Find a Mental Health Professional for Carer Wellbeing & Burnout

About Carer Wellbeing & Burnout support

Caring for a family member, whether a child with a disability, a parent with dementia, a partner with a mental illness, or another person with a significant health condition, is deeply meaningful work. It can also be physically and emotionally exhausting. Carer burnout can creep up gradually and may include persistent fatigue, resentment, social withdrawal, loss of personal identity, and difficulty accessing any time for yourself. Carers are at significantly elevated risk of anxiety, depression, and poor physical health. Support for carers includes practical assistance such as respite, as well as emotional support through individual counselling and peer-led carer support groups. Therapy can help carers reconnect with their own needs, set limits in sustainable ways, process grief about the changes caring has brought, and manage the complex emotions that often come with the role. It can also support carers when care needs increase or when the person they are caring for passes away. In Australia, Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) is a federally funded program that provides free services including counselling, skills coaching, and peer support specifically for carers. Carers Australia also provides advocacy and connection resources. NDIS participants may receive funding for supports that indirectly ease carer burden, and GP Mental Health Treatment Plans can provide Medicare rebates for carers accessing their own therapy.