Australia-wide · By telehealth
Online Christian counselling
for women, wherever you are
Counselling with a practising Catholic counsellor who understands faith, includes it only when you choose, and keeps clear professional boundaries. Start with a free 15-minute discovery call from anywhere in Australia.
What you can bring
Your Faith Does Not Have to Wait Outside
Faith can be a source of identity, community and comfort. It can also be where hard questions, church hurt or shame sit. Counselling makes room for both.
Anxiety, guilt or perfectionism
Low mood, worry, scrupulosity or a sense of never being good enough, where faith is part of the picture.
Grief and questions about suffering
Loss of a person, a pregnancy, fertility or a hoped-for future, and the questions about God that can come with it.
Church hurt or spiritual abuse
Shame, coercion or harm in a church setting, explored without being pushed towards forgiveness, reconciliation or a return to an unsafe place.
Family and relationship pressures
Expectations from family, parish or community that shape your choices, marriage, motherhood or sense of duty.
Changes in belief or belonging
Doubt, deepening faith, leaving or returning to church, or not knowing where you stand right now.
The impact of trauma
How past experiences affect trust, meaning, connection and spiritual life, worked through at a pace that respects your consent.
The process
How It Works
Three steps to check fit, decide how much faith features, and meet online.
01
Talk about fit
Book a free discovery call of around 15 minutes. Ask about Aana’s approach, her boundaries, and how much, or how little, you want faith to feature. There is no obligation to book afterwards.
02
Meet by video
Your sessions are held online. Choose a private place where you cannot be overheard, use a suitable device, and check your connection. At the first session, agree on the focus of the work.
03
Review as you go
Your preferences can change. Faith can come into the conversation, stay in the background, or stay outside the work entirely. Fit and online suitability are reviewed with you.
Why Safe Refuge
Faith-Informed, Client-Led
Aana’s faith is disclosed so you can make an informed choice about fit. It does not decide the content or outcome of your sessions.
01
Faith understood, never imposed
Aana is a practising Catholic. You can bring words like prayer, parish or vocation without translating them, or keep faith out of the work entirely.
02
Any Christian background
Catholic, Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox, questioning or stepping away from faith. Your beliefs set the direction, not Aana’s.
03
Australia-wide by video
Attend from a private place anywhere in Australia, without travel or a waiting room, when telehealth is suitable for your circumstances.
04
Direct private booking
No GP referral or Mental Health Treatment Plan is needed. Sessions are not Medicare-rebatable.
05
Transparent cost
A standard 50-minute session is $140. Prepaid blocks and a limited number of concession places are listed on the Fees page.
Clear boundaries
Counselling and Spiritual Direction Serve Different Needs
The work remains counselling. It is not spiritual direction, confession, prayer ministry, or pastoral decision-making. Aana will not tell you what a good Christian woman should do, interpret doctrine for you, or use faith to pressure a particular choice.
Some women see a priest, pastor or spiritual director as well. With your permission, counselling can sit alongside that care, and alongside a GP, psychologist or psychiatrist, with each person staying within their own role.
Read more in the faith and therapy guide or why Aana became a Catholic counsellor.
About Aana
Aana Carpenter
I’m a trauma-informed counsellor based in the Adelaide Hills, working with women across Australia online. I’m also a practising Catholic, so you don’t have to explain what faith means before we can talk about it.
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 the other supports that may need to be involved.
This is a safe refuge. I’d love to welcome you here.
Aana Carpenter — ACA Registered Counsellor, Level 1
This registration is held by Aana Carpenter as the individual practitioner, not by Safe Refuge Counselling as a practice.
Clear pricing
Fees & Medicare
A standard 50-minute session is $140. Sessions are not eligible for a Medicare rebate, and no GP referral or Mental Health Treatment Plan is needed to book.
Prepaid blocks and a limited number of $110 concession places are available. See the complete fees, Medicare and referral guide.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be Catholic?
No. Women from Catholic, Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox, other Christian, uncertain, or non-religious backgrounds are welcome. Aana is Catholic, but your beliefs and preferences set the direction of the counselling.
Will prayer or Scripture automatically be part of a session?
No. Faith is included only when you want it to be relevant to the counselling. You can ask about Aana’s approach during a discovery call and change your preference at any time.
Is Christian counselling the same as spiritual direction?
No. Counselling focuses on wellbeing, relationships, experiences, patterns, and practical change. Spiritual direction, confession, pastoral care, and sacramental guidance have different purposes and belong with an appropriately qualified clergy member or spiritual director.
How does online counselling work?
Sessions are held by video. Choose a place where you cannot be overheard or interrupted, use a suitable device, and check that your connection is reliable. Suitability for online work is reviewed with you over time.
Do I need a GP referral or Mental Health Treatment Plan?
No. You can book Safe Refuge directly without either document. Safe Refuge sessions are not eligible for a Medicare rebate.
What should I do if I need urgent help?
Safe Refuge is not a crisis or emergency service. If life is in immediate danger call 000. Lifeline provides 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14. For domestic, family, or sexual violence support, contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
Ready when you are
A Quiet Place to Start
A discovery call is the simplest next step. Fifteen minutes, free, no commitment. Ask anything you need to, including how faith would or would not feature.
If you need support right now