Support Coordinator vs Recovery Coach: Which Do You Need?
Support coordinators and recovery coaches both help you use your NDIS plan — but in different ways. Here's the difference and who each suits.
Both a support coordinator and a recovery coach help you make the most of your NDIS plan, and both can be funded in your Capacity Building budget. But they do different jobs — one is a system navigator, the other a mental-health-focused partner in recovery. This guide explains the difference.
What a support coordinator does
What a recovery coach does
Side by side
Can you have both?
How to decide
Frequently asked questions
Is a recovery coach the same as a support coordinator?
No. Both are funded from Capacity Building and both coordinate supports, but a psychosocial recovery coach focuses on mental-health recovery with more regular, relationship-based contact, while a support coordinator navigates the whole NDIS system.
Can I have both a recovery coach and a support coordinator?
Generally you'd have one or the other for coordination, since their roles overlap. Which one is funded depends on your needs — recovery coaches are for psychosocial disability.
Who can be a recovery coach?
Psychosocial recovery coaches either have relevant qualifications or lived experience of mental health recovery, plus training. The role is built around understanding mental health, not just the NDIS system.
Related guides
- Therapy Assistant vs Therapist: How to Stretch Your NDIS Budget
- Wheelchair vs Mobility Scooter: What Will the NDIS Fund?
- Assistive Technology vs Home Modifications: Which Route Should You Take?
- Core vs Capacity Building Budget: Can You Move Money Between Them?
- Day Program vs Community Access: What's the Difference?
- Dietitian vs Nutritionist: Which Can You Claim on the NDIS?