access the same range of counselling support through their rehabilitation program. Therefore, the counselling support provided under the Family Support Package is intended exclusively for the veteran’s family. 

If a Rehabilitation Coordinator receives a request for counselling and they are unsure whether the person is eligible to be a nominated person, please contact the Rehabilitation Policy Development and Advice team at rehabilitation@dva.gov.au [4].

Consideration of counselling requests

The Military Rehabilitation and Compensation (Family Support) Instrument (No.2) 2018 [1]

In this instrument:
Counselling means any form of brief intervention counselling, including, but not limited to, mental health counselling, financial counselling, life skills counselling, counselling to provide mental health first aid and counselling focusing on caring for veterans with specific disabilities.

Circumstances where counselling can be approved

The intent of providing time-limited counselling to the family members of a veteran, is to assist the family with managing their life circumstances following the veteran’s Defence service. The counselling should provide the family unit with support during challenging situations and also equip the family with skills to manage these situations effectively.

In order to access counselling, the veteran must have an approved DVA rehabilitation program. This means that the Rehabilitation Provider plays an important role in assisting the family to identify whether they may require counselling support.  To facilitate these discussions and prompt the Rehabilitation Provider to consider counselling, a Request For Support form will be available to guide the Rehabilitation Provider through the eligibility requirements and explaining the purpose of counselling. This form will be sent to Rehabilitation Providers by DVA Rehabilitation Coordinators on request.

Types of time-limited counselling

Counselling is a generic term used to describe various professionals who offer types of talking therapy. Counsellors can talk through different problems a person might be experiencing and help identify possible solutions.

Outlined below are some of the most common types of counselling that may be appropriate for the families of veterans. These types of counselling should be used as a guide only and if a Rehabilitation Coordinator receives a request for counselling that is not listed below, provided there is an identified benefit of the counselling for the family, a flexible approach should be used.  Please contact the Rehabilitation Policy Development and Advice team at rehabilitation@dva.gov.au [4] if any advice is required about the suitability of a type of counselling.

Services that are not considered counselling support under the Family Support Package

Counselling services that do not offer a client benefit within a discrete number of session/s cannot be offered under the FSP.  For example, where grief and loss counselling does not have a pre-determined session structure.  

Where there is a clinical need to address an ongoing issue or diagnosed condition (such as chronic anxiety or depression), this is considered as clinical treatment which cannot be covered under the FSP.  Clinical treatment includes:

• chiropractic services;
• osteopathic services;
• naturopathic services; and
• hospital services. 

In these instances, alternate services such as VVCS, DVA white/gold card health care, or a Medicare Mental Health Care Plan should be used. 

Alternate therapies which DVA does not fund for veterans as medical treatment, cannot be funded for widow/ers under the FSP. Alternative therapies include:

• acupuncture and acupressure;
• hypnotherapy and hypnosis;
• massage or therapeutic touch;
• music therapy;
• reflexology and relaxation therapy;
• tai chi; and
• yoga

Refer to DVA Factsheet HSV131 - Alternative Therapies [5] for further information.

Financial advice/planning cannot be funded under the FSP. Financial advice/planning is quite distinct to financial counselling. Financial counselling and management assists with managing living finances through information, support and advocacy to assist people in financial difficulty, particularly those with debt related issues. Financial advice/planning addresses more involved financial issues including ‘wealth growth’, investing, superannuation, retirement planning, estate planning, risk management, insurance and taxation.

Funding for counselling

The Military Rehabilitation and Compensation (Family Support) Instrument (No.2) 2018 [1]

Section 12 - Counselling
(3) Counselling is to be provided by a counselling provider and any amount for counselling is to be paid to the counselling provider.
(4) To avoid doubt, an amount for counselling is not payable by way of reimbursement.

Free counselling

Some of the types of counselling outlined in 6.5.3.4 [6], are free counselling services such as financial counselling and gambling support. If the family member of a veteran requires counselling services that are provided free, it is expected that the Rehabilitation Provider will assist the veteran and their family to find a counsellor in their area, and facilitate a meeting as required.

Number of counselling sessions

The family unit of a veteran can be provided with up to four counselling sessions for each year, with that year commencing on the date of the first counselling session. Access to counselling will cease at the end of a consecutive five year period provided the veteran is still participating in rehabilitation. This means that over the course of a five year rehabilitation program, the maximum amount of sessions that can be utilised by the veteran’s family is 20.

While technically the veteran is entitled for counselling under the Family Support Package, they are already able to access the same range of counselling support through their rehabilitation program.

Where the counselling service is of a kind that is structured to include multiple sessions, the course of sessions is taken to be one counselling session.  The structure of the counselling support should be known at the time of identifying the service. Examples include:

• Mental Health First Aid courses and resilience training usually run a few hours per week over a period of weeks.
• Financial counselling may be structured as one appointment, with a planned follow-up session;
• Drug and Alcohol counselling may run as a six session group program
• Parenting programs may run for 3 – 4 sessions;

They should be used as a guide only. If a request for counselling is received that is not listed below, provided there is an identified benefit of the counselling for the widow, a flexible approach may be used. Please contact the Rehabilitation Policy Development and Advice team at rehabilitation@dva.gov.au [4]  if any advice is required about the suitability of a type of counselling.

Closure of a rehabilitation program

When a veteran’s rehabilitation program is closed, access to counselling for the family also ceases because there is no legal mechanism to pay for support without an approved DVA rehabilitation program. Keeping a rehabilitation plan open solely to provide counselling support, is not a reason in itself for rehabilitation to continue. The veteran must be working towards their own personal rehabilitation goals.

Where counselling has been included on an approved DVA rehabilitation program and the veteran’s rehabilitation program ceases unexpectedly, any counselling that has not taken place and has not been paid for, cannot be funded by DVA.  

Payment of counselling costs

Where counselling for family is an approved activity on a veteran’s rehabilitation program, the cost must be included as third party cost and invoices submitted by the Rehabilitation Provider. Veterans or their nominated family members cannot be reimbursed for counselling costs they may have incurred, it must be processed under the rehabilitation program.

Counselling providers

The Military Rehabilitation and Compensation (Family Support) Instrument (No.2) 2018 [1]

In this instrument:
counselling provider means a person accredited (however described) to provide counselling by the professional body of which the person is a member.

Appropriate counselling providers

As per [10]section 11.3.2 of the Rehabilitation Policy Library [10], veterans who reside overseas are able to access rehabilitation support and services. While nothing precludes these veterans from accessing counselling under the Family Support Package, Rehabilitation Providers will need to ensure that any counselling provider is appropriately accredited with their relevant professional body in the relevant country. Where accreditation requirements cannot be met, the counselling should not be approved as there is no certainty that the counselling is being delivered by an appropriately qualified person.

VVCS and other counselling

VVCS is a nationally accredited, military-aware, mental health service. VVCS provides free, confidential, nationwide counselling and support to current and former Australian Defence Force personnel and their families. 

The VVCS has a wide range of counselling services available to eligible veterans and their families.  The intent of the counselling support provided under the FSP is to supplement existing VVCS services, to ensure eligible widow/ers and their family are supported following the death of their veteran partner. 

Through its integrated, 24-hour service delivery system, VVCS provides counselling for individuals, couples and families, and support for those with more complex needs, including:

• group programs to develop skills and enhance support;
• after-hours telephone counselling  ensuring support is accessible 24/7;
• information, education and self-help resources, including a Facebook page, twitter feed, LinkedIn page and a website; and
• referrals to other services or specialist treatment programs as appropriate.

More information about services provided by VVCS can be found through the following link http://www.vvcs.gov.au/ [11].

Mental Health Care Plan - Medicare

Where the family member has a mental disorder which has been diagnosed by a doctor which requires management, they can be referred to their GP to be assessed and placed onto a Mental Health Care Plan.  Further information about Mental Health Care Plans can be found on the Department of Health funded website – Health Direct.