North Richmond Community Health began supporting the Richmond community on Wurundjeri land in 1974. Then called the North Richmond Family Care Centre, it was an organisation built to support the diverse needs of the 4,000 strong community members of the Langdon Park Ministry of Housing estate.
We are a non-for-profit community health centre improving equity, health and wellbeing for all.
We work with everybody in this community and try to deliver services that work for all people regardless of their background.
Services Offered
We provide both Counselling and Casework - these allow you to talk through personal issues with a trained professional and get support with practical tasks for your wellbeing. Â What is Counselling? Counselling involves talking through your personal concerns with one of our trained counsellors. We can give you help and support to improve your health and wellbeing.
What is Casework? In Casework we help you with practical tasks, such as filling out forms and other paperwork. We help you with tasks that will improve your everyday needs.
What we provide: -short and medium term counselling (this can be reviewed and extended depending on your needs) -casework support -LGBTQIA+ -Drop In Sessions -support for young adults.
Sessions can involve: -general counselling and casework services -finding health, housing and income support and other services -support for people recovering from family violence -finding group work programs and links to community support -support for young adults.
Fees and Payment
Counselling is provided free of charge, as are the majority of our services.
Services Offered To: Adults Couples Teens Children
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.