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Gidget Foundation: free counselling for expecting and new parents, by video from home or face to face in Perth

Gidget Foundation Australia offers free one-to-one therapy for parents from pregnancy to the baby's first birthday, by video call anywhere in Australia or at Gidget Houses in Joondalup, Yanchep and Harrisdale, plus free online groups for mums, dads and couples. What it covers, who can use it and how to start.

A young mother sits in a teal armchair smiling down at her baby asleep in a carrier on her chest, a counsellor on a video call on the laptop beside her

A helpline is a good first call. Sometimes you need more than one call: the same person, every week or two, helping you work through it. That usually means a psychologist, a long wait and a big bill.

Gidget Foundation Australia takes the bill away. Its clinicians specialise in the months around having a baby, and they see expecting and new parents for free: by video call from your own lounge room, anywhere in Australia, or face to face at three Gidget Houses in Perth.

Find out how to start with Gidget

What it is

Gidget Foundation is a national not-for-profit for perinatal mental health: the anxiety, depression and shock that can come with pregnancy and a new baby. Gidget says 1 in 5 mothers and 1 in 10 fathers are affected.

It runs three kinds of help:

Who it's for

Gidget sees people who are:

First babies and second or third babies alike. Partners can use the services too.

You don't have to be in crisis. Gidget's own rule of thumb: if you feel more worried, more irritable or sadder than usual, or your sleep or appetite has changed, and it hasn't settled within two weeks, it is time to get support.

What it costs

One catch: give at least 48 hours' notice if you must cancel or move an appointment, or a cancellation fee may apply.

How to start, step by step

  1. Book your GP. For one-to-one therapy you need a GP referral and a Mental Health Treatment Plan. Tell your GP you want to see Gidget Foundation; GPs fill in Gidget's online referral form.
  2. Make an enquiry yourself. On Gidget's Access Services page, fill in the enquiry form. It has to come from you, not a partner or friend, because it's therapy and your privacy is protected by law. A partner can still call for general information.
  3. Upload your referral. Once your GP has done the referral and plan, upload them on the same page, or ask the GP to send them straight to Gidget.
  4. Wait for the call. Gidget's team contacts you to talk about video or face to face and the wait. Gidget says waits are longer than usual right now. If you haven't heard back within a few business days, check your junk folder, then call 1300 GIDGET (1300 443 438).
  5. Join a group while you wait. Gidget Village needs no referral. It runs weekly online sessions over 5 to 8 weeks: Expecting + Connecting (pregnancy), Motherhood + Belonging (after birth), Parenting in Partnership (dads) and Partners + Not Just Parents (couples). The next dads' group runs Tuesdays from 10 November to 15 December 2026, 5pm to 7pm east coast time, which is 2pm to 4pm in Perth. Register your interest on the Gidget Village page.

For dads

Gidget says 1 in 10 new dads go through perinatal anxiety or depression, and they are more likely to if their partner is too. Dads often notice it as headaches, irritability or trouble concentrating at work, not as sadness. Gidget's dads' page has short fact sheets on work, self-care and looking after yourself as a new dad.

When to call someone else

Gidget is not a crisis service.

A safe baby needs a parent who is OK. Asking for help is part of looking after them.

Find out how to start with Gidget

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