Accredited mental health social work in Australia: A reality check

Accredited mental health social workers (AMHSWs) have a great deal to offer the clients they see in their private practices, many of whom have complex needs. However, they are constrained by the inflated expectations Government has about evidence-based psychological interventions. The restrictions placed on the professional private practice of AMHSWs by Federal Government Medicare funding of a narrow set of psychological interventions ultimately limits the services received by clients. In this article, the findings of a survey of AMHSWs are presented, highlighting the tensions between individualised responses promoted by Medicare payments, and those premised on principles of social justice and social inclusion.