Choosing between a psychosocial recovery coach and a support coordinator can be confusing. Both can help you understand and use your NDIS plan, connect with services and work towards your goals. However, their focus and approach are different.
This guide is for NDIS participants, families, carers and anyone helping a participant decide which type of support may be suitable.
I wrote this after coming across questions about whether a recovery coach and support coordinator do the same job. I checked the current information published by the NDIS, including its guidance for participants and providers, so the differences in this article are based on official information rather than assumptions. (NDIS)
Table of Contents
What Does a Support Coordinator Do?
A support coordinator helps you understand and use your NDIS plan. They can help you choose providers, organise supports and connect with community, mainstream and government services.
The NDIS currently describes three levels of support coordination:
Level 1, support connection, helps you understand your plan and connect with supports.
Level 2, support coordination, helps you build skills to manage your supports and work towards greater independence.
Level 3, specialist support coordination, is for participants with more complex situations and support needs.
A support coordinator may help you:
- Understand your plan budgets
- Find suitable providers
- Set up service agreements
- Coordinate different services
- Monitor whether your supports are working
- Understand provider costs and responsibilities
- Build confidence in managing your own supports
The main focus is on coordinating your supports and helping you become more confident in managing them.
What Does a Psychosocial Recovery Coach Do?
A psychosocial recovery coach is an NDIS-funded worker who specifically supports people with psychosocial disability.
Their work focuses on recovery, independence, decision-making and participation in community, education or employment. They can also help you connect with mental health services and other mainstream supports outside the NDIS.
A recovery coach may help you:
- Understand different support options
- Plan and organise services
- Build skills and confidence
- Develop decision-making skills
- Work towards greater independence
- Stay connected with community activities
- Connect with mental health and mainstream services
Some recovery coaches also have lived experience of mental health challenges and recovery. If this is important to you, you can ask about their experience, qualifications and approach before choosing one.
Psychosocial Recovery Coach vs Support Coordinator
The simplest difference is their main area of focus.
A support coordinator focuses on coordinating your NDIS supports and helping you manage your plan.
A psychosocial recovery coach focuses on recovery-related goals and supports people with psychosocial disability.
There is some overlap. Both may help you understand the NDIS, connect with services and build independence. The difference is the specific expertise and purpose behind the support.
For example, imagine you need help finding a disability service, setting up agreements and coordinating several providers. Support coordination may be more relevant.
If you have psychosocial support needs and want help building routines, decision-making skills, community participation and connections with mental health services, a recovery coach may be more suitable.
Your individual needs and the funding included in your NDIS plan matter.
Can You Have Both a Recovery Coach and Support Coordinator?
Usually, the NDIS does not fund both because their roles can overlap.
There can be limited situations where both may be funded. The NDIS has stated that there needs to be a specific identified need, clear responsibilities and no duplication of tasks. (NDIS)
If both supports are included, the roles should be clearly separated.
For example, the support coordinator could focus on coordinating NDIS providers and helping with plan implementation, while the recovery coach focuses on recovery planning, coaching and broader mental health-related support.
You should check your plan and discuss your circumstances with your NDIS contact before assuming both supports can be funded.
Which One Should You Choose?
Start with your needs rather than the job title.
Ask yourself:
- Do I mainly need help understanding and coordinating my NDIS supports?
- Do I need help finding and communicating with providers?
- Do I need support with recovery-related goals?
- Would mental health service navigation be useful?
- Would I benefit from a worker with relevant lived experience?
- Do I have complex circumstances that require specialist coordination?
You can also speak with potential providers before making a decision. Ask what they would actually help you with, how they communicate, how they track progress and how they would work alongside your existing services.
Your support should relate to your goals and the funding available in your plan.
How Connect Life Can Help
Choosing an NDIS provider is a personal decision. You should have enough information to understand what a service does before agreeing to work with them.
At Connect Life, participants can discuss their needs, goals and support preferences and explore whether a particular service is suitable for their situation.
The NDIS also states that participants can choose providers when they have funding for support coordination or recovery coaching. (NDIS)
FAQs
Is a psychosocial recovery coach the same as a support coordinator?
No. Their roles overlap, but a recovery coach specifically supports people with psychosocial disability and focuses on recovery, independence and related goals. A support coordinator focuses more broadly on understanding, coordinating and using NDIS supports.
Can I change my recovery coach or support coordinator?
Yes, you can choose a different provider if your current support is not suitable. The NDIS has a process for choosing or changing a support coordinator or recovery coach, including a request for service.
Do I need a recovery coach if I already have a support coordinator?
Not necessarily. The NDIS generally funds one or the other because of the overlap between their roles. In limited circumstances, both may be considered where there is a specific need and the responsibilities are clearly separated.
The right choice depends on what you need help with, what goals you are working towards and what is included in your NDIS plan. If you are unsure, review your plan and speak with your NDIS contact or a suitable provider before making a decision.
