On the Line Australia delivers free professional counselling and we provide support to help people navigate Australia’s complex mental health service systems.
On the Line Australia is a national charity that provides suicide prevention, mental health, and counselling services.
We specialise in remote service provision, having pioneered the use of technology to reach people in need since 1960.
Our service delivery model combines professional counselling, assessments, referrals, and case coordination to provide better consumer outcomes and help people navigate Australia’s complex systems.
Over a year, our dedicated workforce responds to around 100,000 requests for help through our phone helplines, online counselling, and referral services.
We can develop a suicide prevention, mental health and counselling service that meets the needs of your community and delivers better outcomes for your consumers. Our Business Development team can work with you to create a new tailored mental health service. We can also provide after-hours or 24/7 support for an existing service.
Read on for more information on our service delivery model.
Professional counsellors
Our counselling services are all delivered by a workforce of remote professional counsellors who have:
- A minimum three-year tertiary degree in a relevant discipline of psychology, social work, counselling and social science, or welfare studies.
- A minimum of 456 post-qualification face-to-face hours counselling experience.
- Where relevant, registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), and eligibility for the Australian Psychological Society (APS) or Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).
- A current Police Check and Working with Children Check.
On the Line Australia’s counselling team undertakes a comprehensive training process that includes specialist skills and evidence-based approaches. The training covers trauma-informed practice, domestic and family violence risk assessment and support, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), problem-solving therapy, stages of change, recovery model, and suicide risk assessment and support.
Our counsellors can provide support for:
- Suicide prevention
- Mental illness (e.g. depression, anxiety, PTSD)
- Domestic and family violence (using and experiencing)
- Relationship issues
- Substance abuse and addiction
- Trauma-informed practice
- Social isolation and loneliness
- Low intensity support
Phone counselling
On the Line Australia specialises in remote service provision, having pioneered the use of technology to reach people since 1960. We can deliver phone counselling services to support people across Australia.
Phone counselling can be a practical alternative to face-to-face counselling. For example, it can be a less confronting approach, be preferable for people who don’t have local access to mental health services or be a helpful solution for people on long waiting lists for face-to-face services.
During a single phone counselling session, our counsellor will assess the risk and work with the consumer on the issue that is of greatest concern to them.
We have the capacity to answer inbound calls on an open line and make outbound calls to consumers. Our phone counselling is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Multi-session phone counselling
On the Line Australia can offer your consumers multi-session counselling.
Our multi-session service is a tailored program for consumers who may require up to four sessions with the same counsellor. In these structured sessions, counsellors work alongside consumers to achieve their goals.
During the first session, we will conduct an Initial Assessment and Referral (IAR). The counsellor will then work with the consumer to prepare a multi-session goal plan based on an assessment of need. During the following sessions, our counsellor will work with the consumer to support them to achieve their goals. An evaluation and outcomes review will take place at six weeks and three months after the last session.
Online counselling
On the Line can provide web chat counselling, which can be accessed via a website. Web chat counselling is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All chats are answered by a professionally trained counsellor.
We can also provide appointment-based video counselling with one of our professional counsellors.
Case coordination
On the Line Australia has a dedicated Intake and Case Coordinators team that delivers case coordination.
During the first case coordination session, we will conduct the Initial Assessment and Referral (IAR). Then the case coordinator will search for local supports and assist with linking the consumer to the care and support services that they need.
Intake, assessment and referrals
On the Line Australia has a dedicated Intake and Case Coordinators team that delivers intake, assessment, and referrals for consumers. We can provide help for people who need to navigate Australia’s complex mental health service systems and provide referrals to local services.
In addition, On the Line has implemented the Department of Health’s Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST). The IAR tool provides a consistent framework for the initial assessment and referral of individuals presenting with mental health conditions. The tool uses a common language across the mental health sector about treatment needs based on a person-centred and evidence-based stepped care approach.
The IAR-DST considers holistic domains that are important for referral decision-making in mental health. These domains include symptom severity and distress, risk of harm, functioning, impact of co-existing conditions, treatment and recovery history, social and environmental stressors, family and other support, engagement, and motivation.
The IAR-DST helps us to connect consumers with the right level mental health care at the right time, which provides better outcomes for help-seekers.
Community engagement and promotion
On the Line Australia has a dedicated marketing team who has vast experience promoting mental health, suicide prevention, and counselling services. We can work with you to develop and implement a range of branding and promotion activities to grow awareness of your service in your community, including:
- Website build and management
- Content strategy
- Mental health resources
- Traditional and digital advertising campaigns
- Digital and on the ground community engagement
- Print and digital promotional material
- Social media management
- Email campaigns.
Partner with On the Line Australia
To find out more about how we can co-design and deliver a service to meet your community’s needs, reach out to our Business Development team. Visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form for a new service enquiry.
Mental health and counselling services
Learn more about the services we currently deliver for government, primary health networks, and industry and membership organisations.
Men's mental health
On the Line Australia delivers phone and online counselling and resources to support men with emotional, mental health, and family and relationship concerns.
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Suicide prevention
On the Line provides nationwide and regional suicide prevention services. This includes telephone and online counselling, digital self-help tools, and referrals.
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Domestic and family violence
On the Line Australia delivers a phone counselling program for men who want to maintain respectful relationships without using violence.
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Primary Health Networks
On the Line Australia delivers phone and online counselling and referral services for Primary Health Networks in New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria.
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Industry and member services
On the Line Australia delivers phone counselling to improve the mental health and wellbeing of staff, members, and volunteers.
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