Compare Mental Health Providers
Choose what matters to your enquiry. Create questions and a blank comparison worksheet to complete privately after speaking with each provider. No scores or automatic recommendations.
No name or health details needed. Selections stay on this page and are not saved or sent to ARCSENA. This tool prepares questions; it does not provide clinical advice or grant permissions.
Your agenda will appear here.
Choose the topics on this page, then select “Create my agenda”. Take the result to a conversation with your provider.
Read the complete question list
You can use these questions directly, including when interactive tools are unavailable.
Start here
- Describe the same question or need to each provider so that their answers can be compared fairly.
- Use the worksheet for confirmed answers and unresolved questions. Do not include medical histories or other identifying details.
- Clinical suitability requires a qualified assessment. A blank or uncertain answer is a prompt for clarification, not a low score.
Qualifications and relevant expertise
- Which qualifications and registration apply to the actual professional I would see?
- What experience is relevant to my concern, and what falls outside this service’s scope?
- Who conducts the assessment, and what would prompt another specialist opinion?
Assessment and proposed approach
- What will the first appointment establish, and what might remain uncertain?
- How are options, limitations and personal preferences discussed?
- How would we review the relationship and raise concerns about fit?
Access, language and location
- Is continuing care available after the initial assessment?
- Can the clinician work with me in each place where I will physically be?
- What language, interpretation, appointment and accessibility arrangements are available?
Communication and information sharing
- How are reminders, invoices and clinical messages handled?
- What does a payer or representative receive, and what requires a separate agreement?
- How are confidentiality, relevant exceptions and changes in permission explained?
Fees, funding and interests
- What is included in the quoted fee, and what is charged separately?
- What must be confirmed directly with an insurer or another payer?
- Are ownership or financial relationships relevant to proposed referrals?
Continuing responsibility and handover
- Which clinical and administrative responsibilities has each provider accepted?
- What happens during absences, urgent needs or a change in location?
- How would an appropriate transition to another service be arranged?
Blank comparison worksheet
Complete privately after your conversations. An unanswered point is a question to clarify, not a score.
| Area to confirm | Provider A | Provider B | Still to clarify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifications and relevant expertise | |||
| Assessment and proposed approach | |||
| Access, language and location | |||
| Communication and information sharing | |||
| Fees, funding and interests | |||
| Continuing responsibility and handover |
For context, read the related guide or explore all planning tools.
A private conversation.
A clearer way forward.
Begin with what matters to you. We can take it from there.