Mental health
Mental health workforce
There were about 25,000 mental health nurses, 33,000 psychologists, 2,800 mental health occupational therapists and 2,900 accredited mental health social workers working in Australia in 2022, and 4,300 psychiatrists working in 2023.
The number of peer workers increased by an average of 18% per year while the number of carer workers increased by an average of 23% per year from 2017–18 to 2021–22.
Although there is no universal definition of what a ‘mental health worker’ is, there is broad agreement that the workforce is divided into three inter-related sectors - specialist, generalist and lived experience (Cleary, Thomas and Boyle 2020). This section is broadly structured into specialist, generalist and lived experience sections, although it should be noted that these categories are by no means definitive, exhaustive or mutually exclusive.
Specialist workers provide mental health services directly and may include professionals with tertiary training in a mental health-related field. For the purpose of this section, the specialist workforce is considered to include psychiatrists, mental health nurses, psychologists, mental health occupational therapists and accredited mental health social workers.
Generalist workers include other professionals who engage in mental health-related work or with people experiencing mental illness, but who may not have specialist training in mental health. Alternatively, generalist workers may include people in administrative or research roles that support the specialist workforce.
Lived experience workers, also called peer workers, are people who have themselves experienced mental illness or cared for someone who has, and can bring valuable insight into the caring experience. People with lived experience may also have specialist or generalist qualifications.
Spotlight data: How many specialist mental health workers are employed in Australia?
Maps of Australia showing the number and rate per 100,000 population of psychiatrists, mental health nurses, psychologists, mental health occupational therapists and accredited mental health social workers by state or territory, remoteness area, Primary Health Network (PHN) or Statistical Area 4 (SA4).
Notes:
- The number for each variable may not sum to the total due to the estimation process, rounding, not stated/missing data and/or confidentialisation.
- Regions without data will display as ‘0’. Refer to data tables for more detail
- Crude rate is based on the Australian estimated resident population as at 30 June 2022.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Health Workforce Dataset, Australia Association of Social Workers
Mental health workers may be employed in a wide variety of settings, including state-run health services, private or not-for-profit care providers, and/or private practice. Each state and territory has a mental health workforce plan (Cleary, Thomas and Boyle 2020), intended to guide and support the development of the mental health workforce to ensure it meets the needs of residents. A 10-year national mental health workforce strategy was released in late 2023. For further information, refer to the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy 2022–2032.
Specialist workers
This section provides data on the number of psychiatrists, mental health nurses, psychologists, mental health occupational therapists and accredited mental health social workers who are employed in Australia. Most of these professions are regulated by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). The exception is accredited mental health social workers which are accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) as having specialist mental health expertise.
In 2022, there were about 25,000 mental health nurses, 33,000 psychologists, 2,800 mental health occupational therapists and 2,900 accredited mental health social workers working in Australia. The were about 4,300 psychiatrists working in Australia in 2023.
The majority of psychiatrists in 2023 were male (57%). The other professions were overwhelmingly female, comprising 72% of mental health nurses, 80% of psychologists, 85% of the mental health occupational therapists and 84% of accredited mental health social workers (Figure WK.1).
In 2024, of accredited mental health social workers surveyed:
- an average of 26 clinical hours per week and 10 hours in non-clinical work were reported.
- about 85% reported that they had practiced via telehealth in the previous 12 months.
- about 85% reported that they worked in private practice.
- About 73% reported working as a sole trader.
Figure WK.1: Specialist mental health workers, number, by age group, sex, 2013–2023
WK.1.1 is a line chart showing the number of people working in each profession by sex and age group from 2013 to 2023. In 2022, the most numerous age group for psychiatrists was 45–54, mental health nurses 20–34, psychologists 35–44, mental health occupational therapists 20–34, accredited mental health social workers 55–64.
WK.1.2 is a horizontal butterfly bar chart showing the number of each profession in each age group by sex and year. In 2022, the largest group of psychiatrists are males aged 45–54 (743), mental health nurses females aged 20–34 (5,053), psychologists females aged 35–44 (7,787), mental health occupational therapists females aged 20–34 (1,004), accredited mental health social workers females aged 55–64 (667).
Note: The number for each variable may not sum to the total due to the estimation process, rounding, not stated/missing data and/or confidentialisation.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Health Workforce Dataset, Australia Association of Social Workers.
With the exception of accredited mental health social workers, specialist mental health workers are concentrated in Major cities relative to population, with lower rates of workers in Remote and Very remote areas (Spotlight figure). On average, workers in Remote and Very remote areas work more hours per week than their counterparts in Major cities.
According to the Psychology Board of Australia, 13,905 psychologists held an area of practice endorsement in 2021, with Clinical psychology accounting for 71% of endorsements (Psychology Board of Australia 2022). Almost half (49%) of psychologists were employed in either solo, group or other private practice, while 1 in 10 are employed in schools.
Generalist workers
A range of different professions and roles may be included under the broad category of generalist mental health workers. The availability of data varies considerably depending on the accreditation framework of each role. Selected examples are presented here:
General practitioners (GPs) are often first to be engaged to manage mental illness, and act as a gateway to the professions noted above. In 2023, there were around 32,200 GPs working in Australia. According to the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) survey of general practitioners, last conducted in 2015–16, 1 in 8 (12%) of all GP encounters were mental health-related (AIHW 2018).
Paramedicine practitioners (paramedics) may be the first-responders to mental health crises. In 2022, there were around 20,000 paramedics working in Australia. Although the proportion of paramedic workload associated with mental illness is difficult to estimate, the National Ambulance Surveillance System, established in 2018, is likely to provide more national data in future.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners arrange, coordinate and provide health care delivery in Indigenous community health clinics (RANZCP 2016). In 2018–19, an estimated 1 in 4 Indigenous people experience a mental health or behavioural condition (AIHW 2022a), with these professionals recognised as bringing valuable knowledge and skills to the management of mental illness (RANZCP 2016). In 2022, there were around 660 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners working in Australia.
Social workers assess the social needs, assist and empower people to develop and use the skills and resources needed to resolve problems, and further human wellbeing, human rights, social justice and social development (ABS 2022). There were around 42,000 social workers, including accredited mental health social workers, employed in Australia in 2024 (Jobs and Skills Australia 2024). In 2021–22, there were 2,780 full time-equivalent social worker positions in specialised mental health facilities (AIHW 2024). Refer to the Specialised mental health care facilities article for more information.
Counsellors and psychotherapists work with people to help them to identify and define their emotional issues through therapies such as talking therapies. There are a variety of different types of counsellors, including drug and alcohol, family and marriage, and rehabilitation. The Australian Counselling Association reports that they have around 16,000 members (ACA 2024). However, as counsellors and psychotherapists are not required to be members of this organisation, the true number is likely to be higher.
Support line volunteers form a vital point of contact for people experiencing distress of crises. There are multiple support lines which provide mental health-related assistance. One of the largest is Lifeline, which has approximately 1,000 paid employees and 10,000 volunteers (Lifeline 2024).
For further information on crisis support lines, refer to the Mental health services activity monitoring article.
Lived experience workers
Lived experience workers, also known as peer or consumer workers, are increasingly recognised as forming a vital component of mental health care. Lived experience workers also include carer workers, family supporters and unpaid carers – family members, friends or others who care for those experiencing mental illness outside of an employment or volunteer setting. These are sometimes referred to as ‘informal carers’ (AIHW 2023b).
Because of the broad scope of lived experience workers’ engagement with the mental health care sector, there are little reliable data on the total number of lived experience workers in Australia. An exception is in specialised mental health care facilities. In 2021–22, there were 360 FTE paid consumer workers and 158 FTE paid carer workers employed in these facilities (AIHW 2024), though numbers varied greatly between states and territories (Figure WK.2). The number of consumer workers increased by an average of 18% per year from 2017–18 to 2021–22, while the number of carer workers increased by an average of 23% per year. For more information, refer to the Specialised mental health care facilities article.
Figure WK.2: How many total peer workers are employed in specialised mental health care facilities?
Line chart showing the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) consumer and carer workers in each state and territory from 2002–03 to 2021–22. Queensland had the most FTE peer workers of any jurisdiction in 2021–22 (154).
| Year | New South Wales | Australian Capital Territory | Western Australia | South Australia | Tasmania | Victoria | Northern Territory | Queensland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 9 |
| 2005–06 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 10 |
| 2006–07 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 11 |
| 2007–08 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 11 |
| 2008–09 | 33 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 17 |
| 2009–10 | 35 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 34 | 0 | 19 |
| 2010–11 | 35 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 23 |
| 2011–12 | 40 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 38 | 0 | 25 |
| 2012–13 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 38 | 0 | 17 |
| 2013–14 | 34 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 34 | 0 | 14 |
| 2014–15 | 39 | 0 | 5 | 22 | 1 | 38 | 0 | 28 |
| 2015–16 | 33 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 2 | 35 | 1 | 67 |
| 2016–17 | 40 | 2 | 6 | 20 | 2 | 36 | 1 | 61 |
| 2017–18 | 37 | 2 | 5 | 22 | 2 | 77 | 13 | 95 |
| 2018–19 | 38 | 0 | 5 | 24 | 3 | 70 | 15 | 102 |
| 2019–20 | 61 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 6 | 74 | 14 | 109 |
| 2020–21 | 130 | 4 | 11 | 20 | 6 | 68 | 37 | 158 |
| 2021–22 | 147 | 12 | 20 | 5 | 141 | 40 | 154 |
Source:
Specialised mental health care facilities 2021–22 data tables, FAC.35
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Data source overview
Where can I find more information?
You may also be interested in:
National Health Workforce Data Set (NHWDS)
The voluntary Workforce Surveys are administered to all registered health practitioners by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and are included as part of the registration renewal process. These surveys are used to provide nationally consistent workforce estimates. They also provide data on the type of work done by, and job setting of, health practitioners; the number of hours worked in a clinical or non-clinical role, and in total; and the numbers of years worked in, and intended to remain in, the health workforce. The surveys also provide information on registered health practitioners who are not undertaking clinical work or who are not employed. Response rates for the NHWDS workforce surveys are generally high, although it varies by profession. The information from the AHPRA workforce surveys, combined with AHPRA registration data items, comprise the NHWDS. A statistical approach is employed to correct for non-responses in creating the NHWDS, replacing missing values with plausible values based on other available information.
Health workforce data is available for public access through the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care’s Health Workforce Data Tool (HWDT). For medical specialists, the numbers are those employed, as specialists, in their primary specialty. As such, there may be differences between the data presented here and that published elsewhere due to different analytical methodologies or data extraction dates.
Further information regarding the health workforce surveys is available at National Health Workforce Dataset.
Mental Health Establishments National Minimum Data Set (MHE NMDS)
Refer to the data source section of the Specialised mental health facilities page for more information.
Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
The AASW is the peak professional body for social workers in Australia. Data is collected from members to provide services, including postal address. This may be a place of employment, home residence or post box. Although membership of the AASW for social workers generally is not mandatory, accreditation of mental health social workers is only provided by the AASW. This accreditation enables these social workers to claim certain Medicare-subsidised mental health-specific items under the Medicare Benefits Schedule. Refer to the Medicare-subsidised mental health-specific services section for more information.
Data includes accredited mental health social workers (AMHSWs) as at 30 June 2022. This may include some AMHSWs who have cancelled their accreditation though this number is likely to be small. Clinical hours, telehealth and practice data are derived from a survey of 366 AMHSWs (13% response rate) collected from 8 April 2024 to 18 April 2024.
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2022) ANZSCO – Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, ABS website, accessed 16 May 2024.
ACA (Australian Counselling Association) (2024) About the ACA, ACA website, accessed 16 May 2024.
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2024) Specialised mental health care facilities, Mental Health Online Report, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 16 May 2024.
AIHW (2023a) Mental health services activity monitoring: quarterly data, Mental Health Online Report, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 16 May 2024.
AIHW (2023b) Informal carers, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 16 May 2024.
AIHW (2022) Mental health, Indigenous Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Clearinghouse website, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 16 May 2024.
AIHW (2018) Mental health-related services provided by general practitioners [294KB PDF], AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 16 May 2024.
APS (Australian Psychological Society) (2022) Area of Practice Endorsement pathway, APS website, accessed 16 May 2024.
Cleary A, Thomas N and Boyle F (2020) National Mental Health Workforce Strategy – A literature review of existing national and jurisdictional workforce strategies relevant to the mental health workforce and recent findings of mental health reviews and inquiries, University of Queensland, Brisbane.
Jobs and Skills Australia (2024) Social Workers, Australian government, accessed 16 May 2024.
Lifeline (2024) Who we are, Lifeline website, accessed 16 May 2024.
Department of Health and Aged Care (2023) National Mental Health Workforce Strategy 2022–2032, Department of Health and Aged care website, accessed 16 May 2024
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2019) Approved programs of study, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website, accessed 16 May 2024.
Psychology Board of Australia (2022) Registrant data, Reporting period: 01 October 2022 to 31 December 2022 [312KB PDF], Psychology Board of Australia website, accessed 16 May 2024.
Psychology Board of Australia (2021) Registration standards, Psychology Board of Australia website, accessed 16 May 2024.
RANZCP (2021) What’s a psychiatrist?, RANZCP website, accessed 16 May 2024.
RANZCP (Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists) (2016) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health workers, RANZCP website, accessed 16 May 2024.
Data in this section were last updated in July 2024.