Australia • Crisis Support Directory
Supporting a neurodivergent child, teen, or adult in distress can feel scary and exhausting — and it can be even harder when you’re neurodivergent too. This page gives calm, clear next steps for right now and ways to get support for you as a carer.
If your brain is overloaded, choose the option that feels most doable. You can switch paths later.
“Are you safe right now?” (Yes / No / Not sure)
If “No / Not sure” → use Crisis lines now or call 000 if urgent.
“Do you want to call or text/chat?”
Choice reduces pressure (especially during shutdown, panic, or meltdown).
Call anytime for crisis support and suicide prevention.
Support for anxiety, depression, and feeling overwhelmed.
Counselling for people at risk, carers, and those impacted by suicide.
Youth support via phone and online counselling.
Crisis support by Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander counsellors.
Support for domestic, family and sexual violence.
• Reduce input: dim lights, lower voice, fewer people in the room.
• Use short sentences: “I’m here.” “You’re safe.” “One step.”
• Offer regulation options: water, weighted blanket, hoodie, headphones, quiet car ride.
• Avoid “why” questions. Use “what helps?” or “what do you need right now?”
• If they can’t talk: allow yes/no, thumbs up/down, texting, or writing.
Practical and emotional support for carers, including counselling and connecting to local services.
Use national directories to locate nearby services and pathways.
Try: “I can’t do everything today — I’m choosing one support call and one rest task.” You matter too.
Parentline can help you plan what to say, what to do next, and how to keep everyone safe.
These numbers connect you to parenting/carer support in your area (hours vary). If you’re calling about immediate safety risk, use Crisis lines or call 000.
If you want, you can link these to your other Australia pages once the slugs are confirmed. For now, these are safe anchor links back to sections on this page:
