The help you need. When and where you need it.
We provide support and care that’s relevant and accessible to you - whether you live in town or on a property.
Our team includes psychologists, counsellors and mental health social workers who provide support for children, teens, adults and families:
- Managing anxiety, depression, anger and stress
- Addressing relationship issues, behaviour challenges and social difficulties
- Managing emotions
- Coping with grief, loss, abuse and trauma
- Coping with family, home, changes and transitions
- Building and maintaining a sense of emotional well-being and resilience
- Assessing delays in development
- Developing self esteem, confidence and a mindset for learning
- Providing resources for parents including parenting strategies and ways to support children
- Explore and support attention, focus, sensory and social skill development
Find out more - What to expect in your first appointment
Find out more - What's the difference between psychologists, counsellors and psychologists?
Our speech and language pathologists help kids and teens with speech development and communication skills so they can communicate effectively with their family, friends, and later in life, in their jobs.
- Receptive language (Listening to and understanding spoken language)
- Saying sounds and speech clarity
- Expressive Language (talking and using words to make sentences and stories)
- Late talking
- Developmental delays
- Social and conversational skills
- Learning to read and spell
- Fluent speech – stuttering
- Voice disorders
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Our occupational therapists work with kids, teens and their families, building skills to do the things they need to do everyday.
Occupational therapists work on participation in preschool, school and home activities to enhance a child’s, and their family’s, quality of life.
Helping our kids grow in confidence and capacity at school and in life can help set our kids and youth up for stronger resilience into adulthood.
- Attention and concentration
- Fine motor skills e.g. grasping, handwriting
- Gross motor skills e.g. balance, climbing, running, swinging
- Eating or drinking e.g. fussy eaters, limited food choices, fear of foods
- Learning e.g. remembering things, planning, problem-solving, organisation
- Self-care e.g. dressing, toileting, brushing teeth, washing, tying shoelaces
- Play and social skills
- Sensory, behavioural and emotional regulation e. g. helping to stay calm and alert
- to support other learning
Our literacy and learning team works with kids, their parents/carers and teachers, to help kids grow in confidence and capacity at school and in life.
- Growth mindset and learning confidence
- School readiness: oral language, print and book awareness and phonemic awareness
- Foundational literacy skills
- Reading strategies and comprehension
- Support for families and schools to positively impact literacy development
To find out more or make an appointment with the Outback Futures team call 0417 703 729 during office hours.
For crisis or 24/7 support please call:
Lifeline on 13 11 14
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
Kids Help Line (under 25s) 1800 55 1800
If you’re not sure if you need support or the best organisation to talk with, please call Outback Futures or one of the services above. We'll answer your questions and help you make informed decisions.
How to make an
appointment.
1. Call or text 0417 703 729. Or email support@outbackfutures.org.au.
Referrals:
- You don't need a referral to make an appointment.
- However, if your GP has referred you to Outback Futures, they will send us their referral and we will contact you.
We’ll ask some questions:
- including your name, where you live, what support you’d like to access for yourself or your child.
We'll explain service and payment options:
- If we're not able to help we'll put you in touch with other organisations.
- The number of appointments you have with Outback Futures will depend on your needs. Chat with our team about this.
Telehealth or face-to-face:
- Choose Stay With Me phone/video telehealth service, or make a face-to-face appointment when our team is next in your community.
Ask us any questions:
- We want you to feel comfortable and safe.
2. We'll send you an online consent form.
If you need any assistance with this form, please contact us on 0417 703 729.
3. Once we have your consent form, we'll contact you to arrange your first appointment.
Before your Stay With Me phone/video service, you'll need:
A private space:
- You will be best to be in a private, quiet place away from distractions. Please take some time to give some thought to a suitable place that will ensure you feel safe for your video consult.
- You may also choose to use headphones to improve sound/reduce noise/maintain privacy.
A computer or phone:
- For a video appointment, the computer needs to have an inbuilt microphone and camera. Smartphones and tablet computers can be used however they are generally less effective for therapy sessions.
- If internet connection is an issue you can have your appointment by phone.
Access to Coviu website:
- All you need to know and check on your device is on the Coviu website. It is essential that you have a look at this web-page before the first time you connect.
At the time of your appointment:
- Each Outback Futures practitioner has their own Coviu Room. You simply need the URL for their specific room which is sent to you via email. When you paste this into your browser and hit enter, you are simply “knocking” on their door.
- This will take you to a virtual 'room'. Take a picture (snap) and enter name and click next. (Wait for practitioner to connect.) Allow microphone and camera if pop up box appears.
- If the practitioner is in their room at this time, they will hear you “knocking” and can choose to accept you into their room.
- Remember if you try to enter a room and the host is not in there at that time, it won’t work. You need to try to enter only at the arranged time. It is always best to have a mobile phone handy in case your therapist needs to contact you in the case of technical or internet difficulties.
We will provide the location of your face-to-face appointment when we confirm the date and time.
If you are unable to attend your appointment please let us know as early as possible, and no later than 48 hours beforehand, so we can offer your cancelled appointment time to another client, and schedule a new appointment time for you.
Failing to cancel or reschedule your appointment means other clients miss out on accessing our services. Please note, if you don't cancel or reschedule your appointment you may still be charged for the appointment you did not attend. There may also be charges for failing to cancel at least 48 hours before.
Please chat with our team if you have any questions.
Fee payments.
We have a range of fees, including some low cost and no cost options, to help you access support.
Tailored care, tailored fees
Different people have different needs. Based on your needs, we will connect you with the person on our team to provide you with the best support.
Our service and fee payment options will reflect the best plan for you.
Fee payment FAQs
When you connect with our team, we will provide all relevant fee information.
Some of our services are fully or partially subsidised by government and philanthropic funding, so we can offer some low cost or no cost options.
We will discuss fee payments, subsidies, rebates, and out of pocket expenses with you prior to making your first appointment so you know your options and can make an informed decision.
We are currently transitioning to fee payments for our services, however we will continue to have some low cost or no cost options available.
Chat with our team about the fee options that are available to you.
If you are a new client, our team will chat with you about the fee payment options for the services you are wanting to access.
We will ask you a range of questions and let you know any partially or fully subsidised options to help you decide the best option for you.
You do not need a referral to access Outback Futures services, however you may choose to obtain a Mental Health Treatment Plan or Chronic Disease Management Plan from a GP to help you access government subsidised services.
We are transitioning to fee payments across all our services, however currently fees do no apply to all our services. This means some of our services are available free of charge.
If your service is to be impacted by the introduction of fee payments, our team will chat with you about any upcoming introduction or changes to fee payments.
We are committed to walking alongside our clients during this transition to help you access the help you need, when and where you need it.
You do not need a referral to access Outback Futures services, however you may choose to obtain a Mental Health Treatment Plan or Chronic Disease Management Plan from a GP to help you access government subsidised services.
You do not need a referral to access Outback Futures services, however you may choose to obtain a Mental Health Treatment Plan or Chronic Disease Management Plan from a GP to help you access government subsidised services.
If you are unable to attend your appointment please let us know as early as possible, and no later than 48 hours beforehand, so we can offer your cancelled appointment time to another client, and schedule a new appointment time for you.
Failing to cancel or reschedule your appointment means other clients miss out on accessing our services. Please note, if you don't cancel or reschedule your appointment you may still be charged for the appointment you did not attend. There may also be charges for failing to cancel at least 48 hours before.
Please chat with our team if you have questions.
Fee payments will supplement funding we receive from government and donors, and contribute to the financial sustainability of our not-for-profit organisation so we can continue to provide services and support for outback communities.
We believe it’s important for people’s health journey that they financially invest in their own wellbeing.
We believe it’s important our free of charge services do not undermine the sustainability of other service providers, especially locally based providers.
You don't need to travel to a building with an Outback Futures sign.
We know getting help in a small community isn’t always easy – for all sorts of reasons.
That’s why we do things differently. We’re here to make sure nothing stops you, or the people you care about, getting support.
Telehealth and face-to-face options
No matter where you live or the distance to your nearest town, you can easily access regular support with our Stay With Me phone/video service and optional face-to-face appointments when our team is in your community.
Safe
Our Stay With Me telehealth option means you can get support wherever you feel safe and comfortable – at home, driving in your car, or in the back paddock...
Trusted relationships
Building genuine, trusted relationships is one of our core values. You can trust what you share with us won’t become known in your community.
Private
Our Stay With Me phone/video service means you don't need to check up and down the street before you walk into a building to get support for your mental health.
Payment options
We have a range of fee payments for our services, including some low cost and no cost options. Chat with our team for more information.
Confidential
Our team isn’t based in your community, so you won’t have awkward moments at the IGA or on race day.
No referral
You don’t need a referral to access our services. Simply call, text or email us to make an appointment.
Mental health is like a barbed wire fence.
Frequently
asked questions
- Are you concerned about your mental health?
- Would you like to improve your sense of wellbeing?
- Are you concerned about a family member, friend or work mate but not sure what to do?
Some of us find talking about mental health difficult. Some of us find all the different words confusing.
Accessing information and support can be tricky when you live in the bush. That's why our team is here to answer your questions and help you find the support that's right for you. There’s no such thing as a wrong or silly question! You don’t need a referral from your GP to make an appointment. Simply call or text us on 0417 703 729 during office hours.
For 24/7 or crisis support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636, or for under 25s, Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800. In an emergency please call 000.
- Has your child received a diagnosis but you're unsure what to do next?
- Are you concerned your child may not be meeting their developmental milestones?
- Are you struggling to access consistent support for your child?
We know accessing information and support can be tricky when you live in the bush. That's why our team is here to answer your questions and help you find the support that's right for you and your child. Call us on 0417 703 729.
We have a region specific team for each of the Local Government Areas (LGAs) we currently work with.
Each region team includes a range of allied health professionals who work together to provide holistic care and support.
Our team can include psychologists, counsellors, mental health social workers, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and literacy and learning professionals. Find out more here.
Allied health can be a confusing term, as there is no universally accepted definition of allied health.
Generally in Australia, allied health refers to the a broad range of health professionals who are not doctors, nurses, midwives, or dentists.
Allied health professionals use evidence-based practices to prevent, diagnose and treat various conditions and illnesses. They often work in multidisciplinary health teams to provide specialised support to suit an individual’s needs. (Source)
The Outback Futures team includes the following allied health professionals:
- psychologists
- counsellors
- mental health social workers
- occupational therapists
- speech pathologists
- literacy and learning professionals
Our multidisciplinary team works together to provide holistic support and care for each of our clients.
Unsure what support is best for you or your child?
Chat with our team 0417 703 729. We'll answer your questions and connect you with the best support option.
If you live outside the regions we currently work in, we encourage you to seek support from a service provider in your area.
We have a range of fee payments, including some low cost and no cost options, to help you access support.
When you connect with our team, we will provide all relevant fee payment information. We will discuss fee payments, subsidies, rebates, and out of pocket expenses with you prior to making your first appointment so you know your options and can make an informed decision.
To find out more, get in touch with our team.
You do not need a referral to access services with Outback Futures. If you would like to connect with our team, simply call or text 0417 703 729, have a chat, ask any questions and if our services are a good fit for you, we’ll schedule your first appointment.
Your child does not need a referral from your doctor or school to access services with Outback Futures. If you think your child would benefit from our services, simply call or text 0417 703 729, have a chat and ask any questions. If our services are a good fit for you, we’ll schedule an assessment appointment for your child.
We believe parents, carers, teachers and govies have a vital role to play in supporting a child who’s receiving support from our team, so ongoing we’ll keep everyone in the loop.
Stay With Me is our telehealth service which means you can access support through either a phone call or a video call. We know internet connectivity is an issue in the bush, so we’re flexible to deal with internet challenges.
For kids, Stay With Me uses the Coviu platform which has a range of interactive functionalities which not only help our team deliver effective support but are also great at helping kids stay engaged online.
Stay With Me telehealth offers both phone and video options.
For a phone appointment, you simply need to be able to make a phone call from either a mobile phone or a landline.
For a video appointment, you can connect through any device which can access the internet – phone, laptop or tablet. Access is web-based so you don’t need to download any special software to your device.
We recognise the value of talking face-to-face which is why we offer both telehealth and face-to-face appointments.
However, you are not required to have face-to-face appointments if it’s your preference or practicalities make this difficult (eg travelling to town when our team is visiting).
In general, our team members visit towns across our regions at least twice a year, however it can be more frequent in some areas, up to six times a year.
Psychologists, counsellors, social workers:
Your first appointment is designed to help put you at ease and create connection. Think of it like a chat over a cuppa, and there are no right or wrong answers. The counsellor or psychologist will ask you some questions to find out a little more about you.
You’ll be able to share what areas or challenges you’d like support with, and they’ll chat with you about what outcomes you’d like to see happen.
For children, our team are experienced with helping kids feel at ease and creating points of connection and trust.
Speech pathologists, occupational therapists, literacy and learning professionals:
Your first appointment is designed to help put you, or your child, at ease and create connection. Our team are experienced at helping kids feel at east and creating points of connection and trust.
We’ll complete an assessment of your child to help decide the best kind of support. An assessment mostly involves asking some questions and possibly doing some activities in a fun and engaging way.
If you have any questions or concerns about your first appointment, please chat with us.
We understand the importance of privacy and confidentiality, especially for people living in small communities.
Client information is not shared outside the Outback Futures team, without your informed consent. All client information is respectfully handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Early intervention is identifying and providing effective support to children and young people who are experiencing developmental delays or issues.
Early intervention can:
- reduce the amount of support needed, and
- contribute to better outcomes for our kids.
It's never too late! No matter how old your child is and the challenges they're facing, chat with our team about support options.
Tips, tools and resources.
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