Providers listed here are vetted for menopause relevance and alignment with our standards. “Vetted” means we check fit and clarity. It does not mean we verify clinical outcomes or replace medical advice.
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A counsellor offers talk therapy and emotional support to help you cope with what menopause brings, from low mood, anxiety, and stress to the identity, relationship, and life changes that often arrive at the same time. Counselling is about being heard and working through things with a trained professional, and for many women it is exactly the right level of support. The counsellors listed here have been vetted for a genuine menopause or midlife focus, so you are not starting from scratch.
How we vet a menopause counsellor
Counselling is not registered with AHPRA, and the title counsellor is not protected, so anyone can use it. That makes the recognised professional bodies the marker that matters. We look for a formal counselling qualification together with current membership of a recognised body, the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) or the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), which both maintain a code of ethics, supervision, and ongoing professional development. Membership of either body means a counsellor also appears on the independent Australian Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ARCAP). On top of that, we look for a genuine focus on menopause, midlife, or women’s health rather than menopause mentioned in passing.
Counsellor or psychologist
Counsellors and psychologists overlap, but they are not the same. A counsellor supports you to work through distress, adjustment, and life change, and is well suited to mild to moderate difficulties and to having a steady, supportive space during a hard stretch. A psychologist is trained to assess and treat diagnosable mental health conditions such as clinical depression or an anxiety disorder, and can offer Medicare rebates with a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan. If your symptoms are severe, persistent, or affecting your safety, start with your GP or a psychologist rather than a counsellor.
Counselling, Medicare, and private health cover
You do not need a referral to see a counsellor. Counselling is not covered by Medicare, so there is no Better Access rebate as there is for psychologists, and most counselling is paid privately. Some private health funds offer a rebate on counselling as an extra where the counsellor holds clinical-level registration with their body, so it is worth checking both with the counsellor and with your fund before you book. Fees vary, so ask about cost and session length when you make contact.
For more on the mood and anxiety changes of this stage, see our guide to menopause, mood and anxiety, and our menopause support guide for broader support. To find clinical mental health care, browse the psychologist directory or start with a menopause-informed GP.
Browse menopause counsellors by city in the Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane directories, or search the full Australian menopause directory.
Reviewed and updated 27 June 2026.