About
Safe Refuge Counselling
A quiet counselling practice in Mount Barker offering trauma-informed, Catholic-informed care for women in the Adelaide Hills.
Meet Aana
Aana Carpenter
I’m a trauma-informed counsellor based in the Adelaide Hills, and I’m so glad you’ve found your way here.
My path to counselling grew from a desire to offer people time, attention, and a thoughtful place to speak. I wanted to meet people where they are and work at a pace that respects their choices and circumstances. That commitment continues to shape Safe Refuge.
I work primarily with women, because I know firsthand how much we carry. The weight of motherhood, the identity shifts that come with each new season of life — from birth and postpartum to the quiet earthquake of menopause. The grief. The anxiety. The way we can lose ourselves in giving so much to everyone around us. These experiences are real, they are valid, and they deserve more than a rushed appointment. You deserve a space where you can slow down, breathe, and be gently present with wherever you are right now.
I offer counselling to women navigating anxiety, low mood, trauma-related concerns, grief and loss, and spiritual abuse — with attention to pace, consent, professional scope, and other supports that may need to be involved. I am Aana Carpenter — ACA Registered Counsellor, Level 1 — and maintain a verified Psychology Today listing.
When I’m not in the counselling room, I’m a mum to two boys and a girl, and I’m grateful every day for my loving husband and the beautiful hills community we call home.
This is a safe refuge. I’d love to welcome you here.
Our Mission
A Refuge, Literally
Safe Refuge exists to give women in Mount Barker and the Adelaide Hills somewhere genuinely safe to bring the things they cannot say anywhere else. Trauma. Grief. The loneliness of early motherhood. The quiet shame of feeling like you are failing at a life everyone else seems to manage.
Our approach makes room for the whole person — mind, body, relationships, values, and spirit where that is welcome. Sessions can support reflection on pain, connection, meaning, and the changes each client wants to consider, without promising a particular outcome.
Safe Refuge is a practising Catholic counselling practice. Women of every tradition and none are welcome.
Our Approach
Trauma-Informed, Thoughtful, Unhurried
Safe Refuge offers counselling with clear boundaries, respect for client choice, and room for faith when it is welcome. Needs outside Aana's professional scope may require another practitioner or service.
- Choice, consent, and a pace discussed with you
- Clear professional scope and boundaries
- Faith included only when you want it to be
- Referral when another service is more appropriate
- In-person and online appointment options
- Published fees and direct private booking
Why Safe Refuge
What Makes Us Different
For Women, By a Woman
A counselling practice focused on women and the experiences they may bring from motherhood, relationships, grief, faith, identity, and change.
Catholic-Informed
A practitioner who takes your faith seriously without imposing it, and who understands the language of parish, prayer, and meaning.
Rooted in the Hills
Local, embedded, and unhurried. We are not an Adelaide practice with a satellite room. Mount Barker is home.
Credentials
Professional Memberships & Listings
Aana Carpenter — ACA Registered Counsellor, Level 1
The registration is held by Aana as the individual practitioner, not by Safe Refuge Counselling as a practice.
Psychology Today
Verified public listing on Psychology Today. View profile →
Next Step
Let's Talk
A discovery call is a short, free conversation to explore whether Safe Refuge is the right next step for you. No GP referral or Mental Health Treatment Plan is required to book.