National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

Submission 198

Submission on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the

NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

Date: 11th July 2024

I am a Master Degree Level qualified Counsellor, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Practitioner, NDIS Registered Provider, and NDIS advocate responding to the proposed changes to the NDIS Bill.

I am concerned with the proposed changes that animals, except assistance animals, will be excluded from future NDIS funding. If these proposed changes to NDIS funding are passed, this would mean Equine-assisted Psychotherapy will not be funded. This therapeutic approach is highly effective and beneficial when provided by trained therapists who integrate it into their broader therapeutic practice.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy provided by a registered counsellor, psychologist or social worker is grounded in well-established and researched theories of psychotherapy. It is a clinical advance on these established practices where the incorporation of horses is a deliberate, principled, and professional catalyst to change. It can be used as an adjunct to evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is currently not deemed ‘evidence based’ because extensive research of the same vigor undertaken for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy over several years has not been applied to this newer approach to date. However, preliminary trials and studies attest to its effectiveness.

Conversely, the concern at hand is the lack of regulation of services being provided by unqualified people providing “animal-assisted therapies” when they are not a qualified counsellor, psychologist or social worker registered with bodies such as the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia and the Australian Counselling Association, which regulate and support the provision of effective high- quality Psychotherapy, Counselling, and Indigenous Healing Practices.

The Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia states “Animal Assisted Psychotherapy is an innovative approach to clinical practice and psychotherapy where clients are invited into safe relational experiences with animals to address therapeutic goals. It is a fast-growing modality across Australia and the globe.”

Likewise, the proposed change for Somatic Therapy to be excluded from future NDIS funding is concerning. Somatic therapy is also a form of psychotherapeutic treatment that emphasises the connection between the mind and body in healing. It uses physical methods, including movement, deep breathing, and relaxation exercises, to assist in the release of tension held in the body due to emotional experiences and trauma from the past. Somatic therapy techniques are commonly integrated into a broader therapeutic practice with other evidence-based therapies by registered counsellors, psychologists and social workers to address symptoms linked to stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health concerns.

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

Submission 198

Overall, I am worried that this Bill moves away from the original vision of the NDIS. The NDIS is meant to give people with disability choice and control over their supports. Equine-assisted Psychotherapy is often a preferred approach for participants that find engaging in more traditional talk-based therapies in an office setting a barrier.

I think the Bill should be paused or stopped. There should be real co-design with people with disability. We need changes that truly meet the needs of people with disability.

I urge the Committee to recommend significant changes to this Bill or making other moves to save money. There must be thorough consultation with people with disability and representative bodies.

The NDIS is too important to get wrong. We must get this right, with people with disability at the centre of the process.

Thank you for considering my submission and I hope the Committee will take all submissions seriously in preparing its report.