What Does a Psychosocial Recovery Coach Do?
A psychosocial recovery coach spends time getting to know you, then works with you to plan what you want, find and organise supports, and build the skills and confidence to manage them. They connect you with community, mainstream and mental health services, keep those services working together, and stay alongside you through times when you need more support.
What Does a Recovery Coach Do With You?
The NDIA lists four things a recovery coach works with you on, plus linking you to services outside the NDIS.
| Area | What it can look like |
|---|---|
| Build capacity and resilience | Working out what matters to you and building the skills and confidence to get there |
| Find, plan and organise supports | Learning what's available, choosing providers and putting supports in place |
| Stay engaged through harder times | Planning ahead for times when you need more support, so supports don't fall away |
| Coaching | Building on your strengths, knowledge, skills, resilience and decision-making |
| Connecting services | Linking you with community, mainstream, health and mental health services, and keeping them working together |
The NDIA's factsheet says a recovery coach will spend time with you, and with people important to you, to get to know you and understand your needs. They can help you find out about different services and supports, get support from mental health services and better understand the NDIS.
What Does a Recovery Coach Not Do?
They don't diagnose, treat or provide crisis care, and they aren't a support worker for day-to-day tasks.
- Diagnose or treat a mental health condition. Treatment is funded by the health system, not the NDIS
- Provide crisis or emergency support. In an emergency call 000, or Lifeline on 13 11 14
- Do personal care, cleaning or other daily tasks. Those are support worker roles, funded separately
- Make decisions for you. The point is your choice and control
A recovery coach can help you stay connected with your treating team, and help you work out what to do and who to call if things get harder. Planning for that is part of the role.
Looking for a Recovery Coach?
We'll connect you with a registered provider of psychosocial recovery coaching, in person or online.
Who Else Does a Recovery Coach Work With?
With your agreement: your family and carers, your other NDIS providers, and health and community services.
The NDIA's pricing arrangements describe recovery coaches working collaboratively with participants, families, carers and other services to identify, plan, design and coordinate NDIS supports. That can include your GP or mental health team, a housing or employment service, and the support workers and therapists in your plan.
Recovery coaching can also support work. The pricing arrangements say a recovery coach can advise an employment provider and a prospective employer on how best to support you with new stressors, and help make sure other supports respond to the changes as you start work.
How Is Recovery Coaching Time Used?
Mostly with you, plus some time on your behalf, all charged against the hours in your plan.
Under the 2025-26 pricing arrangements, a provider could also claim recovery coaching time for non-face-to-face work that's part of your support (only where your service agreement allows it), provider travel, short notice cancellations (less than 7 days' notice), and reports the NDIA asks for. Ask a provider how they charge for each of these before you sign a service agreement, because it all comes out of the same hours.
A note on the rules
The NDIA has said it will shortly publish updated pricing and claiming guidance for 2026-27. Until it does, the 2025-26 pricing arrangements are the most recent published claiming rules.
Questions People Ask
Does a recovery coach come to my home?
It depends on the provider and what suits you. Ask before you choose whether they meet at home, out in the community, by phone or by video, and whether travel time is charged to your plan.
Can a recovery coach help me find a psychologist?
They can help you find out about services and get support from mental health services, including services outside the NDIS. Psychology itself is usually funded through the health system.
Can my family be involved?
Yes, if you want them to be. The NDIA says a recovery coach can spend time with the people important to you, and work with families and carers.
What if I'm not well for a while?
Recovery coaching is designed to keep supports in place through periods of increased need. Planning for those times is part of what a recovery coach does with you.
Keep Reading
- What is a recovery coach?A psychosocial recovery coach is an NDIS-funded worker with mental health knowledge who helps you plan, build skills and coordinate supports.
- Your first sessionWhat to expect from a first session with a psychosocial recovery coach: getting to know you, your plan and goals, the service agreement, and what to bring.
- Recovery coach vs support coordinatorPsychosocial recovery coach vs support coordinator: what each does, qualifications, NDIS prices, and why the NDIA usually recommends one, not both.
- Choosing a recovery coachHow to choose a psychosocial recovery coach: the NDIA's five questions, lived experience, qualifications, registration, and what to agree before you start.
- Finding a recovery coachHow to find a psychosocial recovery coach near you or online: where to look, what to have ready, and how to get matched with a registered NDIS provider.
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