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PTSD support · Western Sydney
Steady, trauma-informed support for daily life
Skillwise supports adults living with PTSD across Rooty Hill, Blacktown, Mount Druitt, St Marys and Penrith. We help with routines, home life and community goals in a calm, predictable way, alongside your treating team.
About 5 to 10% of Australians will have PTSD at some point in their lives.
Source: Phoenix Australia
Effective treatments for PTSD are available, and they can work even if the trauma happened long ago.
Source: Phoenix Australia
The NDIS is not designed to replace mental health treatment from the health system; it funds disability supports for impairments likely to be permanent.
Source: NDIS, Accessing the NDIS: a guide for mental health professionals (2017)
Understanding PTSD
Understanding PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a set of reactions that can happen after someone has been through a traumatic event. It can affect anyone, and effective treatment is available from doctors and mental health professionals.
PTSD can show up as unwanted memories or nightmares, avoiding reminders, feeling numb, angry or guilty, and feeling on edge, with poor sleep and trouble concentrating. These reactions can make everyday things harder, like shopping, catching a bus, keeping up with bills or seeing people.
The NDIS does not fund PTSD treatment. It may fund disability supports when PTSD has led to a psychosocial disability that is likely to be permanent and substantially affects daily life. Not everyone with PTSD will meet these rules, and your treating team can help you work out where you stand.
Everyday life
Everyday life with PTSD
PTSD can make ordinary parts of the day feel harder, from sleeping well to going to the shops. These are some common areas, and the practical, trauma-informed ways we can help alongside your treating team.
Sleep and energy
PTSD can make it hard to sleep or concentrate. We plan visits for times that suit you, keep tasks manageable on tired days, and support healthy routines like regular meals, rest and gentle exercise.
Routine and predictability
Phoenix Australia says getting back to a normal routine helps restore a sense of predictability and control. We help you build a simple weekly routine, with the same workers and a clear plan for each visit.
Going out again
Avoiding reminders of trauma can spread to places, people and routines. We never push. We plan outings with you, start small, choose quieter times and agree on how to take a break or head home.
Keeping on top of life admin
When concentration is low, letters, bills and appointments can pile up. We help you set up simple systems for paperwork, calendars and payments, and support you to contact services when you are ready.
Connection with others
People with PTSD can feel cut off from friends and family. We support you to reconnect at your own pace, whether that is a coffee with a friend, a cultural or faith group, or a community class.
Work and purpose
If work, study or volunteering is a goal, we help with routines, travel and settling in, at a pace that suits you, alongside your treating team and any employment service you use.
How we help
How Skillwise supports you
Every support is planned around your goals and what your NDIS plan funds. Start with what you need now, and change it as your plan grows.
Predictable daily routines
Help with meals, household routines and keeping on top of appointments, with the same workers and clear plans so you know what to expect each visit. Personal care →
Building everyday confidence
Practise budgeting, paying bills, shopping and dealing with services, one step at a time and at a pace you choose. Daily living & life skills →
Reconnecting with community
Support to try a class, a walk, a place of worship or a cultural group, planned with you so you can take a break or leave whenever you need. Community participation →
Support through big changes
Help through changes like moving house or settling into a new area, including keeping track of letters and forms and linking in with local services. Life stage transitions →
Living at home
Support at home and in SIL
Most people we support with PTSD live in their own home, with family or in shared housing, and use support at set times. A visit might mean planning meals and shopping, keeping the house in order, sorting the week’s appointments or going for a walk. Visits follow a plan you help write, so there are no surprises.
Supported Independent Living (SIL) is NDIS funding for support workers to help or supervise you 24 hours a day, usually in a shared home. It may suit people who need someone with them around the clock, including overnight, and help with daily activities for at least 8 of those hours. For many people, other home and living supports fit better. SIL cannot be used for rent or groceries. Skillwise is a registered SIL provider.
Families and carers
For families and friends
Phoenix Australia says the support of family and friends is critical when someone is coming to terms with a traumatic event. It can also be hard. A person with PTSD may seem distant or shut down, and you may feel shut out. With the person’s consent, we keep you updated and share what is helping, so home life and support feel consistent.
Looking after yourself matters too. Blue Knot Foundation supports family and friends of people living with complex trauma, and Carer Gateway offers counselling, coaching and peer support for carers on 1800 422 737.
Tip 1
Offer practical help, like doing the weekly shopping or minding the kids
Tip 2
Let them choose whether to talk, and listen without interrupting
Tip 3
Plan one enjoyable thing together each day and notice small wins
Tip 4
Look after your own health, rest and support network
Good to know
What good support looks like
What we don’t provide. Skillwise does not provide counselling, trauma therapy, psychology, diagnosis or crisis care, and we do not write behaviour support plans. Your GP, psychologist or psychiatrist leads your treatment and we work alongside them. In an emergency, call 000.
- Calm, predictable visits from a small team you get to know
- You choose what to share, and we never push you to talk about trauma
- A plan for what helps on hard days, written with you
- Support in your language, including Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Arabic, Dari and Pashto
Behaviour support plans. If you have a behaviour support plan written by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner, our team follows and implements it as written, including any authorised regulated restrictive practices, and keeps the records the plan requires.
NDIS funding
PTSD and NDIS funding
The NDIS does not fund PTSD treatment. If the NDIA accepts that PTSD has caused a psychosocial disability that is likely to be permanent, a plan may include Core supports, which help with everyday tasks like cooking, cleaning and personal care, and with getting involved in social and community activities. People often use this funding for the kind of practical daily support Skillwise provides.
Capacity Building supports are for building independence and skills, including employment supports that help you find and keep a job. Some funding is flexible, while stated supports can only be used as described. Every plan is different, and the NDIA decides who can access the NDIS and what is funded. Counselling and therapy come from your treating team, and we can talk through which of your supports we can provide.
How it works
Getting started with Skillwise
Four simple steps. Bring a family member, carer or support coordinator along if you like.
1. Call or send a referral
Ring 0474 151 264 or make a referral online. We usually reply within one business day.
2. A friendly first chat
We talk about your goals, your daily routine and any health, behaviour support or mealtime plans you already have.
3. Your plan, explained
We go through your NDIS plan and service agreement in plain words, in the language that suits you.
4. Support that fits you
We match you with support workers who suit you, and keep checking in as your needs change.
Kind words
What participants and families tell us
Skillwise made our NDIS experience simple and stress-free. Their team truly listens and supports us every step of the way. I always feel my daughter is in safe and caring hands.
The Skillwise team helps me live more independently and with confidence. They are patient, respectful and always ready to assist. I’ve grown so much since joining their support program.
Skillwise staff treat me like family. They’re kind, reliable and genuinely care about my goals. Their support has made a real difference in my daily life.
Questions
PTSD NDIS support: common questions
Can’t see your question? Call us on 0474 151 264 and talk to a real person.
Does the NDIS fund support for PTSD?
Sometimes. The NDIS does not fund mental health treatment. It may fund disability supports if PTSD has caused a psychosocial disability that is likely to be permanent and substantially affects everyday life. Evidence usually comes from your treating doctor or mental health professional.
Do you provide counselling or trauma therapy?
No. Skillwise is not a therapy or counselling service. Treatment for PTSD comes from psychologists, psychiatrists, GPs and other mental health professionals. We provide practical daily support alongside that treatment.
What does trauma-informed support mean?
It means we put safety, choice and trust first. Workers explain what they are doing, ask before helping, keep visits predictable and respect your boundaries. You never have to explain your trauma to get support from us.
Can I choose my support worker?
We work with you to find a good match, including gender, language and culture where we can. We aim to keep the same small team, and if a worker is not right for you, tell us and we will make a change.
Can you support me in my own language?
Our team speaks English, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Arabic, Dari and Pashto. Tell us your preference when you call 0474 151 264 and we will try to match you with a worker who speaks your language.
What happens if I am having a hard day?
Tell us and we will adjust. We can make the visit shorter, switch to something simpler or reschedule. Together we write a plan for hard days, so workers know what helps and what to avoid. If you need to talk to someone now, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call 000.
Can you come with me to appointments?
Yes. We can support you to get to your GP, psychologist or other appointments, help you plan the trip and wait nearby if you like. We do not take part in your treatment, but we can help you note down what you want to ask and keep track of the next date.
Is Supported Independent Living right for someone with PTSD?
Only for some people. SIL is for people who need support or supervision 24 hours a day and have it funded in their NDIS plan. Many people with PTSD use support at set times in their own home instead. We can talk through what your plan funds and what fits your goals.
More help
Organisations that can help
Phoenix Australia: Australia’s trauma mental health experts, with information on PTSD, self-help guides and ways to find help.
Blue Knot Foundation: Support for adult survivors of complex trauma and the people who support them. Helpline 1300 657 380.
Lifeline: 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention. Call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14.
Other conditions
We also support
Skillwise supports people with a range of disabilities across Western Sydney. See all conditions we support.
Supports we provide
Ten ways we can help
From daily living at home to work, community and life changes, find the support that fits your NDIS plan.
Get started
Support that moves at your pace
Call us, send a referral or drop into our Rooty Hill office. We’re open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm, and our team speaks English, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Arabic, Dari and Pashto.