Frequently Asked Question

Coastal Sands is a specialist mental health and rehabilitation practice founded by Colm Sands, Accredited Mental Health Social Worker. We provide evidence-based psychological and psychosocial support for adults navigating workplace injury, catastrophic injury, neurological conditions, and complex life disruption. Services are delivered via telehealth across Queensland and Australia, with in-person appointments available on the Sunshine Coast.

An Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW) is a protected professional title awarded by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). It recognises advanced training and demonstrated competency in mental health assessment and treatment. AMHSWs are eligible to provide Medicare rebated mental health services under a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan.

Appointments can be booked online via our booking portal at any time. Alternatively, you can contact us directly by phone or through our website contact form. For WorkCover, insurer-funded, or EAP referrals, please contact us before booking so we can confirm your funding pathway and ensure we have the relevant referral details in place.

Not always. For self-funded or private appointments, you can book directly without a referral. For Medicare rebated sessions, you will need a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP. For WorkCover Queensland, NIISQ, or other insurance funded sessions, a formal referral or claim approval from your insurer is required. If you are unsure, contact us and we will advise on the most appropriate pathway.

The first session is an initial assessment. Coastal Sands will take time to understand your situation, history, presenting concerns, and goals. You are not expected to have everything worked out before attending the purpose of the first session is to get a clear picture together and begin forming a plan. It is also an opportunity for you to ask questions and decide whether the service feels right for you.

Coastal Sands supports adults across a broad range of presentations, with a particular specialisation in injury-related and rehabilitation contexts. This includes workplace injury and adjustment, traumatic brain injury (TBI), persistent post-concussive symptoms, neurological and spinal injury, anxiety and depression, trauma and PTSD, burnout, occupational stress, men's mental health, and life transitions. If you are unsure whether your situation fits, contact us directly.

No. While workplace injury, rehabilitation, and insurer funded work form a core part of our practice, we also provide general mental health support for adults experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, and adjustment challenges regardless of whether these are injury-related. We also offer a dedicated space for men's mental health.

Yes. Significant injury particularly traumatic brain injury, neurological conditions, and catastrophic injury affects the whole family system. We have experience supporting family members navigating adjustment, role changes, grief, and the psychological demands of caring for someone with a serious injury.

We accept referrals and funding under the following frameworks: WorkCover Queensland (Psychological Services and Adjustment to Injury Counselling), National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland (NIISQ), private insurers including income protection and CTP, Workers' Compensation schemes nationally via telehealth, and Medicare via a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan. Self-funded appointments are also available.

Yes, if you have a valid GP Mental Health Treatment Plan (also called a Mental Health Care Plan), you are eligible for a Medicare rebate on sessions with Coastal Sands Counselling. Up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year attract a rebate. We are not a bulk-billing practice a gap fee applies, and the Medicare rebate reduces your out-of-pocket cost. Contact us for current fee information.

Yes. Coastal Sands is an approved WorkCover Queensland provider. Our provider number is P0007636706. We deliver both Psychological Services and Adjustment to Injury Counselling (ATIC) within the WorkCover framework, and provide clear, timely clinical reporting as required.

Our practice is based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, where in-person appointments are available. The majority of our clinical work is delivered via secure telehealth, which is accessible to clients across Queensland and Australia. If you are outside the Sunshine Coast, telehealth will typically be your primary access point.

Yes. Current clinical evidence consistently supports telehealth as equally effective as in-person treatment for anxiety, depression, trauma, adjustment, and most other presentations. Medicare, WorkCover Queensland, and other major funding bodies formally recognise telehealth as an equivalent mode of delivery. Many clients also find telehealth more accessible and comfortable, particularly when managing injury, chronic pain, or geographic barriers.

Yes. Everything discussed in sessions is strictly confidential. Your information will not be shared without your consent, except in circumstances where there is an immediate risk of serious harm to yourself or others, or where disclosure is required by law. These obligations will be explained clearly in your first session. For insurer funded clients, clinical reports are provided to the relevant funding body as required the scope and content of those reports will always be discussed with you in advance.