Women's counselling

No. A great many women arrive able to say only that they are tired, short-tempered and not themselves, and that everything is fine on paper. That is a perfectly good starting point. Working out what is actually going on is the first part of the job rather than something you are expected to have done before you arrive.

Yes. Aisha delivers this work and you book with her directly rather than being allocated to whoever happens to be free. For many women that is the difference between attending and not attending, and it is not a preference anybody needs to justify.

Aisha's work is with women and with LGBTQIA+ clients. Nobody is going to be quizzed at the door about whether they belong here. If you are not sure this is the right fit, book anyway and say so in the first session.

Exhaustion and resentment from carrying a household. Anxiety and low mood. Past trauma, including assault and childhood experiences. Motherhood, and the loss of a self that existed before it. Caring for ageing parents while raising children. Confidence at work. Body image. Relationships where you have gradually stopped saying what you think. Not all of it is a crisis, and none of it needs to be a crisis to be worth an hour.

Counselling helps and you can book here. It is also worth knowing that PANDA runs a national helpline for perinatal anxiety and depression on 1300 726 306, staffed by people who do this specifically, and your GP and child and family health nurse are both real options rather than a last resort. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, that needs same-day help: call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Yes. What you say is not shared with your partner, your family or anybody else unless you authorise it. There are limits set by law where somebody is at risk of serious harm, and those apply to every client rather than to this service in particular. They will be explained at the start.

Then please start with a phone call rather than a joint appointment with your partner. 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 is the national family violence and sexual assault line, it is free and open 24 hours, and it exists exactly for the conversation you are not sure you are allowed to have. An individual appointment here is welcome alongside that, and nothing about it goes back to anyone.

Yes, by secure video anywhere in Australia, which for a lot of women is the only way an hour is findable at all. In-person sessions are available in Bankstown.