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Bush Support Line

We offer a free 24/7, 365-day telephone counselling support line for the rural and remote health workforce and their families.

free 24/7, 365-day telephone counselling support

Bush Support Line

The Bush Sup­port Line is open to all health work­ers, health dis­ci­pline stu­dents, and their fam­i­lies in rur­al, remote, and iso­lat­ed com­mu­ni­ties, includ­ing nurs­es, mid­wives, med­ical offi­cers, Abo­rig­i­nal and Tor­res Strait Islander Health Workers/​Professionals, the allied health work­force and oth­er staff involved in health ser­vice delivery.

You can ring 1800 805 391 at any time to speak with a psy­chol­o­gist expe­ri­enced in the rur­al and remote sec­tor. When you call, you will receive a non-judge­­men­­tal, respect­ful, eth­i­cal and cul­tur­al­ly safe service.

Bush Sup­port Line Update – 8/4/24

CRANAplus has intro­duced some small changes to the Bush Sup­port Line to improve user expe­ri­ence. At the begin­ning of the call, callers will hear a brief pre-record­ed mes­sage and be able to pro­vide informed con­sent pri­or to being trans­ferred to a psy­chol­o­gist. If on hold, callers will hear a mes­sage about men­tal health and well­be­ing ser­vices. The hold peri­od will also last longer to allow more oppor­tu­ni­ty for the call to be answered.

Your experience is unique

The personal and professional demands experienced by those working in the rural and remote health sector are significant and unique. We understand these challenges and can provide strategies and support to navigate and manage your experience.

The Bush Support Line is an ideal way for health workers and their families to reach out when needed, no matter the issue.

Bush Support Line - 1800 805 391
Bush Sup­port Line

Frequently asked questions

What is the Bush Sup­port Line?

The Bush Sup­port Line pro­vides high-qual­i­ty, free, con­fi­den­tial, 24/7 tele­phone sup­port to the cur­rent and emerg­ing remote and rur­al health work­force and their families.

Who can access the Bush Sup­port Line?

Any health work­er pro­vid­ing health care in a rur­al or remote com­mu­ni­ty can access the ser­vice. This includes nurs­es, doc­tors, mid­wives, Abo­rig­i­nal and Tor­res Strait Islander health workers/​practitioners, para­medics, aged care work­ers, allied health pro­fes­sion­als, interns and stu­dents. It also includes any fam­i­ly mem­bers of those work­ers. Our psy­chol­o­gists’ wel­come peo­ple of all ages, gen­ders, sex­u­al pref­er­ences and cul­tur­al back­grounds. If you are unsure whether you or some­one you care about is eli­gi­ble, or whether the ser­vice will be ben­e­fi­cial, sim­ply give us a call.

Do I have to be a CRANAplus member?

No. The Bush Sup­port Line is not linked to CRANAplus mem­ber­ship. If you would like to know more about CRANAplus mem­ber­ship and the ben­e­fits avail­able, please call 07 4047 6400.

When is it available?

The Bush Sup­port Line oper­ates 24/7 and you can call any­time to speak with an expe­ri­enced psy­chol­o­gist with rur­al and remote expertise.

How is the Bush Sup­port Line delivered?

CRANAplus pro­vides the Bush Sup­port Line with a team of psy­chol­o­gists who work 24/7 to ensure that the ser­vice is avail­able to health work­ers and their fam­i­lies any time they need. We are fund­ed by the Com­mon­wealth Depart­ment of Health to deliv­er the Bush Sup­port Line nationally.

What can the Bush Sup­port Line help me with?

Our psy­chol­o­gists under­stand the chal­lenges faced by remote and rur­al health work­ers and their fam­i­lies. These could include:

  • Feel­ing iso­lat­ed, lone­ly, detached, anx­ious, sad, exhaust­ed, or overwhelmed
  • Adjust­ing to a new role, work­place, place­ment, lifestyle, or community
  • Man­ag­ing unex­pect­ed per­son­al, pro­fes­sion­al, or com­mu­ni­ty challenges
  • Psy­cho­log­i­cal sup­port dur­ing the AHPRA noti­fi­ca­tion process for the prac­ti­tion­er who is the sub­ject of the noti­fi­ca­tion and the prac­ti­tion­er mak­ing the notification
  • Work­ing with chal­leng­ing per­son­al­i­ties or address­ing work­place bul­ly­ing or harassment
  • Improv­ing well­be­ing and work performance
  • Chal­leng­ing expe­ri­ences due to work­place prac­tices or expectations
  • Recog­nis­ing and improv­ing low mood, anx­i­ety or stress
  • Con­nect­ing with a pro­fes­sion­al to debrief, prob­lem-solve or decision-make
What can I expect when I call?

Your call will be answered by an expe­ri­enced psy­chol­o­gist who will lis­ten to your rea­son for call­ing, explore what you would like sup­port with and explain how they could help. You will be able to ask ques­tions at any time.

Do I need a refer­ral or to pre­pare before I call?

No, you do not need a refer­ral or to pre­pare. You will be sup­port­ed to share your expe­ri­ence and make sense of what is occur­ring. It is more impor­tant that you do not put it off.

Can I call anonymously?

Yes, you can. 

Is it a con­fi­den­tial service?

The Bush Sup­port Line is a safe place for peo­ple to dis­cuss their chal­lenges. Deliv­ered as a brief inter­ven­tion sin­gle ser­vice, you may be asked for lim­it­ed per­son­al infor­ma­tion like your name, tele­phone num­ber and cur­rent loca­tion. If you do not want to pro­vide your details and choose to remain anony­mous, we will con­tin­ue to sup­port you with­in the lim­i­ta­tions of the service.

I am a health pro­fes­sion­al, how can a psy­chol­o­gist help?

A psychologist’s role is to sup­port you to make sense of your thoughts, feel­ings and behav­iour. Every­one can ben­e­fit from reach­ing out.

How much will it cost?

This is a FREE ser­vice. A psy­chol­o­gist can call you back if this is helpful.

Can I access the ser­vice more than once?

Yes, you can. You can access the ser­vice when­ev­er you need.

Let your networks know about the Bush Support Line.

Click here to down­load the Bush Sup­port Line Aware­ness Pack con­tain­ing social media tiles, sug­gest­ed cap­tions, and email ban­ners. With your help, we can ensure that all rur­al and remote health work­ers are aware of this impor­tant service.