Cost is one of the most common reasons people put off counselling, or
stop sooner than they meant to. If that is where you are, it helps to
know that paying the full fee yourself is not the only path. Depending
on your situation, you may be able to get help with the cost through one
of two national services that Holistic Counselling works alongside,
Victim Support and Work and Income. Both are accessed by Auckland
clients, and both are worth understanding before you decide that
counselling is out of reach.
A note before we start. The details below are a helpful starting
point, not the final word. Criteria and amounts change, and every
application is assessed on its own merits, so please confirm the current
details directly with the agency. Where we mention a dollar figure,
treat it as a guide to check rather than a fixed promise.
Victim
Support, Help For People Affected by Crime
If you have been affected by crime or a traumatic event, Victim
Support (Manaaki Tāngata) may be able to help you access counselling. It
is a free, nationwide service operating 24 hours a day, seven days a
week, including across Auckland, and it supports more than 50,000 people
a year.
The funding behind this comes through the Victim Assistance Scheme,
which Victim Support administers on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
The scheme helps cover costs related to the crime, the justice process,
and recovery, and it is provided at no cost to eligible recipients.
Counselling can be part of that support. For example, eligible whānau of
someone who has died as a result of a criminal act may be able to access
up to about 30 hours of counselling (check the current details), and the
scheme can also support victims of serious crime and victims of sexual
violence in certain situations.
Eligibility is assessed case by case, so the honest guidance is to
make contact and ask. You may already be in touch with Victim Support
through a Police referral after a crime, in which case a Support Worker
can help you. If you are not, you can reach them directly on 0800 VICTIM
(0800 842 846), free and any time. Talk to your Support Worker about how
counselling is arranged and funded in your situation, as that is the
part best confirmed with them rather than assumed.
Work and
Income, Help with Ongoing Counselling Costs
Work and Income can also help with counselling, mainly through the
Disability Allowance. This is a weekly payment for people who have
regular, ongoing costs because of a disability or a health condition
that is likely to last at least six months, and counselling can be one
of those eligible costs.
A few things are useful to know. You do not have to be receiving a
benefit to apply for a Disability Allowance. An income test does apply,
with weekly before-tax income limits that are reviewed each year, so it
is worth checking the current figures. As a guide, the limit for a
single person aged 18 or over was about $870 a week before tax as at 1
April 2026 (check the current rate), with different limits for couples
and sole parents. The allowance has a weekly maximum of up to about
$82.85 a week as at 1 April 2026 (reviewed each year, so check the
current rate). That maximum is the total Disability Allowance cap and is
shared with any other eligible health-related costs, so it is not a
counselling-only amount.
To apply, contact Work and Income for the forms. You will need a
Disability Certificate completed by your doctor or health practitioner,
along with a Counselling form completed by your health practitioner and
your counsellor, and you provide receipts or quotes for the cost. A
first application generally covers up to 10 sessions, and any further
sessions need a health practitioner to recommend them. One more point
worth knowing is that Work and Income funds counselling only with a
recognised provider, for example a counsellor who is a member of the New
Zealand Association of Counsellors. If you are unsure whether a
particular counsellor qualifies, ask before you apply.
If your need is a one-off rather than ongoing, a Special Needs Grant
can sometimes help with a counselling cost you cannot meet another way.
Work and Income can tell you which route fits your circumstances.
Other Options and Next Steps
These two are not the only routes. Other funding paths exist, for
example ACC for sensitive claims relating to sexual harm, and employer
Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP). This article focuses on Victim
Support and Work and Income because they are the two Holistic
Counselling can point you toward most directly.
If cost has been holding you back, you are warmly invited to get in
touch with Holistic Counselling. We can talk through which of these
routes might suit your situation and help you take the next step.
Further Reading
These external resources cover the funding routes in more detail.
Confirm current criteria and amounts directly with each agency.
Victim Support
Work and Income
