How does Medicare’s new Mental Health Check In work? Is this low-intensity CBT likely to help?

If you’ve been struggling with your mental health lately, a new free service could help. Medicare Mental Health Check In launched earlier this year to give more Australians access to mental health care.

The idea behind early-intervention programs such as this is simple: catch mental health problems early, before they get worse.

But do these kinds of programs actually help? And will it work for all Australians?

Bite-sized CBT online or over the phone

Medicare Mental Health Check In is a digital service offering what’s known as low-intensity cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT. CBT is a widely studied form of talk therapy that helps people change unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaviour.

“Low-intensity” doesn’t mean treatment is watered down. It means sessions are shorter, delivered online or by phone, and guided by trained practitioners such as counsellors and not necessarily with psychologists.

Mediare Mental Health Check In is free, available to any Australian aged 16 and over, and you don’t need a referral or a diagnosis.

First you call 1800 595 212 for an initial chat with a trained professional. They will help work out if the program is right for you.

From there, you’re offered a six-week treatment plan tailored to what you’re experiencing, whether that’s low mood, anxiety, or something else.

The treatment plans blend digital tools with a trained coach who checks in regularly via video or phone.

From May, self-guided versions will also be available for people who would rather work independently.

The service sits within the federal government’s broader Medicare mental health reforms designed to create a “stepped care” model. This aims to match people with the right level of support, from self-paced digital programs through to intensive face-to-face therapy.

What does the evidence say?

Low-intensity CBT can provide meaningful help to people with common mental health symptoms, such as anxiety and low mood.

Similar services overseas have worked well. In 2024–25, the United Kingdom’s National Health Service’s Talking Therapies program helped almost 100,000 people recover from mental ill-health.

However, not everyone who gets help gets better. The NHS CBT program has a recovery rate of around 42% and an improvement rate around 60%, meaning these people saw some benefits but still needed more support.

About 68% of Australians who previously used a similar program – Beyond Blue’s NewAccess – saw real improvements after around five CBT sessions.

If these figures hold for the Medicare program, for every 100,000 Australians who use Medicare Mental Health Check In, most will get some benefit.

But around 30,000–40,000 will still need further treatment to meaningfully improve their mental health. That’s a lot of Aussies going back on long waitlists.

What about the self-guided option?

Self-guided digital mental health tools are coming to the Medicare program in May, but their benefit might be limited.

When more than 22,000 people used self-guided tools such as apps and websites, they only experienced small reductions in anxiety and depression. Fewer than one in ten people got any real benefit.

Researchers behind one of the world’s largest studies of self-guided mental health tools recommend apps and websites only be used when no other option is available.

So, bear in mind that while some Australians will benefit from the self-guided programs, most people who use Medicare Mental Health Check In will need the support of a trained professional.

Will it be better than my AI chatbot?

Younger Australians may be wondering if this service is better than the help already in their pocket. Around one in eight adolescents and young adults in the United States use AI chatbots such as ChatGPT for mental health support, with the vast majority finding their AI therapists helpful.

The appeal is obvious: AI is free, available at 2am, and doesn’t judge you.

But chatbots aren’t therapists. They can’t reliably detect crises, they aren’t bound by regulations, and even the latest models can provide harmful advice.

Medicare Mental Health Check In doesn’t offer the instant back-and-forth of a chatbot. But it does offer something a chatbot can’t: an evidence-based program designed by experts and supported by a caring human.

Who will Mental Health Check In work best for?

This kind of program works best for people with mild to moderate symptoms.

If you have more complex needs, are experiencing severe depression, debilitating anxiety or complex trauma, or you’re in a full-blown crisis, you’ll likely need more intensive treatment with a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Digital services aren’t accessible to everyone. Older adults, people in remote areas, lower-income households and First Nations Australians are most likely to be digitally excluded. A phone-based option helps, but doesn’t eliminate the gap.

Australia needs more mental health services. With long waiting lists for psychologists and a hospital system under strain, a free, evidence-based early intervention service is welcome. It won’t provide the right therapy for everyone, but for Australians dealing with early signs of anxiety, stress or low mood, it could be a great first step towards mental wellbeing.