Mental health

The Return to Work scheme provides workers with non-serious injuries with reasonable and necessary medical treatment and care for up to three years. Workers with serious injuries will receive lifetime medical treatment and care.

Workers may be referred to a mental health professional for treatment and support to recover from their injury and return to work and life as soon as possible.

We support workers having access to a wide variety of mental health services, including:

• Psychologists
• Mental Health Occupational Therapists
• Accredited Mental Health Social Workers, and
• Counsellors

Psychologists

Psychologists are experts in human behaviour and are trained in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses and psychological problems. To provide services in the Scheme, Psychologists must be registered as a Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Authority (AHPRA).

Mental Health Occupational Therapists

Occupational therapists working in mental health draw on a broad range of frameworks and models to provide strengths-based, behaviourally oriented, interventions to improve mental health and wellbeing. To provide services in the Scheme, Occupational Therapists must provide evidence of having:

• Mental Health Endorsement by Occupational Therapy Australia; and
• Completed ReturnToWorkpsych, ReturnToWorkSA’s online module for mental health professionals

Accredited Mental Health Social Workers

Accredited Mental Health Social Workers are specialist providers with knowledge and skills in assessing, diagnosis and improving mental health and associated psychosocial problems experienced by individuals. To provide services in the Scheme, Accredited Mental Health Social Workers must provide evidence of having:

• Mental Health Credential by Australian Association of Social Workers; and
• Completed ReturnToWorkpsych, ReturnToWorkSA’s online module for mental health professionals

Counsellors

Counsellors are skilled healthcare professionals who provide psychological interventions that support a worker’s recovery, and return to work and life. To provide services in the Scheme, Counsellors must provide evidence of having:

• Full clinical membership with the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia; or
• Level 3 or 4 membership with the Australian Counselling Association; and
• Completed ReturnToWorkpsych, ReturnToWorkSA’s online module for mental health professionals

To register to provide services, please provide the required evidence and submit a provider registration form to ReturnToWorkSA. 

Clinical Framework

We expect all allied health professionals to deliver their services in line with the Clinical framework (PDF, 1627 KB)- external site for the delivery of health services. This includes ensuring that:

• workers are empowered to manage their injury
• a biopsychosocial approach is adopted
• goals are focused on optimising function, participation and return to work
• treatment effectiveness is measured and demonstrated on an ongoing basis
• treatment is based on best available research evidence.

We also expect allied health professionals to communicate and collaborate with the worker's case manager, and other treating professionals involved in a worker's treatment and recovery.