Founded by Professor Emeritus, Dr Francis Macnab in 1961, the Cairnmillar Institute pioneered counselling and psychotherapy in Australia. Today, we are one of Australia’s leading centres for psychological trauma counselling. We are also an industry leader in psychology education and training.
The Cairnmillar Institute is governed by a council of distinguished and experienced people from the community and allied mental health professions. We’re proud of our unique, pioneering history and we value the input of many key people who have worked tirelessly over the past 60 years to make us an outstanding example of what evidence-based psychology and psychotherapy services can do for people in our community.Â
You May Also Consider (Sponsored)
Quick Start Online Therapy: Tell Us a Little About Yourself and Get Matched With a Therapist Right for You
Take a simple guided quiz and let us know your preferences. Get matched to an online therapist right for you. Convenient and affordable online therapy from your phone, tablet or computer.
Have you been in therapy before?
Services Offered
As part of our mission as a not-for-profit charity, we extend our traditional psychology services to include a low-cost community clinic. This service particularly may be useful if an individual no longer has subsidised sessions under Medicare or does not wish to access Medicare so does not need a referral from their GP.
The clinic is staffed by provisional psychologists undertaking postgraduate studies and who work under experienced supervisors. There is no restriction on the number of sessions clients can have at the Community Clinic, with low cost options for treatment and assessment.
Children, Adolescents and Adults can be seen without a referral or mental health care plan in the Community Clinic.
Cairnmillar Community Clinics can be accessed at the Dandenong, Hawthorn East, Melbourne CBD and North Melbourne clinics.Â
Fees and Payment
Individual counselling sessions at our community clinic are free.
Services Offered To: Adults Couples Teens Children
Payment: Sliding Scale Pro-bono
If You Call, Please Let Us Know How it Went:
Were You Able to Make an Appointment?
One quick last question. Who was seeking counseling today?
Do you know the reason they are not accepting clients?
A community counseling agency is a group therapy practice that offers affordable mental health services. Most are independent non-profit agencies, state agencies, or publicly-funded agencies. A few may restrict who is eligible for services, so it is a good idea to check when you call.
Community counseling agencies are generally more affordable than other therapy providers, but how much more affordable they are will depend on whether you qualify for a discount or sliding scale fee (or if they accept your insurance). Many, but not all, have a policy that they won't turn away anyone due to inability to pay. You should ask about their fees when you first call.
Expect to talk to kind people who want to help you find the care you need. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. If you're asked to hold or leave a message, don't give up; just leave a message and wait. You should hear back pretty quickly.
Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longer—about a few weeks on average. If you're not eligible or if the agency is not right for you, it's usually still worth it to call or drop in, because staff are knowledgeable about local options and can often refer you to one.