Enhancing Mental Health Support in Schools
Providing timely access to headspace counselling services. The Enhancing Mental Health Support in Schools (EMHSS) initiative helps Victorian government secondary students access free face-to-face and phone counselling services, delivered by headspace.
Eligibility
headspace counselling and related services are available through EMHSS to students who:
- agree for a referral to occur on their behalf, or refer themselves;
- are enrolled at a Victorian government secondary school at the time of their referral; and
- are experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues.
Referrals
Students in Victorian government secondary schools can access EMHSS-supported counselling by being referred by a contact person in their school. This is the preferred referral method.
Victorian government secondary school students may alternatively self-refer, or be referred by a parent or guardian, but will need to provide headspace some contact information for their school. This ensures schools can manage a student’s absence for counselling during school hours, and coordinate other support and care.
More information about the referral and consent process is here:
Face-to-face sessions
Clinicians deliver face-to-face EMHSS counselling sessions, telehealth appointments, and other services via participating headspace centres located across Victoria.
Appointments can be made during normal business hours and may occur during a school day.
In-school phone counselling
Students in government schools in rural, regional, and remote areas can access EMHSS-supported phone counselling.
This service helps students who can’t easily access face-to-face counselling. It is generally provided for those in Victorian government schools more than 50km from a headspace centre.
Schools should provide counselling rooms that are private, safe, quiet, comfortable, and free of distractions, for appointments that occur during school hours.
Further information
More information about arranging a headspace service, providing consent, confidentiality matters and other EMHSS detail, is here:
Non-government school students
headspace counselling is also available to students in non-government schools, via a headspace centre. Sessions can be arranged directly with headspace via headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation.
Updated 26 March 2026
About the VIC Government
- The Premier and ministers
- Find a Vic Gov department, agency or service
- Strategies and policies
- Inquiries and royal commissions
Grants and programs
Jobs and careers
Arts, culture and heritage
Business and the workplace
- Mentally Healthy Workplaces Framework
- Portable Long Service Authority
- Victoria’s racing industry
- Workforce Inspectorate Victoria
- Liquor licensing, sale and supply
Communities
- Children
- First Peoples - State Relations
- Finding records
- Gender equality & women’s leadership
- LGBTIQA+ equality
- Multicultural communities
- Seniors Online
- Veterans support and commemoration
- Volunteering in Victoria
- Youth Central
Education and training
- Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority
- Early childhood education – information for professionals
- Kinder: Best Start, Best Life
- Education – information for parents
- Schools.Vic - information for schools
- Education grants, programs, awards and events
- PROTECT
- TAFE, training and universities sector
- TAFE Victoria
- Victorian Skills Authority
- Apprenticeships Victoria
- Learn Local
Environment, water and energy
Finance and economy
Health and social support
- Family violence reform
- NDIS Worker Screening Check
- NDIS and disability services and support in Victoria
- Patient Review Panel
- Transforming Trauma Victoria
Housing and property
Law and justice
- Adoption
- Births, deaths and marriages
- Honorary justices
- Machete ban
- Safeguarding Victorians against terrorism
- Stolen Generations Reparations Package
- Victims of Crime
- Victorian Racing Tribunal
Safety and emergencies
- Emergency Recovery Victoria
- Victorian Emergency Relief and Recovery Foundation
- Emergency Recovery Resource Portal
- How well do you know fire
- Fire Services Reform
- Water safety
- Marine Search and Rescue
Science and technology
- Data sharing and open data
- Data.vic - discover and access Vic Gov open data
- Developer.Vic - portal for API developers
- Go.vic URL shortener
- Vic Gov IT project dashboard
- Victoria’s free public wi-fi network
- Cyber security in the Victorian Government
Sport and recreation
Traffic and transport
- Cameras Save Lives
- Transport Fines
- Getting Around
- Transport Planning
- Transport Future
- Climate Change and transport
- Future Directions For Transport
- Transport projects
- Ports and Freight
Working in the Victorian Government
- Single Digital Presence home
- Accommodation and Library Services
- Executive employment in the Victorian public sector
- Budget, procurement and funding
- Careers in the Victorian Government
- Council and Regulator Toolkit
- Guidelines for working in government
- Join a government network
- Standards and guidelines
- VicFleet CarPool
- Victorian Government style guide