Therapy Assistant vs Therapist: How to Stretch Your NDIS Budget
Therapy assistant vs therapist NDIS: how an assistant delivers your therapist's program at a lower rate, and how to use both to stretch your therapy budget.
If your therapy budget runs out before your goals are met, a therapy assistant might be the missing piece. They deliver the program your therapist designs — the repetition and the practice — at a lower hourly rate, so your capacity-building funding goes further. Here's how the two roles work together, and when using both makes sense.
The problem: good therapy, limited hours
What a therapist does
What a therapy assistant does
How they work together
How this stretches your budget
When an assistant is (and isn't) right
How to set it up well
Frequently asked questions
What is a therapy assistant on the NDIS?
A therapy assistant (or allied health assistant) delivers the program your therapist designs — running practice sessions and exercises — under the therapist's supervision, at a lower hourly rate. They don't assess you or change the program; they carry it out consistently so your budget covers more…
Does using a therapy assistant save money?
Usually, yes. Both roles typically draw on the same Capacity Building therapy budget, but the assistant's lower rate means more hands-on hours for the same dollars. The therapist focuses on assessment and design; the assistant delivers the repetition and practice.
Can a therapy assistant work without a therapist?
No. A therapy assistant works under a therapist's delegation and supervision, to a program the therapist has designed. The therapist stays clinically responsible and reviews progress. If a new problem appears or an assessment is needed, that's the therapist's job, not the assistant's.
Who can be a therapy assistant?
Therapy or allied health assistants have relevant training to support qualified therapists, and always work to a supervising therapist's plan. The key isn't a single fixed qualification but that they deliver the delegated program safely and report back, with the therapist overseeing the clinical…
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