Yes — when used under professional supervision with age-appropriate content and session lengths, VR therapy is considered safe for children from around age 7. Sessions for younger children are shorter in duration and are always conducted with a parent or guardian present. Our psychologists will assess your child's readiness individually before any VR exposure work begins.

VR therapy at Mountains of Care is billed at our standard psychology session rate — there is no additional charge for the VR component.

Medicare Mental Health Care Plan: VR therapy is provided as part of evidence-based psychological treatment for anxiety. It is delivered within Medicare's anxiety treatment framework and meets Medicare requirements — meaning your standard Medicare rebate applies when you hold a valid Mental Health Care Plan from your GP (up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year). VR is integrated into your overall treatment plan; it is not billed as a separate or standalone item.

NDIS: Mountains of Care is an NDIS service provider. Whether VR therapy sessions can be funded under your plan depends on your individual NDIS plan and the supports approved within it. Please bring your plan details to your first appointment and we will clarify what applies to your situation.

Private pay: No referral or care plan is required. Please contact us for current fee information. We can provide a receipt for private health insurance claiming — rebates vary by fund and policy, so check with your insurer directly.

You will sit comfortably in our consulting room and wear a lightweight headset — it uses a compact smartphone-based design, not a large or heavy device. Within seconds you are immersed in a photorealistic 360° real-world environment: a hillside looking down, a waiting room, a flight cabin, or whatever is relevant to your treatment goals. The environments are filmed in the real world in ultra-HD — they are designed to feel genuinely present, not cartoon-like.

Your treating clinician is always in the room with you, able to pause, adjust, or stop the experience at any moment. They can see what you are experiencing on their screen in real time. Most clients are surprised by how quickly they adapt — and how real the therapeutic response feels even while knowing they are in a safe room.

This varies considerably by condition and individual. Specific phobias often respond well within 4–8 sessions of VR exposure, while social anxiety or trauma work may involve a longer overall treatment course with VR as one component. Your psychologist will give you a realistic indication during your initial assessment. We do not lock you into packages — your plan evolves with your progress.

Not at all. We guide every client through the process from scratch. If you can watch television, you can do VR therapy. We spend as much time as needed helping you get comfortable with the headset before any therapeutic work begins.

A small proportion of people do experience mild motion discomfort in VR, particularly in environments with significant movement. We use environments specifically selected to minimise this risk. If motion sensitivity is a concern for you, please mention it when you book — we can address this in your first familiarisation session before any formal therapy begins.