Allied health is the umbrella term for the qualified therapists who help you build skills, recover function, manage mental health, and live more independently. Under the NDIS, allied health funding sits in your Capacity Building budget and is one of the most common — and most important — supports participants engage.
Common NDIS allied health disciplines
Occupational therapy (OT)
OTs help you do the everyday activities that matter to you — at home, at work, at school, in the community. They assess function, recommend equipment and home modifications, and build strategies to manage daily life. Often the first allied health professional an NDIS participant works with.
Physiotherapy
Physios work with movement, strength, balance, and pain. They support participants recovering from injury, managing chronic conditions, or working on mobility goals. NDIS physio is often hands-on and exercise-based.
Psychology and counselling
Mental health support — anxiety, depression, trauma, behavioural challenges, life adjustment. The therapeutic relationship matters more than almost anything else, so finding the right fit is everything.
Speech pathology
Communication, language, swallowing, and social interaction. Critical for many children with developmental delays, adults recovering from stroke, and participants with conditions affecting speech.
Exercise physiology
Specialised exercise programs to manage chronic conditions, improve fitness, and build strength. Especially valuable for participants with cardiovascular, metabolic, or musculoskeletal conditions.
Dietetics
Nutrition support, particularly for participants managing complex health conditions, swallowing difficulties, or weight-related goals.
What makes a good allied health experience
- A clear initial assessment that identifies what you're working on and why.
- A written treatment plan with goals, frequency, and review points.
- Therapy that connects to your real life — not just textbook exercises.
- Regular reviews of progress and willingness to adjust the plan if it's not working.
- Clear, jargon-free communication you can actually understand.
- NDIS reports prepared on time and to the standard your plan review needs.
- Respectful, person-centred practice — not "doing therapy at you" but working with you.
Why reviews matter for allied health
Allied health relationships are personal. The same therapist who's brilliant for one participant may not be the right fit for another. But what reviews can tell you — clearly — is whether a provider:
- Turns up on time and follows through.
- Communicates well with families and support coordinators.
- Writes reports that actually help with plan reviews.
- Has stable staff or constant turnover (a huge issue with larger providers).
- Bills accurately and within NDIS price guides.
- Treats participants with genuine respect.
Patterns across multiple reviews are far more informative than any single one. That's exactly why an independent, verified review platform — which RateMyProvider is being built to be — matters so much for allied health.
How to find allied health providers
See our broader guide on how to find NDIS providers. For allied health specifically, your support coordinator (if you have one), professional association directories (AHPRA, OT Australia, the APS, Speech Pathology Australia), and reviews on independent platforms are your best starting points.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
Allied health is funded under Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living. The amount you have depends on your assessed needs and goals. NDIS price guide caps apply to most allied health rates, but providers can charge below the cap.
Not from a GP. You can engage allied health providers directly with NDIS funding. However, the provider may want to see relevant assessments or recent reports, and you'll usually start with an initial assessment session.
Yes — if you're plan-managed or self-managed. Many excellent OTs, physios, psychologists, and speech pathologists are unregistered (especially sole practitioners), so this opens up your choices significantly. NDIA-managed plans can only use registered providers.
Therapy relationships often need 4–6 sessions to see real progress, especially for psychology and complex OT. But if something feels wrong from the start — poor communication, missed sessions, no clear plan — trust that signal and switch. You're not obligated to stay.