Service
Counselling for Women's Life Changes
A private place to work through relationships, identity, caregiving, boundaries, isolation, and the changes that do not fit neatly into one label.
No GP referral or Mental Health Treatment Plan required to book
Women often arrive carrying several things at once: a relationship under strain, care for children or parents, a change in work or identity, grief that has gone unnoticed, and the pressure to keep functioning for everyone else.
Women’s counselling offers room to slow the story down and decide what needs attention first. You do not need a diagnosis, a polished explanation, or certainty about which service name fits before you make contact.
Safe Refuge is a counselling practice focused on women. Sessions are available in person in Mount Barker and online. If you are uncertain whether the service fits your identity, location, or circumstances, you are welcome to ask privately during a discovery call.
In Session
Reasons Women Seek Counselling
- Relationship difficulties, separation, or recurring conflict
- Mid-life, motherhood, work, or identity transitions
- Caring responsibilities and the pressure of holding everything together
- Estrangement, family tension, or changing parent–adult child relationships
- Body image, self-worth, or harsh self-criticism
- Boundaries, assertiveness, people-pleasing, or resentment
- Friendship loss, loneliness, or reduced connection
- Meaning, values, faith, or uncertainty about the next stage of life
What to Expect
How It Works
Step 01
Start with fit
A free discovery call gives you space to name what is bringing you to counselling, ask practical questions, and decide whether Aana’s approach feels suitable.
Step 02
Choose a focus
Your first sessions clarify what matters most now—whether that is a relationship, a life transition, boundaries, grief, overwhelm, identity, or something harder to name.
Step 03
Work at a sustainable pace
Session frequency and goals are reviewed with you. You can book in person in Mount Barker or discuss whether online counselling better suits your circumstances.
Finding the Right Door
General Support or a More Focused Service?
This page is the broadest doorway into Safe Refuge. If one concern is central, you may find more detailed information in the trauma, perinatal, grief, anxiety and low mood, birth trauma, or Christian counselling pages.
Concerns can overlap. You do not have to decide which one is primary on your own, and choosing one page does not lock the counselling into a narrow topic.
If you are still finding language for what is happening, the Australian women’s loneliness report explores disconnection across life stages. The migrant women’s mental health guide and the state-by-state services guide offer broader pathways through Australia’s support system.
Scope & Safety
Counselling Is One Part of a Support Network
Safe Refuge can work alongside medical, psychological, perinatal, family-violence, legal, cultural, or pastoral supports when appropriate and with your consent. Aana does not provide emergency response, medical diagnosis, medication advice, or specialist family-violence case management.
Our Approach
Focused on Women, Led by Your Priorities
The service makes space for the social, relational, bodily, family, and cultural context around what you are experiencing. It does not assume that all women share the same story.
A discovery call can help you assess fit without committing to a full course of sessions.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Counselling for Women's Life Changes
What is women's counselling?
Women's counselling is not a single technique or diagnosis. It is counselling that can pay close attention to the relationships, roles, expectations, safety concerns, body changes, caregiving, work, faith, and life transitions that may shape a woman's experience.
What if my concern does not fit a service category?
You do not need to choose a label before booking. A discovery call can help identify whether general women’s counselling, a more focused Safe Refuge service, or a different practitioner is the most appropriate next step.
Can I attend online?
Yes. Safe Refuge offers in-person appointments in Mount Barker and online counselling. Online sessions require a private place, a suitable device, and a reliable connection; the discovery call can help you consider fit.
Is Safe Refuge suitable for urgent or crisis support?
No. Safe Refuge is an appointment-based counselling practice, not a crisis or emergency service. If life is in immediate danger call 000. Lifeline is available on 13 11 14, and 1800RESPECT is available on 1800 737 732 for domestic, family, or sexual violence support.
What if another kind of care would suit me better?
Aana will discuss referral or shared-care options if your needs are outside Safe Refuge’s scope or would be better supported by a GP, psychologist, psychiatrist, specialist service, or crisis service.
Take the Next Step
Book Now
A short, free conversation to explore what is troubling you and whether Safe Refuge is the right next step. No GP referral or Mental Health Treatment Plan is required to book, and there is no pressure to continue.