Seeing a Psychologist on a NSW Workers Compensation Claim

If you’ve been searching for a WorkCover psychologist in NSW, the practical question is usually less “do I need help” and more “how does this actually get paid for.” A psychological injury claim runs through a different set of steps than a straightforward physio referral: the psychologist treating you generally has to be approved by the state regulator, your nominated treating doctor has a role in recommending treatment, and the insurer needs specific paperwork before some sessions can go ahead.

This guide covers what a “SIRA-approved psychologist” is, who can refer you, what happens if a claim or treatment request is disputed, and what to do while a claim is still being decided — then where HealthPlex psychologists see WorkCover and CTP patients.

What “SIRA-approved psychologist” actually means

A psychologist doesn’t need any special approval to see you privately. To treat a worker under an accepted NSW workers compensation claim, though, they do. SIRA requires psychologists — along with physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, accredited exercise physiologists and eligible counsellors — to hold SIRA approval before they can provide treatment funded through the scheme (SIRA, allied health practitioner approval for workers compensation).

To get and keep that approval, a psychologist has to hold general registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and complete SIRA’s Allied Health Practitioner Introductory Training Program before applying through the MySIRA portal. Once approved, they’re issued a SIRA provider number and listed on the scheme’s register of approved practitioners. If you’re comparing psychologists for a claim, it’s a fair question to ask directly: “are you SIRA-approved for workers compensation?”

Who can refer you, and do you need pre-approval?

Psychological treatment sits inside a claim in one of two ways. It can be the primary injury — what you’re claiming for in its own right, following an event such as violence or a threat of violence, bullying, sexual or racial harassment, witnessing a traumatic incident, or excessive work demands. Or it can be secondary to a physical injury — where pain, time off work and the claim itself have brought on anxiety, low mood or broken sleep. For claims first notified on or after 1 July 2026, primary psychological injury claims are assessed against a stricter test: the injury must have been caused by one of a defined list of “relevant events,” with a real and direct connection to the person’s employment (SIRA, psychological injuries — a guide for workers and employers). Secondary claims aren’t affected by that change.

Either way, your nominated treating doctor is central to getting treatment moving. It’s the GP’s job to identify treatment likely to help your recovery and note it on your certificate of capacity — typically how psychology enters a claim (icare, treating and referring your patient). You don’t necessarily need to wait on a lengthy approval process first: depending on how soon after the injury treatment starts, a worker can generally access up to eight sessions with a SIRA-approved psychologist or counsellor without the insurer’s prior approval, with further treatment then requested by the psychologist directly (icare, above).

The Allied Health Treatment Request, and what the insurer is looking at

Once treatment goes beyond that initial window, the psychologist submits an Allied Health Treatment Request (AHTR) to the insurer — a short clinical form covering your current presentation, progress and barriers to recovery. It replaced the older “Allied Health Recovery Request” (AHRR) from June 2024, so if you’ve seen that term elsewhere, the AHTR is its current equivalent (SIRA, Allied Health Treatment Request). It’s mandatory for SIRA-approved practitioners as a condition of their approval; the insurer decides whether to approve the sessions requested, and the psychologist keeps sending progress updates as the claim runs.

Under an accepted claim, sessions are billed directly to the insurer rather than to you — the funding sits with the workers compensation scheme, not Medicare. What else the insurer will cover beyond the clinical sessions varies by claim, so confirm specifics with the case manager rather than assuming.

What a first appointment under a claim looks like

The first appointment is mostly conversation: a history of what’s going on and how it’s affecting your sleep, work and routine, a plain-language explanation of what the psychologist thinks is driving it, and a plan — roughly how many sessions before a review, and what to try in between. Bring your claim number, insurer details and certificate of capacity if you have them; the psychologist uses these to prepare the treatment request and progress reports.

Confidentiality works as it would for any psychology appointment, with one addition: because an insurer is funding the treatment, the psychologist sends progress reports on your treatment and recovery as a condition of that funding. Those reports cover your progress, not a transcript of the session, and the psychologist should tell you what’s being reported.

Psychology and return-to-work coordination

Psychological claims are managed with one eye on the workplace throughout. The treating psychologist typically liaises with your nominated treating doctor, employer and case manager on what a safe return looks like — which duties, on what timeline, with what support. A graduated, jointly-planned return tends to work better than treatment that ignores the workplace entirely, which is part of why these claims run longer than physical ones. HealthPlex’s detail on coordinated return-to-work models for psychological injury covers how graduated plans are structured, and our piece on workers compensation for psychological injury in NSW sets out the claims process end to end. Where bullying, harassment or excessive work demands are the cause, our guide to psychosocial hazard duties under WHS in 2026 covers the employer obligations that sit alongside the claim.

What happens if your claim or treatment request is declined

Liability can be disputed for a few reasons — the insurer might not accept you as a “worker,” might not agree employment substantially contributed to the injury, or might consider particular treatment not “reasonably necessary.” Whatever the reason, the insurer has to explain its decision in writing (SIRA, declined claim).

From there, you can ask the insurer to review its own decision — it must respond in writing within 14 days, overturning, modifying or maintaining it. At any stage, you can also contact the Independent Review Office (IRO), a NSW Government agency that can help resolve the dispute by contacting the insurer on your behalf and, where needed, connect you with a lawyer through the Independent Legal Assistance and Review Service. If it’s still unresolved, either you or your lawyer can apply to the Personal Injury Commission (PIC), the independent tribunal that decides workers compensation disputes, including disputes over medical and treatment expenses (SIRA, declined claim, above). One exception applies to primary psychological injury claims notified from 1 July 2026: if the insurer declines because it doesn’t accept that the bullying, harassment or excessive work demands you describe were ‘relevant conduct’, that question goes first to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, and the PIC deals with the rest of the dispute after that. Our overview of psychological injury claims in Australia walks through the pathway in more detail. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific situation — the IRO, a lawyer or SIRA can advise on your circumstances directly.

Medicare as a fallback while a claim is pending or disputed

If a claim hasn’t been accepted yet, or your psychological injury doesn’t meet the criteria for a claim, Medicare is a separate pathway worth knowing about — it isn’t a substitute for insurer-funded treatment once a claim is accepted, but it can bridge the gap. With a Mental Health Treatment Plan and a valid referral from your GP, Medicare covers up to 10 individual psychology sessions per calendar year, with the initial referral covering up to 6 sessions before a GP review decides on any more; psychologists set their own fees, so Medicare may only cover part of the cost rather than the whole session (Services Australia, mental health care and Medicare). Since 1 November 2025, that plan and referral generally need to come from a GP at the practice where you’re registered through MyMedicare, or your usual medical practitioner if you’re not registered anywhere (MBS Online, Better Access arrangements for GPs and prescribed medical practitioners). HealthPlex’s Medicare psychology service in the Illawarra runs on this pathway, for patients with a Mental Health Treatment Plan and a valid GP referral.

Finding a WorkCover psychologist in Sydney and the Illawarra

Beyond confirming SIRA approval, it’s worth asking whether a psychologist has treated workers compensation or CTP claims before, is comfortable liaising with a case manager on return-to-work planning, and can see you soon enough that the claim isn’t stalled waiting on a first appointment.

HealthPlex psychologists see WorkCover and CTP patients at Chester Hill, inside Chester Square on Leicester Street; at Chullora, on Brunker Road; and at Barrack Heights in the Illawarra, where psychology also runs on the Medicare Mental Health Treatment Plan pathway described above. Psychology sits alongside physiotherapy at each address, useful when a physical injury and its psychological fallout need managing together. Employers, insurers, case managers and GPs can refer a worker straight through refer to us; the wider psychology service page covers the rest of the HealthPlex network.

Frequently asked questions

General information about seeing a psychologist under a NSW workers compensation or CTP claim; not a substitute for individual clinical or legal advice. Scheme rules and Medicare arrangements change — confirm current details with SIRA, icare or Services Australia. If you are in crisis or at immediate risk, call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.